Finding answers to premises liability. Our premises safety team of architects and engineers is trained to investigate cases involving the design, construction, operation and maintenance of residential, institutional and commercial premises. Most common are slips, trips and falls. We conduct site inspections, perform tests and review applicable standards to learn facts and form opinions. We have specialists in the areas of human factors, visibility and meteorology who investigate warnings, line of sight and weather conditions. Experts leading the industry. Our experts maintain critical positions within recognized professional organizations that develop standards. They are regularly asked to provide input for developing and refining standards.
- Building Life Safety - Expert Introduction to Relevant Codes
Given contemporary knowledge and building technology, there are now far fewer reasons for fire, in properly designed and maintained, modern buildings, to cause loss of life.
According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics, in 2011, there were 1,389,500 fires reported in the United States. These fires caused 3,005 civilian deaths, 17,500 civilian injuries, and $11.7 billion in property damage.
The attached document contains information on the history of life safety in buildings as well as the modern building and life safety codes. View Full Article HERE
- Fundamentals of Stairway Design
Standards for stairways are derived from how people walk, act and see. The design and construction features of safe stairs are intended to provide the public
with stairways that are consistent in design and construction, and that include features to assist them to use the stairs safely. View Full Mailer HERE
- Municipal Facility Trip - Expert Investigates Trip Injury Involving Rigging Equipment
A contractor undertook reconstruction work on a water treatment plant. The treatment plant
remained in operation during the duration of construction, and treatment plant employees
continued their usual duties, including inspections at all times of the day and night. Rigging
used to lower demolished concrete by crane during the day was left in a walkway used by
plant employees during their nighttime inspections. One of the employees tripped over the
rigging and sustained serious injuries.
William E. J. Martin, AIA, NCARB, who is also a licensed general contractor, was retained to
determine whether the rigging created a dangerous condition which caused the plant
employee’s injuries. View Full Case HERE
- Playground Surface - Experts Investigate Fall from Climbing Equipment
A seven-year-old boy suffered a traumatic brain injury when he fell from a piece of playground equipment at a shopping mall. Robson Forensic premises safety experts were retained to investigate the incident. View Full Article HERE
- Icy Walkway - Expert Investigates use of Cat Litter to Treat Winter Conditions
A patron at a strip mall slipped and fell during winter weather while crossing from the sidewalk to the parking lot. Prior to his fall, ice had formed in the parking lot and sidewalk. After the property owner failed to address the ice, the manager of one of the stores spread cat litter in the parking lot to provide safe footing. After the fall, many parties were sued including the cat litter manufacturer with claims that cat litter is an unreasonably dangerous material to place on icy walkways and that wet cat litter in the parking lot caused the fall. Robson Forensic was hired to evaluate the validity of those claims. View Full Case HERE
- Design for Safe Walking
The architectural group at Robson Forensic collaborated with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) to provide an interactive presentation on using best demonstrated design practices to improve pedestrian safety. The scope of the discussion includes accommodating pedestrian walking requirements, aiding in the identification of hazards, preventing degradation by transient conditions, and maintaining the integrity of built environments over time.
View Presentation on ASSE WebsiteView Full Speaking Engagement HERE
- Walking your Property to Prevent Falls
Falls are the most common and costly accident type for many commercial businesses. In the following article, published in the April 2011 Newsletter for HospitalityLawyer.com, the Premises Safety group at Robson Forensic provides a narrative regarding some of the most common causes of slip, trip, and fall injuries at hotels and retail establishments. The article also provides valuable precautions that should be taken to reduce the likelihood of fall injuries on stairs and walkways. View Full Article HERE
- Gold Medal Awarded by AIA Florida
Miguel Rodriguez was recently awarded the Gold Medal, the highest honor that AIA Florida presents its members. The Gold Medal is awarded to an AIA member who, through his/her dedication and service, advance the profession by taking a leadership position on practice issues, broad-based advocacy and meaningful professional development. View Full Article HERE
- Pedestrian Strike - Experts Investigate Fatal Pedestrian-Vehicle Collision
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross midblock on a four-lane, urban roadway. The incident occurred at night as the victim was attempting to visit a nightclub on the southbound side of the roadway. The victim had parked her vehicle at an unrelated business on the northbound side of the roadway because the nightclub’s parking lot was in a state of disrepair. Street lights ran along the roadway. However, the street light in front of the club’s entrance was Out. Robson Forensic was retained to reconstruct the incident and determine the causes of the collision. View Full Case HERE
- Door Closer - Expert Investigates Injury at Retailer
A woman was struck by a door while entering a national retail chain store. The entrance consisted of a pair of tall, heavy doors with pivot hinges and door closers. The door slammed into the woman before she had completely passed through the entrance and knocked her into a nearby merchandise display. She fell and sustained serious injuries, including broken bones. Robson Forensic architect/premises safety expert, William E. J. Martin, AIA, NCARB, was retained to determine if improper maintenance of the entrance caused the door to operate outside of established industry standards and caused the victim’s injuries. View Full Case HERE
- Door Hardware - Expert Investigates Hand Entrapment
A man was exiting his apartment when his hand became entrapped in the security hardware on the interior door, and his hand was severely injured. His hand was caught between the interlocking pieces of a latch guard, one mounted on the door and the other on the frame.
A Robson Forensic architect was retained to investigate the configuration of the hardware and determine if it was dangerous and met the standard of care for safe door hardware configuration. View Full Our Work HERE
- Glass Sliding Door - Expert Investigates Laceration
A young girl was visiting the apartment of her uncle and cousins when she leaned against the glass of a sliding door that led to the exterior patio. The glass broke into large shards that fell onto her. She was severely lacerated. The glass was original to the door, which was installed prior to the enactment of safety glazing requirements in building and property maintenance codes.
A Robson Forensic architect was retained to determine the requirements for glazing in the subject door, and if the apartment complex owner’s actions were reasonable in not replacing or protecting the glass. View Full Our Work HERE
- Parking Lot Design - Expert Investigates Pedestrian Death
A woman was walking toward a busy donut shop in a parking lot, when she was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by a person who had visited the same location every day for more than a year and was very familiar with the layout of the parking lot.
A Robson Forensic architect investigated the design and maintenance of the lot and determined that the parking lot lacked reasonable pedestrian and vehicle controls. The parking lot created dangerous traffic flows that created conflicts of vehicles with pedestrians. View Full Case HERE
- Powered Door - Expert Investigates Pedestrian Knockdown
A woman was entering a medical office building when she was knocked down by the automatic sliding door at the main entrance to the building. The door unexpectedly closed even though she was in the path of its detector eyes. A Robson Forensic architect was retained to determine if the maintenance of the door caused the door to malfunction and injure the woman as she attempted to enter. View Full Our Work HERE
- Restaurant Entrance - Expert Investigates Pedestrian Fall
A woman was exiting a restaurant under a small canopy above the doors when she unexpectedly stepped across a single riser in the raised ‘porch’. The tile pavement continued across the step and into the restaurant, and she didn’t see the change in elevation as she was walking toward her parked car. The configuration of the entrance had been recently changed, and the redesign involved the services of an architect.
A Robson Forensic architect was retained to determine if the restaurant, who maintained the entrance, and the architect, who oversaw construction of the new entrance, created a dangerous condition that caused the woman’s injuries. View Full Our Work HERE
- Tree Struck by Vehicle, Pedestrian Struck by Tree
A pedestrian was injured on an early winter morning when a tree that had fallen onto the roadway was struck by a passing vehicle and pushed onto the pedestrian. The tree fell as a result of extensive decay in the lower portion of the trunk on the side of the tree facing the road.
Robson Forensic highway engineers addressed tree placement with regard to right-of-ways; our dendrologist addressed the rate of decay and deterioration of the tree; and our facilities engineer, Brian O’Donel, addressed the standard of care for the private property owner inspecting and maintaining buildings and grounds, including trees and tree removal.
Based on the tree’s rate of decay and the applicable standard of care for maintaining facilities, Brian was able to establish that the property owner knew, or should have known that the tree was in a dangerous condition for over a year prior to its falling. The property owner violated property maintenance standards and local codes when they failed to address the unsafe condition, and this violation was a cause of the pedestrian’s injury.
This case settled favorably for our client. View Full Our Work HERE
- Playground Safety Report
A child suffered a concussion and traumatic brain injury in a fall at a municipal playground. His head struck what should have been a protective surface under the play equipment, but the loose fill bark mulch was so thin there were areas where the stone sub-surface was visible. Robson Forensic was retained to evaluate the safety of the playground and to explain the standard of care for safe playground operations and maintenance. View Full Our Work HERE
- Robson Forensic Case Reports: Premises
Our premises liability team of architects and engineers is trained to investigate cases involving the design, construction, operation and maintenance of redidential, insttitutional and commercial premises. View Full Our Work HERE
- Display Hook Injuries to Children
No safety-minded individual would consider it reasonable to construct a wall with spikes projecting into the adjacent aisle ways which are hazards to children and can cause eye injuries. View Full Article HERE
- Jury Finds for Plaintiff in Hospital Warnings Case
A patient fell and was injured when he stepped through an open door from a hospital cafeteria onto a patio. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Robson Forensic Brochure
Robson Forensic has been providing high quality and professional forensic engineering, architectural, scientific and
investigative services throughout the United States since 1987. Robson Forensic provides expertise in a broad range of forensic and technical disciplines. View Full Mailer HERE
Aldieri, Mark J. AIACowen, David C. AIADecker, Donald J. CPP, CPMDinoff, Lawrence C. AIA, NCARBFermano, Ronald A. R.A., NCARBMartin, Lee E. AIA, CBO, LEED APMartin, William E. J. AIA, NCARBMullen, Frank AIAPienciak, Thomas AIARobison, Daniel J. AIA, NCARBSteiner, Kim C. Ph.D.Thorsen, Lisa A. Ed.D., C.R.C., C.P.S.I.Williams, Mark E. AIA, NCARBParsons, Barry E. FMPPeden, Douglas W. R.A., NCARBRodriguez, Miguel A. FAIA, NCARBWebber, Mark A. Preview All
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