ARCCA experts investigate accidents involving a wide variety of machines from the construction industry including heavy equipment such as bulldozers, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) such as boom and scissor lifts, and smaller machines like skid-steer loaders and forklifts. Machines are often modified for specialized jobs. ARCCA’s mechanical engineering experts regularly investigate equipment involved in accidents and perform field inspections, engineering analyses, and assessment of the safety devices and safety practices in place at the time of the incident.
Construction Equipment Safety Systems
ARCCA experts are current on existing and emerging safety technologies and standards for modern construction equipment. Safety technology on construction equipment includes specialized systems designed to manage certain hazards. Pedestrian detection systems (PDS) are designed to help equipment operators avoid accidental contact with pedestrians. Operator presence detection (OPD) systems sense whether or not an operator is at the controls and deploy interlocks to prevent out-of-control motion of the machine. Sustained involuntary operation (SIO) systems are designed to detect when the operator might be pinned or incapacitated up against the controls, then prevent the machine from moving in response to these accidental commands. ARCCA experts frequently assess the role different safety systems can play in managing a given hazard, including designing and testing safety device prototypes in the ARCCA Safety Engineering Lab.
Mechanical Failure Analysis
ARCCA experts perform root cause analyses on mechanical malfunctions and failures. Whether the incident involved an injury, property damage, or equipment downtime, ARCCA experts have investigated equipment fires, hydraulic system malfunctions, implement attachment point failures, crane/lift collapses and tip-overs, bearing failures, weld fractures and more. Past cases have ranged from accidents involving individual machines to helping large entities trace systematic problems in large fleets of heavy equipment.
