I Can Help You Step With Confidence in Slip, Trip, Fall Litigation
What I Do For You
Expert Witness – whether you are the Plaintiff or Defendant. I use building code and other standards to develop my opinion. A standards-based walkway audit can quickly identify and quantify the elements related to your case. For single site incidents like a slip and fall on floor or bath tub, a trip on a curb ramp, or a fall down a stairs an onsite audit can be done in one day. I develop my opinion using information provided, the information I collect, published standards, and building code. I develop my opinion and either deliver it verbally or provide a digitally delivered report.
How I Work – I usually start my engagement as a consultant on a fixed-price contract providing set deliverables. I do not charge for travel time, only actual travel expense. I am not always identified as an expert witness in my engagements as not all cases proceed. I have testified both in depositions and trial. I have never been excluded from testifying.
My Advantage – You need an expert who understands the industry standards and building code, has practical experience in floor care and facility services, and uses physics-based, scientific principles to evaluate safety issues. This can be a key determinate in the outcome of a case.
General Underwriting Loss Control Surveys – Collect the information you require for informed decisions.
Opinion – When an accident happens I can quickly review the known facts of the situation and provide an opinion.
Written Opinion – I always recommend, if possible, an onsite, standards-based, walkway safety audit that identifies dangerous conditions in the facility, evaluates the processes in place against the expected level of care, and identifies a proximate cause of the accident.
Deposition and Trial – I am available for further litigation support as required to defend the opinion from my investigation.
Coefficient of Friction Testing – I use the Johnson Forensics GS-1 slip meter. It is an approved slip meter that can be used with multiple published standards. It is the only slip meter designed by a physicist. Not only can it be used with published standards but it can be used to evaluate scenarios no other device can test. I can test both uninstalled and installed flooring materials as well as stairs, ramps, sidewalks, bath mats, showers and tub enclosures, paints, chair glides and shoes for slipperiness. I can test the actual coefficient of friction of a system like a chair glide on carpet, shoe on tile, or bath mat on bathroom tile.
My Background
I have over 15 years of developing walkway safety programs for all commercial facility types while at DiverseyLever, Johnson Wax, and Cintas. I am a past Board Member at the National Floor Safety Institute and past Main Committee Member for the NFSI/ANSI B101 standard. I am currently a member of NFSI/ANSI B101.4 (Test Method for measuring the wet barefoot condition of flooring materials or products), ANSI A108 (Accredited Standards Committee on Ceramic and Glass Tile that manages the A137.1 and A326.3 standards), ASTM F13 (Pedestrian/Walkway Safety and Footwear), ASTM D21 (Polishes that manages the D2047 standard), F15.03 (Safety Standards for Bathtub and Shower Structures), and F06.6 (Resilient Floor Coverings – Slip Resistance).
My focus in on proactively reducing the risk and cost of slip, trip, and fall while helping facilities clean better and faster through education. I teach many courses on walkway safety related topics including:
- 3-day Walkway Safety Professional course
- 1/2 day Introduction to Walkway Management course
- GS-1 Operator Certificate
- BOT3000E Operator Certificate
- ASM 825A Operator Certificate
- Flooring: Design Considerations and Material Selection for Health, Safety, & Welfare (an IDCEC-approved CEU for IIDA, ASID, and IDC)
- Walkways: What You Need To Know To Design, Maintain, and Insure Cleaner, Safer Floors
I am a member of ASTM, ASSE, ISSA, ICC (manages International Building Code), and APEGM. I am a Fellow of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. I have filed several patents related to walkway safety and have published articles and white papers in magazines like ISSA Today (ISSA), Facilitator Magazine (Restaurant Facility Management Association). I have presented to both company and industry events including RFMA and ACUHO-i (Assocation of College and University Housing Officers – International). I have a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Manitoba, an MBA from the University of Chicago, have a Certificate in Assessing Walkway Safety from the University of Northern Texas, am ANSI Walkway Auditor Certificate Holder #31, and am a Walkway Safety Professional. I am incorporator and co-founder of the International Walkway Auditors Associations.
Call me discuss your case.