4/23/2015· Failure Analysis
Weld Failure Analysis: Chair Failure Due to Inadequate Weld
By: Dr. Thomas Read
Read Consulting was asked to determine why a welded chair failed and caused injury to the person sitting in it.
4/23/2015· Failure Analysis
Weld Failure Analysis: Chair Failure Due to Inadequate Weld
By: Dr. Thomas Read
Read Consulting was asked to determine why a welded chair failed and caused injury to the person sitting in it.
4/21/2015· Construction
Contractor Fraud: Beware of Unscrupulous Contractors
By: Michael Panish
Most of the misunderstandings pertaining to contractor and homeowner relationships occur as a result of unclear or wrongly interpreted construction contracts. Upon entering into a building contract, the enthusiasm for starting the proposed work often creates a kind of glazing over or dulling of the senses on the part of the homeowner. Many times questionable terms and arrangements for payment scheduling are accepted or unknowingly agreed to as the homeowner's urgent desire to start work overshadows common sense. Often, the lowest priced contractor seduces the homeowner with promises of more value for the money.
4/16/2015· Education & Schools
Rigor Meets Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Critical to a dynamic STEM school is a high level of instructional rigor. While this is true in all STEM schools, it is a particular challenge in those programs that serve populations inexperienced with high levels of rigor in their previous coursework.
4/14/2015· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Schoolbus Crossing: Safety and Security Part 1
By: Ned Einstein
In the last installment (STN, Jun, 2007), I stressed the importance of distinguishing between an actual bus stop and the waiting area across the street from it in terms of safety. But the selection of the stop and waiting area also involves concerns for student security. Sometimes, there are trade-offs that must be made. These trade-off are often complex and subtle. But they must be made correctly.
4/7/2015· Product Liability
Forensic Clues: Failure to Maintain
While many accidents involving products are the result of a product defect that leads to injury of the product user, accidents can also be the result of a failure caused by lack of maintenance or inspection. This issue of Clues will examine the theory behind failure to maintain accidents, as well as provide examples of common accidents that are due to a lack of maintenance.
4/3/2015· Construction
Unfairly Blaming Tenants for Interior Mold?
By: Lonnie Haughton
Who likely should be blamed for the blackish mold growth found at this new three-bedroom, two-bath apartment in San Jose, California? Unfortunately, landlords often rush to accuse their tenants of generating too much "lifestyle moisture". In many cases, such assessments are both inaccurate and unfair.
4/2/2015· Police Practices & Procedures
Due Diligence and Eyewitness Identification
By: Roger Chappell
I have read a number of books, studies, and court cases in my career to support the fact that eyewitness identification, by itself, is never sufficient enough to send a person to prison. This is not news. Over the past 20 years, more and more people are being exonerated for violent crimes due to DNA . This article is not to rehash old arguments. Instead, it is more of a reminder to investigators everywhere to not finalize a case, charge a person, and send them to prison based solely on an eyewitness' identification.
3/26/2015· Life Expectancy - Life Care Planning
Life-Care Planners Can Offer Attorneys Unique Expertise
How funds are handled after the settlement of a case reflects the competency and knowledge of attorneys and recognizes their outstanding legal skills. This article focuses on the management of settlement proceeds and the maintenance aspect of the care of a client with a disability when that client's financial health is turned over to a trust attorney, relationship manager, financial planner, trust officer or estate planner.
3/26/2015· Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement: Responding to People in Mental Health Crisis
By: Roger Chappell
During my 22-year law enforcement career, I became involved in countless situations in which I personally dealt with people in mental health crisis. My first incident involved a Hispanic male armed with a pistol. I learned a significant amount from that single incident: so much, in fact, that I made the decision to join the Houston Police Department's Hostage Negotiation Team. The techniques I have learned over the years can be applicable to almost anyone, at any time, in just about any situation. In the following paragraphs, I will recount a few incidents in which I was involved and discuss the techniques used to end each the situation safely. Understand that this is not a specific "how-to guide" that may be applied to every situation. Instead, the use of these techniques will simply allow a person that becomes aware of a certain situation - to be able to attempt to stabilize the incident prior to first responders' arrival.
3/25/2015· Medical Malpractice
How Can Causation Be Established in a Labor and Delivery Malpractice Action?
A malpractice action requires the plaintiff to prove: (1) the defendant caregiver owed a duty of care to the plaintiff-patient, (2) the caregiver departed from that standard of care, and (3) that departure from the standard of care actually caused the injury claimed by the plaintiff. "Causation" 11; often the critical component in a malpractice action because the presence of a duty is often obvious, except perhaps in "Good Samaritan" cases, but the statutorily-required expert witnesses will argue about whether the caregiver departed from some standard of care. Because defining "causation" is difficult, there are interesting distinctions in legal versus medical, sociological, or philosophical concepts of cause-and-effect. Applying this difficult concept of "causation" to the very complex world of labor and delivery (L&D) does indeed beg the question, just how can causation be established?