Early case technical evaluation and expert witness services for counsel in fall protection, facade access (BMU), suspended and permanent access system matters (U.S. and International)
SUMMARY
Uwe M. Janssen, Founder & Principal of Rauch Safety & Engineering (RSE), serves as a consulting and testifying expert in matters involving fall protection, façade access (including Building Maintenance Units, BMUs), suspended access, permanent access, rigging, and rescue systems.
Mr. Janssen brings more than four decades of field and assessment experience with these systems on landmark and high-consequence assets in the United States and internationally. He has been retained by counsel on approximately 30 matters, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He is the author of the Integrated Design Guide for Work-at-Height & Access Systems (Edition 3, 2026).
Most experts enter a matter after counsel has decided it needs one. Mr. Janssen can also be brought in earlier, before designation, to test whether the technical position warrants moving forward. Counsel can then retain him as the testifying expert under a separate engagement, or retain someone else.
Early Case Technical Evaluation (Pre-Designation): Review of the incident record, drawings and submittals, commissioning and inspection history, and the opposing theory. The evaluation assesses whether the claim, the defense, or the opposing position is technically supported by the available record. For plaintiff counsel, it is a technical screen before investing in a case. For defense counsel and carriers, it is an early read on exposure and on which parties' work the record implicates. The evaluation is a complete engagement on its own, with no obligation to retain Mr. Janssen as the testifying expert.
Consulting Support Through Discovery and Settlement: Document-request and inspection planning, site or equipment inspection, review of opposing expert reports, deposition questions for opposing experts, and technical preparation for mediation and settlement.
Designated Expert: Expert and rebuttal reports, deposition, and trial or arbitration testimony.
RSE does not manufacture, sell, install, maintain, or service equipment, and does not act as a contractor or project manager. Its role in a matter is independent technical evaluation only. RSE does not provide opinions that require a licensed professional engineer's seal, and it says so at the outset where a matter needs one.
Plaintiff or defense. U.S. and international matters.
KEY SERVICES
- Early Case Technical Evaluation (Pre-Designation)
- Expert Witness Services: Reports, Rebuttal Reports, Deposition and Trial Testimony
- Review and Rebuttal of Opposing Expert Reports
- Failure Analysis: Fall Protection and Access Systems
- BMU / Façade Access System Review
- Suspended and Permanent Access System Evaluation
- Construction Defect and System Performance Analysis
- Design vs. Installation Discrepancy Analysis
- Commissioning, Turnover and Acceptance Disputes
- Inspection, Maintenance and Recertification Lapses
- OSHA / ANSI / IWCA Standards Interpretation (as applicable to fall protection and access systems)
POSITIONING STATEMENT
Most fall-protection and access-system matters settle well before trial, and the technical position (whether the system failed, why, and where responsibility lies) drives case valuation and settlement posture. Mr. Janssen can be brought in at intake, when an opposing theory or expert report arrives, or ahead of the designation deadline.
Areas of Expertise:
- Fall Protection Systems Failure
- Façade Access Systems Failure
- Building Maintenance Units (BMU) Failure
- Suspended Access Systems Failure
- Permanent Access Systems
- Roof Anchor Systems Failure
- Lifeline Systems Failure
- Suspended Platform Failure
- Construction Safety Failure
- Building Maintenance Accident
- Construction Defect Analysis
- Construction Dispute Support
- Design vs Installation Discrepancies
| - System Performance Failure
- Infrastructure Access System Failures
- Access System Commissioning Issues
- Installation vs Design Intent Conflict
- Contractor Responsibility Analysis
- OEM Responsibility Analysis
- OSHA Compliance Review
- ANSI Standards / IWCA Standards
- Failure Analysis Construction Systems
- Mechanical Building Systems
- Lifecycle System Analysis
- Commissioning Review
- Maintenance Conditions
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