Presentation
Novel Accident Reconstruction Methodologies: A Collaborative Human Factors Approach
DescriptionThis presentation outlines a collaborative methodology for accident reconstruction and demonstrates the synergistic value of human factors, biomechanics, and analysis in virtual 3D environments. An incident involving a woodchipper winch line that was pulled into a woodchipper and resulted in injuries to the operator provides the framework to highlight these methods. Following the scientific method, several hypothetical scenarios were proposed as to how the unwitnessed incident occurred. Using a 3D virtual environment, each of the scenarios was tested with human factors and biomechanical principles to determine the most likely series of events which resulted in the incident. A human factors analysis determined how the operator used the winch line and what they should have observed, while the biomechanical analysis used the injuries as physical evidence to determine the relative positions of the operator, winch line, and woodchipper in-feed tray at the time of the incident. Ultimately, it was determined based on the accident reconstruction that the woodchipper operator did not follow the chipper manufacturer’s safety warnings and instructions and employer training. This case illustrates that the relative strengths of human factors and biomechanical methods can be collectively leveraged to develop conclusions beyond what each discipline can determine on their own.
Event Type
Lecture
TimeWednesday, October 15th12:10pm - 12:30pm CDT
LocationGrand Hall I
Forensic Professional
Sustainability
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