Need An Expert Witness?

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT

• I have operated powered industrial trucks in several industries, including seafood storage, wholesale warehousing, retail grocery, manufacturing, commercial construction, and refrigerated and frozen storage. Over the 49 years of experience, I have been both in labor and management.

• As a distribution manager in the early 1990’s I began to develop safety programs for my company, and by the mid to late 90’s began to develop other company’s safety programs.  To further my education in safety program development, I received training over a four-year period with a Retro group safety trainer, and attended over 55 courses.

• I became certified to train forklift operators in 1992, and trained over 350 operators. In 1998 my partner and I created Bottom Line Loss Training Services, which has trained WISHA inspectors and consultants on what to look for in an employer’s forklift program. I am familiar with the following manufacturers: Big Joe, BT, Cat, Clark, Crown, Daewoo, Drexel, Hyster, Komatsu, Linde, Manitou, Mitsubishi, Raymond, TCB, Taylor, Terex, Towmotor, Toyota, and Yale. I have trained over 11,000 forklift trainers, and over 10,000 forklift operators.

• My experience in Aerial platform lifts cover boom supported elevating work platforms; self-propelled elevating work platforms, manually propelled elevating aerial platforms, and vehicle mounted elevating platforms. I am very familiar with the following aerial lift manufacturers: Genie, JLG, and Sky Jack. I have trained over 250 aerial trainers, and over 700 aerial operators.

• I am familiar with the regulations applicable to forklift operations in the United States and Canada, with standard industry practice for forklift operations, and with the standard of care of a reasonable forklift driver.

• I have been an expert witness on forklift and aerial lift deaths, injuries, and investigations. I am experienced in accident site evaluations, accident recreations, POV filming, pre-trial witness question development, written expert opinions, depositions, jury trial presentations, and working with graphic designers and model replicators to create scale models to use in depositions and jury presentations.

Education

Graduated from Auburn Washington High School 1970.

Completed 80 courses on safety, managing, and communications 1990-1998

I have particular expertise in the following areas:

1. Training forklift and aerial lift operators and instructors, responsibilities of the employer, OSHA and State requirements. Large to small operations, flat bed loading and unloading, construction, open yard operations, distribution center operations, freezer and refrigerated warehouses, retail “box” stores, and farm operations.
2. Due care required for truck drivers on the employers’ site, particularly flatbed deliveries.
3. Temporary workers employed by third party personnel services, and responsibilities of the employer and the third party temporary service.
4. Stand up forklift risks to the operator, design and history of stand up forklift changes.
5. Sit down counterbalance risk factors, safety design changes, and attachment risks and requirements.