As discussed in “The Search For Government Efficiency: From Hubris to Helplessness” by George W. Downs and Patrick D. Larkey, simply measuring the success of any particular organization is a challenge in of itself. For example, pages 74-87 discuss in detail the complexities of food inspection. How do you measure the success of the program … More Organizational Failure Measures
A critical report was released April 1985 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration focused on reducing braking distances of heavy vehicles. Among the findings it states, “Complete removal or deactivation of the front brakes, a practice which is common among some trucker users, obviously degrades the [braking] situation…” At issue is a rumored report … More Systemic Failure: The Ghost Report
ACS Engineers, Elizabeth Jensen and Edward Jensen, share insights with a peer reviewed journal article into how to evaluate an operator’s manual based on our experience in engineering & safety!
Now is the time to start planning for students and how they safely travel to/from home in the fall. Prior to the annual time change, Nov 7th, sunrise is at 7:39AM. This means that most high school and elementary school students will be walking or riding bicycles to school in the dark and during twilight, … More ACS Safety Note: Student Safety
A trailer truck on its way to pick up a load lost its rear wheel assembly. The debris then impacted another vehicle in the on-coming traffic side of the road, injuring its driver. An ACS engineer was assigned to investigate. By the time the trailer was available for inspection, the only remaining portions of the … More From the Archives: Trailer Wheel Separation
Two vehicles were involved in a collision at a traffic signal intersection. An ACS engineer was tasked to examine the damage. One vehicle had damage to the passenger side bumper and the other had no damage of significance. The support brace to the damaged bumper collapsed. Occupants in the vehicles would not be injured unless … More From the Archives: Low Speed Impact
There are various models that emphasize different components that combined into an accident. While Heinrich’s Axioms of Industrial Safety are most widely applied, there are others that target relationships among the contributing factors to an injury. As a brief introduction, I’d like to share a few of our investigations and a model that aligns with … More Incidents & Accident Models