Packer Engineering: Engineers with Answers

Seminar Presentations

Packer Engineering routinely provides our clients with seminars and training opportunities in support of our philosophy of life-long learning. Members of the manufacturing, industrial, technical, insurance, and litigation communities regularly benefit from the education opportunities we offer. Our experienced and expert engineers and staff instruct all our educational programs. Our seminars cover a variety of topics and clients can customize a specific curriculum to meet their needs. Seminars may also be arranged for conferences, professional societies, and company training programs. The following seminars are available:

Aerospace

This is a general presentation about the Packer Aerospace Group. It includes group capabilities, experience, personnel and an overview of the capabilities of all the Packer Group Companies.

ANSI Z10 and it's impact on senior management

This is a review of the ANSI Z10 Occupational Health and Safety Management standard, and its potential impact on senior managers in US businesses.

Automobile accidents and driver distraction

Accidents can be caused by driver distractions including cell phone usage. This presentation discusses the results of several scholarly studies on risk analysis, cellular education and ways to possibly reduce driver distractions.

Automobile accidents, human factors considerations

The topics addressed in this presentation include perception and reaction time, visual performance, the difference between sensation and perception, and driver distraction. The driver distraction section includes information regarding the controversy of in-vehicle cell phones.

Automobile accident, low speed impact accidents and soft tissue injuries: fact or fiction

This presentation includes, through the use of case studies, an introduction to the methods used to evaluate Low Speed Collision Accidents with alleged soft tissue injury, and the results of Low Speed Impact Research.

Automobile accident site investigation & reconstruction

This presentation covers a general accident from the investigation through the presentation. Discussion includes the necessary tools for a proper accident scene documentation including, gathering accident data, photogrammetry, crash data retrieval, and analysis tools. Determination of crush energy and development of an accident simulation are the culmination of this program.

Boiler explosion caused by a natural gas detonation

A boiler explosion resulted in total loss of two boilers and significant property damage. The objective of the investigation was to determine cause of the boiler explosion. This presentation explains the relevant guidelines for an accident investigation, by going step by step through the case study.

Building and structure integrity

This program covers topics including the life cycle of a building, maintenance and its importance, case studies of various failures, how to prevent failures, and our experience and expertise.  

Capturing the facts: preservation of facts & evidence for investigations

This presentation shows proven techniques for capturing evidence and artifacts at accident sites.  Included are tips on photography, measurements, drawings and documentation related to vehicular, workplace, buildings and structures, machinery and equipment, and fire and explosion events. This presentation has a strong component including a sensation v perception human factors viewpoint. This presentation would be of interest to any line of business discipline.

Catastrophic incident investigation

This presentation provides an overview of how catastrophes should be investigated, including the roles of the stakeholders, proper evidence preservation, methods of site inspection, proper interviewing of witnesses, capturing the facts and final data analysis.

Chemical process safety management

This presentation discusses process safety including failure mode and effects analysis, strategic risk management, HAZOP studies, design standards compliance, materials failure analysis, and events and causal factors charting.

Construction accidents: OSHA, custom and practice, and beyond

The purpose of OSHA is to assure every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources.." This presentation provides an overview of how 29 CFR parts 1926 and 1910, internal OSHA documents, third party standards, custom and practice, and site specific circumstances, should be analyzed to fully understand construction injuries.

Crane accidents

This presentation is an education about cranes. It explains all the different types and then goes into detail about the different types of failures cranes might experience, including tip-over, component failures, boom failure, and rope failure. These failures are illustrated through a series of case studies. 

Digital still photography (DSP)

A Primer on how DSP works including pointers to improve performance. This presentation includes a thorough overview on correct techniques to take proper care of the photographic equipment, use it to its full potential and proper techniques for the documentation of any type of evidence.

Electrical safety and investigations

Just because an electrical appliance is at the scene of a fire, it doesn't mean the fire was started by that appliance. This presentation discusses the main points to developing an explanation for the cause of an electrical fire. To identify the cause of an electrical fire, you need to understand current, voltage, and resistance. We explain how to use the "Scientific Method" of investigation during scene documentation, evidence gathering witness interviews, and laboratory analysis to aid in identifying the fire origin and cause. We discuss the steps of identifying the problem, defining the problem, collecting and analyzing the information as well as developing and testing your hypothesis. Case studies will be presented to emphasis the learning objectives.

Engineering the complex case: from medicine to mining and beyond

Many kinds of engineering analysis and scientific visualization can be used to reconstruct events and depict relevant data in complex legal cases. Dr. Laura Wojcik will present a variety of case studies involving topics such as medical malpractice, mining fatalities, vehicle accidents, and consumer product failures in which multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists used their technical expertise to analyze events and present the results of those analyses in formats appropriate to the legal environment. This presentation will stress how the proper use of scientific methodologies can help to make sense of even the most complex events in ways that can be understood by judges, juries, and other non-technical audiences.

Exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) (problems with barrier EIFS):

This presentation provides an overview of past performance problems with barrier EIFS and their causes.  It offers a brief description of how EIFS is designed, constructed and maintained.  It discusses water infiltration, drying capability, and long-term durability issues of barrier EIFS and the property damage issues occurring nationwide.

Failure analysis

The primary reasons for conducting an analysis of a metallurgical failure are to determine and describe the factors responsible for the failure of the component or structure.  This presentation describes the stages of an investigation including examination, testing, analysis, and the preservation of evidence.

Fire and explosion investigations, a primer: Basic cause and origin

This presentation focuses on the basic principles and practices of fire investigation and cause and origin analysis. It includes an introduction to fire dynamics (the science of fire growth and spread) and an introduction to NFPA 921, a guide to fire and explosion investigations. Proper investigation methods can help prevent recurrence and aid in the recovery of costs.  A series of case studies will allow the participants to walk through various fire investigations.

Fire modeling

When performing a facility or process hazard analysis or when conducting a post-incident investigation of a specific fire or explosion, it is necessary to determine factors including: ignition source interaction with adjacent combustibles; fuel loading and interaction of fuel packages in the fire area; liquid or gas fuel dispersion and concentration profiles in near and far fields; generation, transport and dispersion of toxic products of combustion; toxic chemical impact of burning materials and potential hazardous dispersion; time-varying rate of combustion product emissions and fire growth; and combustion gas temperature profiles and flow rates. We will demonstrate that the proper application of computer aided fire modeling calculations, coupled with sound engineering analysis, can be used to develop an understanding of all these factors, in addition to adding influential confirmation to opinions concerning credible cause and origin findings. Computer models will be used for demonstration purposes.

Hidden implications of ECM data: spoliation, admissibility and proof issues

This presentation illustrates the usefulness of Engine Control Module (ECM) data in the reconstruction of accidents. The “Black Box” captures a “Snap Shot” when a hard brake/panic stop occurs, as well as other useful information. Case studies are used to show the range of captured information.

Home indoor air quality

This presentation discusses indoor air pollution including methods to improve indoor air quality. Aspects include, building a new home, Radon evaluation, tobacco smoke, biological contaminants, appliance combustion products, formaldehyde, pesticides, asbestos, lead, and others.

How to select and use an expert witness

"How to Select and Use an Expert Witness" provides an expert's perspective on what factors can be crucial to choosing the most effective consulting expert. A simple review of technical qualifications is simply not enough. Hear how issues such as timeliness of involvement and the nature of the claim should affect your decisions. Examples of how an expert can be strategic, creative, and persuasive will be presented. Learn how an expert can be invaluable in making sure you get everything you can from your discovery process, avoid spoliation claims and expert challenges, and gain favorable settlement conditions.

Incident investigation, the matrix system

This presentation discusses the man/machine/environment accident matrix through the use of a case study. 

Legionella - It's ecology, risk assessment and control

Since Legionnaires' disease was identified in the US in Philadelphia, PA after an American Legion Convention in 1976, there have been numerous community and hospital acquired cases identified worldwide. Media attention and the liability associated with outbreaks in hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, and cruise ships continue to increase. This presentation includes (1) the ecology of the organism, (2) transmission of the organism, disease causation, and risk factors (4) conducting a risk assessment (5) proper sampling and analysis (6) control and remediation. Since the science for controlling Legionella is still evolving, we discuss how control is obtained by proper design and maintenance of existing plumbing systems and cooling towers and how control is obtained through the use of existing treatment technologies.

Lighting and grounding

Presentation will cover a basic understanding of the lightning process and the general reasons why lightning will strike a location. The presentation will then cover the function of a grounding system, basic coverage of codes and good engineering practice, additional methods of protecting equipment and buildings. Information will be presented on obvious and subtle mistakes in grounding schemes that can lead to damage. Topic will cover the nature of the damage, electrical paths, susceptibility of various items to lighting damage, induced vs. direct damage, and related issues. The presentation will conclude with methods of damage determination and analysis of existing grounding systems along with use of Strike-Fax®'s basic and advanced reports.

Managing contractor safety in your workplace

This presentation discusses best practices in selecting, educating, and monitoring contractors of all types in a businesses workplace to reduce potential risk and loss associated with their activities.

Mold, the real story

This presentation includes information about mold from the basics of what mold really is to the history of mold as a pollutant, controlling the conditions that promote mold growth, health effects and guidelines, and suggested solutions to the mold problem through a series of case studies.

Product warnings

This presentation discusses the sensory processing activity paid to a particular stimulus and the sensory overload potential of humans. People only pay attention to a small subset of the stimuli to which they are exposed. Some people simply disregard warnings, even after they read them. It is important to design warnings properly so that more people will pay attention and avoid possible injury.

Roofing systems and assessing damage

This presentation provides an overview of various roof types and roofing systems.  Through the use of diagrams and photographs, along with specific case studies, we illustrate origin and cause investigation techniques and discuss good construction practices for commercial and residential roofs.

Safety metrics

This presentation covers a balanced approach to measuring safety performance. It covers the importance of performance oriented measures that help achieve results in the safety process.

Slip, trip and fall investigations

(STALKING THE ELUSIVE BANANA PEEL:  THE ANATOMY OF SLIP, TRIP AND FALL INVESTIGATIONS) examines the architectural, biomechanical and human factors aspects of such accidents and summarizes how such accidents can be investigated and injury claims analyzed.

Solving water intrusion and mold problems

This presentation explains the causes of moisture intrusion, which may result in mold. This is generally a cause and origin study of the causes of moisture (both internal and external sources) in buildings that can result in Mold.

Sprinkler system water failures

Fire protection sprinkler systems save lives and protect property. Current building codes require virtually all commercial properties to have some level of sprinkler system protection and many jurisdictions now require residential properties over a certain size to provide sprinkler protection. In addition, some jurisdictions have taken the steps to require older buildings of a certain class (generally, residential high-rise structures) to backfit the building with a fire protection sprinkler system. But what if these sprinkler systems that were installed per the building codes and designed and installed per the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes, failed? Our investigation of sprinkler systems has uncovered concerns that could lead to (a) water discharge during testing or inadvertent actuations, (b) sprinkler head obstruction during fires, (c) inadequate water flow during fires and (d) possible catastrophic failures.

So much has been written about Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) that MIC is often considered the cause of any pre-mature sprinkler system failures. The "do-it-yourself" microbiology tests kits are being used to further the MIC cause. It must be the water, after all these systems were designed and installed per NFPA. Unfortunately, MIC is not the only source of corrosion in sprinkler systems. Measures to address MIC may not prevent other types of corrosion and will not correct the damage that has already been done.

Stucco

This presentation explains in detail the differences between various types of stucco. Details are shown to illustrate good construction practices. Then there is a section on mold and how poor construction can lead to mold growth.

Supervisor safety leadership

This is a general overview of typical safety responsibilities and accountabilities most supervisors and managers have in safety, and the importance they represent in an effective safety process.

Wright airplane

This presentation illustrates the efforts of Packer Engineering and a number of other local companies in the creation of a replica Wright 1903 Flyer, to fly in Chicago on the anniversary of the initial powered flight of the Wright brothers.