Expert testimony for a Judicial Expertise in Machine Safety
Testimony of independent expertise in machine and process safety for a legal case at the Broye and Nord Vaudois district court.
Context
The Canton of Vaud has four district courts. The Labor Court of the Cantonal Administration in Lausanne called upon Alps Safety in the context of a legal case between an employee and their employer, following a severe accident caused by an electric shear.
Judicial expertise to determine the cause of a severe accident involving a hydraulic shear.
The experts from Alps Safety conducted a thorough investigation to determine the compliance of the hydraulic shear, the equipment involved in the severe accident.
Achievements
As judicial experts, the Alps Safety team had to demonstrate the following qualities:
Experience and competence to answer the questions posed by the judge and provide an informed opinion.
Integrity, honor, and independence: a judicial expert must never act in a manner contrary to these values, and must not have any links to the judge or to either party in the case.
For the investigation, the Alps Safety expert took the following steps:
- Analyzed the equipment technically to identify any non-compliance
- Met with both parties to understand the context of the accident
- Visited other production sites to assess the global context of using such equipment
- Provided the judge with conclusions and an informed opinion on the machine’s compliance and its usage