Reconstruction of accidents with mechanical-technical devices using the biofidelic dummy

Accidents in leisure time are often caused by carelessness or by dangers that cannot be recognized immediately. Accidents at work are mostly caused by the disregard of safety and occupational health and safety regulations, but can also result from planning errors during assembly work, material, installation and manufacturing errors or from design defects. The state of the art and knowledge, standards, regulations and other publications and experiences are fundamental for an analysis. For the reconstruction, conceivable causes of the accident are first determined and reconstructed accordingly using the biofidelic dummy.

Accidents happen time and again when using scaffolding. The specifications of the professional associations and the occupational health and safety conditions for the assembly and acceptance of scaffolding are often not complied with. In addition, several companies usually use the scaffolding or even convert or adapt it. If defective scaffolding or scaffolding parts are used, safety-relevant struts can come loose and the worker can fall.

Handling large machines in mixed traffic with pedestrians harbors many dangers. Again and again, kneeling workers or workers moving into the movement of the excavator are rolled over. The images show from three perspectives (top left: driver's view, bottom left: view from the side, right: bird's eye view) how a rotating excavator hits a "dummy" with the excavator shovel and knocks it away. The entire sequence of movements can be seen in the video. In the rotation, the approximately 1 ton heavy excavator shovel reaches speeds of around 20 km/h, which - depending on the point of impact on the body - can lead to fatal injuries to a worker.

In the case of summer toboggan runs, a distinction is made between tub-guided and rail-guided runs. The users drive down the track at a speed of up to 40 km/h and determine their own speed by operating the brakes. The distance to the vehicle in front must also be maintained. Tight curves, jumps and waves increase driving fun.

The engineering office of Schimmelpfennig + Becke has been offering a well-founded analysis and reconstruction of accident events in the technical and scientific field for over 40 years. With the growing importance of accident reconstruction, the engineering office has developed successfully and today, as the largest independent expert office for accident reconstruction in Germany, also covers the topics of biomechanics, accidents with mechanical-technical equipment and administrative offences.

• Advice on recreating the accident with the biofidelic dummy
• Accompanying test implementation with the biofidel dummy
• Preparation of expert opinions

Schimmelpfennig + Becke GmbH & Co. KG
Münsterstr. 101
48155 Münster

ureko.de