Knott Laboratory provides forensic engineering and animation, Civil & Structural, and Fire & Explosion Investigation services to reconstruct accidents.
Wood Chipper Accidents
Wood chipper operators are seconds away from potentially fatal circumstances so safety devices are essential.
Wood chippers present a unique issue in safety guarding. With operators just seconds away from potentially fatal circumstances, safety devices must be in place to allow the user to stop or reverse the feed mechanism at a moments notice. However, manufacturers are hesitant to design safety devices that could potentially slow down chipping operations if the device were too often unintentionally activated by branches or logs entering the mouth of the chipper.
Common wood chipper safety devices include upper feed stop bars, bottom or knee feed stop bars, three-sided feed stop bars, and hanging feed stop cords. The accessibility of the various safety devices becomes paramount in an emergency situation. All too often operators become entangled or caught on branches being fed into the chipper and are unable to activate a safety device in time.
Publications List
Forensic Engineering Use of Computer Animation and Graphics
Analysis Of The Hazards Of Wood Chipper Accidents
Experts in the Field
View Samples of our Work
What others have to say about our work
D.W., Attorney, California
I want to express our continued admiration for the quality of Knott Lab’s work both in accident reconstruction & in the preparation of demonstrative evidence. On the basis of your deposition testimony & the animation of the accident, the defense admitted the negligence of their employee, that it was the direct cause of the plaintiff’s injuries.D.W., Attorney, California
S.G., Attorney, Missouri
The work you did on the case was outstanding. Prior to going to the mediation, we sent your animation of what occurred to the defendants. I truly believe that your animation allowed the defense to see exactly what happened which, in turn, allowed them to appreciate their liability. Regardless, I think your work was outstanding and want to thank you.S.G., Attorney, Missouri
T.B., Attorney, Massachusetts
[Richard,].. Your assistance in the case has been invaluable. I am very pleased that you were able to rebut the findings of the two State Police officers and the defendants expert. No one else was sharp enough to focus on the oil spill in the photos and it was gone when the State Trooper did his final report.T.B., Attorney, Massachusetts
Anonymous
I am a Community Association Manager and have had a few opportunities to work with Knott Labs and each time I could not be more impressed. They are very professional and down to earth, they really take into account their client and want to do what is best for them. When I need an engineer Knott (Cade) is always the first call I make!Anonymous
T.W., Attorney, Illinois
I wanted to personally thank you for all of your hard work and dedication in helping to get the case successfully resolved. If not for your hard work, your expert opinions and your keen analysis on this case, we would never have been able to settle it for the amount and/or in the time frame in which we did. It was truly a team victory.T.W., Attorney, Illinois