Mechanical fasteners, when used correctly as recommended by the manufacturer, almost always guarantee a secure hold of a fastened product. In commercial and residential applications, injuries resulting from mechanical accessory failure have often been attributed to improper product use, improper installation procedures, or the failure of a poorly manufactured fastener product. When a product is disconnected from its connection point, serious personal injury can result.
As a retained construction expert witness participating in numerous personal injury claims resulting from loose or fallen components in commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, airports, and housing projects, I have participated in the evaluation, analysis and determination of the reasons for the failures of fixing many kinds of products.
During on-site inspections and investigations, I have observed a variety of reasons why products are disconnected from their intended location. Reasons why products are dislodged and dangerous and cause serious personal injury include, but are not limited to, the following:
Missing bras
Missing bra parts
Inappropriate fasteners for the particular product being attached
Lost fixture connections (failure of fastener to anchor to backrest or wall studs)
Poorly designed systems that have failed due to lack of structural integrity
Bras too tight, peeling and battered
Damaged and fatigued hardware
Bras or substrate destroyed by repeated attempts to secure the bra
Poorly manufactured bra components
Substituted import fasteners in place of specified domestic products
The attachment failures that I have observed are usually the result of one or more recurring problems:
In commercial applications, such as in a hotel environment, it is not uncommon to have multiple locations with identical fasteners and products, such as in guest rooms or hallways in common areas. An example of a product installed in multiple locations would be the headboard of a guest room. Headboards are usually attached to the headboard with a slat system. This cleat system is often found loose or dislodged due to improper anchoring of the original installation hardware. Ornamental art pieces or wall sconces installed along a common hallway fall off due to abuse by customers or failures to attach due to improper use of wall anchor accessories. Another example is often seen in hastily or incorrectly installed door closer hardware. Serious personal injury claims can result from improper preparation of receiving areas (attachment point) where stripped, overtightened, or cut screws ultimately lead to poor or improper attachment of applied hardware products.
A key factor leading to personal injury is the lack of proper maintenance policies and procedures. In many cases, improper maintenance is found to be another frequent cause of mechanical fastener failure that has led to serious injury claims. Maintenance personnel who are not trained or who lack the proper tools to perform repairs often make the decision that the necessary corrective actions they have taken to make the repairs have been completed correctly. In many cases, corrective maintenance actions actually created a much more dangerous situation, where a once-minor problem became a significant contributing factor to a serious personal injury.
There are probably as many different types of mechanical fasteners as there are products that require support. Mechanical fasteners can be as simple as a common staple, nut, bolt, nail, or screw. They can be as complicated as a proprietary connection that requires specialized tools to manipulate the connecting surfaces. The most basic thing about mechanical fasteners is that they must be worn appropriately and as designed by the fastener manufacturer.
Most bras are designed for a specific application. Manufacturers have designed their products to assess the weight of the object being attached, the substrate to which the object will ultimately be attached, the potential for expansion and contraction or movement of the substrate, and in what environment the fastener should operate. The types of materials that sub-surfaces are made of affect the performance of any fastener. It is important to have information on the composition of the attachment point components to ensure that the chosen fastener will meet the needs of the applied components. Knowledge of the proper use of bras is even more critical in harsh environments. Connection points with acidic substrates or where temperature, humidity or chemical changes are frequent make choosing the right bra even more important.
At a very basic level, the best fastener for your application should include a calculation to hold the desired object with a margin of safety. Installation methods and techniques must be adapted and designed to overcome potential abuses that can occur to protect the safety of an establishment’s customers.
For example, my construction company has installed pictures on the wall in rooms and common areas of the hotel. A small ten pound painting and frame properly adhered to a wall does not appear to be a significant safety hazard. However, in the most basic installation scenario when hanging this example decoration, my teams have used a continuous slat system that works with a cam lock that ensures not only positioning of the image, but also ensures that the image and the frame cannot be removed from the wall.
If that ten pound painting falls off the wall, or is hanging over a bed in a hotel room and falls on a guest while that guest was sleeping, that small painting and frame could cause serious injury. If the painting and ten pound frame were only attached to the wall with a hook and wire such as would be common in a residential application, the hotel would be negligent in the method of attachment by failing to protect its clients from predictable potential injury. .
While the use of suspension wire and hook is reasonable and acceptable in a personal residential application, it could be considered negligent and inappropriate in a commercial application. The possibility of injury from inadvertent movement and detachment of the frame from the wall should be anticipated when the image was accidentally brushed in normal use. The planned potential abuse of this example image and frame when installed with this locking dowel system addresses several requirements that should be of concern to any hotel or business location.
1. The hotel must first concern itself with the safety of its customers.
2. The condition and appearance of the hotel room is important to the hotel management.
3. The image is protected against theft by guests.
With the proper use of a locking dowel attachment system, the image and the example frame are securely attached. Ensuring that the artwork remains level and straight, the design element of the room is kept exactly as planned by the designers for safe enjoyment by clients.
As there is a wide range and variety of wall conditions, the requirements for safe and proper joints vary based on site conditions. There are fasteners made for almost any type of wall and substrate, however they are often misused and cause personal injury that could have been prevented. In different personal injury cases, different causes have been found to have led to fastener failure.
Improper use of bras has been found to be the result of:
1. Try to reduce product installation costs.
2. The architects or engineers have specified inappropriate products for fixing.
3. Architects omit fastening instructions, so installers choose inappropriate fasteners for the product.
4. The installation techniques were incorrect for the installed products.
5. Time constraints limited the quality of work, and due to a hasty schedule, installation contractors omitted hardware and fasteners.
Representing both Plaintiff and Defense in personal injury claims, a variety of entities have been blamed for injuries resulting from improper connection of installed products. In some cases of large hotels, there are multiple levels of responsibility that begin with poor decisions made by an architect, designer or engineer. Hired installers, unquestioned installation requirements, project managers and equipment evaluators rushing workers to complete an installation, and the lack of a thorough site survey after the installation is complete. Finally, maintenance workers, housekeepers, or janitors who lack the qualifications to properly assess site conditions on a daily basis do not alert management that dangerous conditions need repair. In many cases, the hidden practices of faulty installation and / or the correct verification of the appropriate accessories after the installation of the products have resulted in personal injury, making the management or the property owner the main responsible party.
When evaluating an injury from a defense perspective, some incident investigations have shown and proven that the abusive actions of a client created the dangerous conditions that led to the injury. While that employer may have suffered serious injuries, the actions of the employer sometimes remove the obligations of the owner or management.
Mike Panish is a licensed general contractor in the state of California. He is also a commercial woodworking and woodworking contractor with experience in the fabrication and installation of architectural products. He has been the hired expert in many cases that have resulted from improper use of bras.
Some of the types of cases in which you have been contracted to inspect, analyze and evaluate garnishment claims and the responsibilities of both the plaintiff and the defense are as follows:
· Headquarters detachments in hotel rooms.
· Mirrored surfaces, applied vertically and horizontally.
· Aerial architectural panel systems in private residences.
Architectural carpentry in commercial buildings.
· T-grid roof systems in commercial buildings.
· Framed artwork and mirrors in hotel rooms and common areas.
Head injury cases in which social work fell on clients
· Detachment and failure of doors and hardware components.
· Defects in the installation of shelves and book shelves in urbanizations.
Shelving for garage storage in residential areas and condominium developments.
Fixings and failures of garage door components in residential and commercial properties.
Detachment of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and component failure.
Guardrails and fence attachment points.
Cosmetic concealment in themed attractions, such as component accessories for restaurants, entertainment venues and entertainment.
Inadequate installation of permanently adhered products in municipal buildings and parks.
Incorrect placement of furniture and cabinets in residences, hotels and shopping centers, casinos and cruise ships.