Call 1 800 372 7775 x 121 or E-mail: efss@fallsafety.com

Ellis Litigation Support – ELS - Provides expert witness and legal support for organizations and injured parties:

When a fall occurs which produces injury or death, an action usually ensues. ELS can assist you in your preparation and presentation of your case, even if litigation hasn't been initiated yet.

For instance, OSHA's responsibility is to inspect and issue citations if violations are found and that could produce serious injury or death - before an incident occurs. An OSHA related action often occurs in front of an administrative law judge. ELS team members have the expertise to apply OSHA standards, including consideration for current OSHA policy, assess the violation allegations and determine what action, if any, is warranted. Other types of actions can arise requiring the application of OSHA and other standards of care or even where no standards are apparent.

It is important to know that most safety hazards can be analyzed using knowledge of human factors engineering. ELS has the experience and knowledge to provide valid expert assistance in these cases as well as standards in fall litigation.

In third party or product defect cases, the history of neglect by the defendant is often exposed, and the allegations of negligent action of the injured party that may have contributed to his/her injurious incident often fades in the court scene throughout the United States today. Some states have unique law such as employer liability – as in Ohio, West Virginia, Texas and New Mexico. Our team of experts can provide critical testimony drawing on their top-notch educations, years of work in the field, participation in establishing industry standards and courtroom experience.

There is no time to waste in dealing with fall exposures. The ELS team of expert professionals is available to assess the situation, and interpret and apply the relevant standards and their use as standards of care, if necessary prepare a report and, if required, provide testimony anywhere in the United States.

For example, ELS founder Dr. J. Nigel Ellis has been involved with tort cases for over 25 years and has provided expert services in nearly 1000 cases involving very serious injury and death resulting from falls, most from elevation, including stairs, trips and same level falls as well.

Assessment of fall hazards, and what to do about them in a reasonable practical way has been the hallmark of J. Nigel Ellis' career. His 35 year command of the field, including visits to hundreds of plant and construction sites, the manufacture of components of fall arrest systems, plus election as a Professional Member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, and certifications as a Safety Professional, Professional Ergonomist and Registered Professional Safety Engineer (*CA & MA) add to the insights demonstrated in his best-selling text book "Introduction to Fall Protection" editions published by ASSE in 1988, 1994 and 2001.

Fall hazards occur in general industry and construction, mining and long shoring, maritime and forestry, the military and in public areas. This is why you need ELS to wrap the enormously broad spectrum of our experience around your situation for developing your position.

If needed, and because of memberships in such organizations as NAFE (National Academy of Forensic Engineers), NSC (National Safety Council), ASSE (American Society of Safety Engineers), HFES (Human Factors Engineering Society), ELS can focus research and quickly assemble leading experts to coordinate special fields of inquiry.

Examples of industries we specialize in regarding safety are: scaffold design, equipment maintenance, painting, building roofs, collapse, wood products, stairs, premises, platforms, product engineering design, product failure, biomechanics, kinetics, material handling, elevators, tree surgery, marine technology, trucking, trauma, explosions, electrical, environmental and more. Incidents we have multiple case experience with include: scaffolding, excavations, confined spaces, falls from equipment/machinery, ironworker falls, HVAC maintenance, falls from cranes, tree stands, bridges, welding work stations and lifts, aerial lifts, holes, ladders, sewers, pedestrian and commercial falls. Not only do individuals fall but also so do materials, thus falling object protection requirements are necessary, in addition to fall protection.

As a former owner of a leading fall protection equipment manufacturer and member of several national standards committees including past chair of the ASTM Skylight Human Impact Committee, past chair of an ANSI Z359 fall equipment committee, Dr. Ellis also has a background of product design and safety of devices and systems, and the quality of their anchorages in field applications.

Call now for a brief interview with one of our teams of professionals. We will react promptly to assess your needs for powerful, knowledgeable representation and, if appropriate, forward literature, Resumes, and CVs. References and Testimonials which are available on this web site. Also please check out the About Ellis Litigation Support Page. Call 1 800 372 7775 x 121 or E-mail: els@FallSafety.com.