Injury and Litigation Prevention

Many businesses that manufacture products, invite customers into their establishments, or render a public service are unaware of the need to provide for the safety of the people who use their products or enter their facilities. Too often, they pay for this oversight with expensive, time-consuming litigation. Injury and Litigation Prevention is a practical guide that offers relatively simple, and often inexpensive, techniques for avoiding injuries and thereby reducing litigation exposure. This expert reference includes information on what parties to lawsuits should do to prevent precipitating injuries. It also presents methods by which businesses can analyze their operations to determine how to avoid injury and lawsuits, as well as methods of identifying and controlling health and safety problems. Injury and Litigation Prevention features:six methods of hazard analysis, with descriptions of applications in which they are most effectivegeneral business and construction industry prototype safety programs that enable managers to develop programs to fit any companys size and typea listing of actual lawsuits, each with the root cause of the problem and a case description79 illustrations that enhance and clarify the text, and also contain courtroom demonstration descriptions and safety analysis tipsPart I of the book discusses a number of philosophical issues on which a clear understanding of injury prevention and litigation control depends. Here, Freeman presents a systems approach to hazard identification, and examines the nature of safe practice, the responsibility for safety, the mentality of accidents, and other crucial topics. He explains the meaning of risk assessment and analysis, exploring major concepts involved with "danger," "risk," "hazard," "probability," "accident," and "harm." Part II describes in detail six methods of hazard analysis, including hazard effects and control analysis, task hazard analysis, management decision point analysis, hazard control analysis, fault tree analysis, and management oversight and risk tree analysis. Part III shows how the construction industry and general industry can organize and retain an ongoing system of accident/injury prevention. Readers will find a guide to safety and industrial hygiene staffing, a prototype safety and industrial hygiene program plan, and a blueprint for control of construction site safety. Packed with easy-to-implement, cost-efficient strategies, Injury and Litigation Prevention will be invaluable to attorneys, business and insurance executives, designers, and safety and health professionals who want to deal effectively with injury and litigation issues.