{"id":11545,"date":"2024-10-04T17:24:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T15:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maschinenkanzlei.de\/fatal-work-accident-machine-mechanical-engineering\/"},"modified":"2024-12-30T15:26:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T14:26:44","slug":"fatal-work-accident-machine-mechanical-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maschinenkanzlei.de\/en\/fatal-work-accident-machine-mechanical-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatal work accident involving machinery"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What is this article about?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A fatal accident at work involving a machine can have serious and devastating consequences that extend far beyond the company involved. Such tragedies affect not only the person who was injured and their families, but also the operator of the machine and its manufacturer. In cases involving personal injury, several parties are involved in the investigation: the public prosecutor, the manufacturer, the operator and, in some cases, the bereaved. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Figure 1: Fatal accidents at work in Europe in 2021 per 100,000 employed persons.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Determining the cause of an accident at work<\/a> requires precise technical know-how<\/a> . Professional machine experts<\/a> play a crucial role in this process, regardless of whether they work for the public prosecutor, the manufacturer, the operator or the bereaved. Their expertise is essential to determine the technical reasons for the accident and thus clearly define responsibility. <\/p>\n

This article highlights how experts can help uncover the technical causes<\/a> of accidents at work through their in-depth analysis. In doing so, they lay the foundation for a legally sound assessment by courts and lawyers so that the respective responsibilities can be presented in a transparent and comprehensible manner. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fatal work accident - four different clients<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The following definition is used:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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An accident is considered fatal if it results in the death of the victim within one year.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Machine experts and experts play a crucial role in the investigation of fatal accidents involving machines. If a fatal accident occurs, there are four potential clients<\/a> for whom these experts can work. The tasks and focus of their work vary depending on the client, but in all cases it is about determining technical causes and clarifying responsibilities. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Figure 2: Fatal accidents at work in the EU in 2021 as of October 2023.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Figure 2 visualizes the fatal accidents at work in the EU in 2021, each per 100,000 employed persons.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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public prosecutor's office in the machine accident<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If an expert is commissioned by the public prosecutor’s office to investigate a (fatal) machine accident, he works independently and is free to carry out his investigations. Unlike in a civil case, he is not bound by an order for evidence<\/a> . This means that the machine expert can comprehensively investigate all technical details and causes of the accident without having to follow the strict guidelines of a court case. The public prosecutor’s office is usually interested in whether there is criminal liability, for example due to negligent behavior. The expert provides the technical basis for this, which is later assessed legally. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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operator of the \"work accident machine\"<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The operator of a machine, usually also the employer, is responsible for ensuring that all machines made available to employees comply with the requirements of the Industrial Safety Ordinance and are safe. If a fatal accident occurs at work, an investigation is carried out on behalf of the operator to determine whether they have violated their duties. This may have happened, for example, due to deficiencies in the maintenance or operation of the machines. The expert examines whether there are technical indications of negligence on the part of the operator that could indicate contributory negligence. In cooperation with the operator’s lawyers, a defense strategy is then developed to protect against possible accusations. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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manufacturer upon occurrence of \"Fatal industrial accident\"<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After a fatal accident, the manufacturer of the machine inevitably becomes the focus of everyone involved, as the question of the product’s safety is raised. As an expert commissioned by the manufacturer, the expert examines whether the machine met the technical safety requirements of the Machinery Directive or whether a defect or inadequate design could have caused the accident. Another aspect is the investigation of the circumstances of the accident to clarify whether an operating error by the person involved in the accident played a role. The results of these investigations are processed together with the manufacturer’s lawyers in order to be well positioned both technically and legally and to fend off possible claims for damages. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Survivors of the \"machine accident\" resulting in death<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If there is a fatal accident at work, it is often very important for the surviving relatives of an accident victim to gain clarity about whether the victim himself made a mistake or whether a third party is responsible for the accident. An expert acting on behalf of the surviving relatives therefore investigates whether there may be third-party responsibility. Such findings can not only have psychological significance for the surviving relatives, but also legal consequences, as they could lead to claims against those identified as responsible. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Conclusion on clients of a machine expert in the case of an accident at work involving machines<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In all cases, machine experts work closely with lawyers to comprehensively analyze both technical and legal aspects. Their expertise helps to thoroughly investigate accidents (“fatal accidents at work”) and lay the foundation for court decisions. The focus of the investigation changes depending on the client, whether it is the defense of the operator or manufacturer, the information for the bereaved or the criminal assessment by the public prosecutor. The work of the experts is an important part of finding a fair and legally clear solution after a tragic accident. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Legal basis for machine experts in the event of an accident at work involving a machine<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For machine experts, three legal principles are of central importance when conducting a technical investigation into the circumstances of the accident if a fatal accident at work occurs:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. The Machinery Directive and in this context the<\/li>\n
  2. Machinery Ordinance and the<\/li>\n
  3. Industrial safety regulations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Figure 3: Fatal work accidents per 100,000 employed persons in Germany between 1994 and 2022.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Figure 3 shows that the number of fatal accidents at work per 100,000 employed persons has continuously decreased in Germany since 1994. This is also a consequence of the Machinery Directive<\/a> and the Industrial Safety Ordinance. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Machinery Directive<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    The Machinery Directive (2006\/42\/EC) is European legislation that regulates the legal framework for placing machinery on the market within the European Economic Area (EEA). Its main objective is to ensure the safety of machinery while facilitating the free movement of goods. The directive sets out essential health and safety requirements that machinery must meet before it can be placed on the market or put into service. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Essential Contents of the Machinery Directive<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Important are:<\/p>\n