With a background in mechanical engineering, Mr. Andrew has analyzed hundreds of mechanical and material failures in the past 22 years. In particular, he has attained specialized competence in the investigation of machinery and equipment failures, machine guarding, fall protection, lockout/tagout, industrial and occupational safety, safety management, transportation safety, OSHA and ADA evaluations, accident reconstruction, and fire protection. He has evaluated the operating and safety characteristics of equipment, including forklifts and other material handling equipment, conveyors, aerial lifts, buses, elevators/escalators, excavators, cranes, and other heavy machinery.
Mr. Andrew has experience in evaluating worker, equipment, and facility safety. He has assisted clients incorporate safety features into designs as well as help companies develop worker safety programs. He has performed safety audits at production facilities. He has taken post graduate courses in safety including: Safety Management, Fall Protection, Managing Contractor Safety - Implementing an Effective Contractor Safety Management Program, Personnel Hoists, and Employee Elevators.
Mr. Andrew has performed research in the behavior of materials. His research has addressed many issues relating to the fatigue and fracture behavior of mechanical systems in the electric power generation, chemical, and aviation industries. He is a key contributor to Exponent’s miniature material sample removal and testing technology as applied to complement life assessment and maintenance planning of engineering structures.
In addition to his work at Exponent, Mr. Andrew is an Instructor at the Professional Engineering Institute and conducts review courses for mechanical engineers hoping to obtain their professional engineering license.
Assisted a manufacturer in the selection and evaluation of various guarding technologies to improve the safety of machinery in the corrugated cardboard manufacturing industry. The end product was an improved safety system that was incorporated into future products and was offered as a retrofit to previous production.
Performed safety analyses on dairy and poultry equipment. Applicable US and international machinery, risk assessment, and other safety standards were applied. These efforts resulted in specific design recommendations to the manufacturers.
Assisted a multi-national aerospace component manufacturer develop a safety program that was implemented worldwide. This program addressed a safety issue for which no specific standards were available and which impacted the testing of thousands of different products at over a hundred facilities. Both engineering analysis and safety expertise were applied to develop a program that was deployed across multiple cultures and languages. This program involved developing test procedures, writing computer programs, and performing safety audits, making recommendations, and developing safety training programs.
Performed safety audits for equipment manufacturers and facility owners. The results of these audits were improved equipment and processes.
Evaluated the effectiveness of different means of protecting line haul bus drivers from assailants. This study considered various environmental and human factors that affect driver safety. The effectiveness of driver shields and their overall impact on bus safety was evaluated.