The case of the malfunctioning sandblaster

In this paper we discuss a real life accident investigation in which the authors were asked to serve as expert witnesses in a court of law. In this paper, we discuss the accident, our investigative approach and its findings. The valuable lessons learned from this investigation can help avoid future mishaps. The accident occurred when a construction worker using a sandblaster paused his sand-blasting activities to change his face shield. While unprotected, his sandblaster went `ON' unexpectedly and began spraying him with sand particles at very high velocities. He attempted to shield himself with his arm and suffered serious injuries from the blast.