Slip testing for lawyers and insurance investigators

A significant strength of Bruce's expert witness experience is his exposure to matters involving both property owners and managers and plaintiffs who have sustained injuries following slip, trip and fall incidents. Working across matters from different perspectives provides broad experience with the technical questions, evidence and expert opinions that can arise in slip and fall claims. It also provides an understanding of the issues that may be examined in relation to the management of a property, as well as the circumstances surrounding the accident and the issues raised on behalf of an injured person.

Importantly, Bruce's role as an expert is not to advocate for either side. His responsibility is to provide an independent, objective and technically supported opinion based on the available evidence, appropriate testing, relevant standards and matters within his areas of expertise.

Bruce's expert witness work through Unisearch has also provided extensive exposure to reports and opinions prepared by other experts. This experience provides valuable insight into the different testing methodologies, technical interpretations and opinions that may arise in slip, trip and fall litigation. Where appropriate, Bruce can review and comment on technical evidence including slip resistance test results, expert reports, flooring assessments, photographs, measurements and the application or interpretation of relevant Australian Standards. This broader exposure is particularly valuable in matters where there are differing expert opinions or where the significance of a particular test result, surface condition or environmental factor needs to be considered.

A slip, trip or fall accident may involve considerably more than the measured slip resistance of a floor. Depending on the circumstances, Bruce's assessment may include consideration of the areas below.

This allows the circumstances of an incident to be considered more broadly rather than relying on a single slip resistance test result in isolation.

Bruce's expert witness capability is supported by his broader background in materials engineering, flooring, cleaning chemicals, commercial cleaning, property risk management and more than two decades of slip resistance testing. His extensive work with commercial property owners and property managers provides practical understanding of the systems commonly used to manage pedestrian safety, including cleaning, inspections, maintenance, contractor responsibilities, wet-weather procedures and incident management. This combination of technical and practical experience can be particularly valuable when considering how the condition of a pedestrian surface relates to the way a property was being operated and maintained.

For lawyers and insurers, the value of an expert is not simply the ability to perform a test. It is the ability to examine the available evidence, recognise the limitations of that evidence, understand alternative technical interpretations and clearly explain the basis for an opinion.

Bruce's expert witness experience through Unisearch, including matters involving property owners and plaintiffs, together with his experience reviewing the work of other experts, provides a broad perspective on the technical issues that can arise in slip, trip and fall claims.

Daniels' objective is to provide independent testing, careful technical analysis and clear expert opinion that assists lawyers, insurers and other parties to understand the technical issues relevant to the matter.