Mr. Fontaine is a certified industrial hygienist and certified safety professional, licensed and registered industrial hygienist with over 32 years professional experience in occupational and environmental health and safety. His mission is to provide litigation support and expert witness testimony for the plaintiff and defense. Mr. Fontaine has investigated hundreds of cases involving occupational and environmental health and safety exposures. His wealth of professional experience includes regulatory compliance with federal OSHA, insurance risk assessment and large loss claims, environmental remediation, emergency response, national defense, construction, maritime, industrial maintenance, manufacturing operations, indoor air quality, ergonomics, and expert evaluation of many chemical, biological, and physical agents.
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene (M.Sc.) for University of Oklahoma, Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science (B.Sc.) from Northeastern University, intership at Peter Bent Brigham hospital (now Brigham Womens) in Boston, MA and mini-medical residency at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ. Licensed industrial hygienist in State of Illinois, certified industrial hygienist (CIH) in general practice, certified safety professional (CSP) in general practice, registered professional industrial hygienist (RPIH), certified building air quality counselor, certified occupational hearing conservationist, health and safety trainer, asbestos inspector and project designer in State of Rhode Island.
Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
A: American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)
AIHA - Noise Committee
American Academy of Industrial Hygiene (AAIH)
American Conference of Govenmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
ACGIH - TLV Committee
Industrial Noise Control Engineering Society
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
ASSE - Insurance and Risk Management
American Insurance Service Group (ASIG) Chemical and Environmental Science Committee
Who's Who in America (East)
Who' Who in the Safety Profession
Human Factors Society (HFS)
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: ASSE Conference - 2008 - Constructon can be Hazardous to Your Health
EEI Web Seminar - 2007 - Microbial Growth in the Indoor Environment
ASSE Conference - 2007 - Potential Effects of Fungal Contamination on Health
Union County Board of Realtors - 2005 - Mold in Residential Property Transactions
Today's Facility Manager - 1995 - Indoor Air Quality Basics
AISG Committee - 1995 - Update on ACGIH TLVs
New Jersey AIHA - 1995 - Industrial Hygiene Audits
Atlantic Mutual - 1991 - Microbological Contamination in the Food Processing Industry
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Report - 1991 - Ventilation in Indoor Air Quality
Maryland National Safety Council - 1990 - Erogonoics and VDT Workstations
ASSE Conference - 1989 - PCB Decontamination Techniques
University of Oklahoma - 1984 - Arisenic in the Copper Smelter Industry
Occupational Health and Safety - 1981 - Noise Sources from Mechanical Power Presses
Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
A: No.
Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
A: At least twelve cases for both the plantiff and defense.
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: Microbial growth and indoor air quality in residential dwellings and a church, lead poisoning of tenants in high-rise development, lead-poisoning of construction workers, occupational exposure and incidence of kidney cancer in printers, asbestos exposure in railroad workers, occupational epidemiology of cancer cluster among bus drivers and location with respect to former Nike missile site, mercury contamination in national history landmark, occupational noise and hearing conservation in worker compensation claim, occupational chemical exposure at a large hazardous waste site, asbestos and other surface chemical contaminants after 9/11 disaster in New York City.
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
A: Approximately fifty (50) percent.
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
A: Approximately fifty (50) percent.
Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
A: Depositions were taken in each of the cases involving microbial contamination in residential dwellings and a large loss from contractor negligence in a church, and a case of noise exposure and hearing conservation in workers' compensation case,
Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
A: 2007 - Microbial growth in a residential dwelling
Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
A: Qualified once in workers' compensation case involving noise exposure and hearing consevation of a forklift operator in a warehouse. All of other cases settled due to expert opinion and weight of evidence.
Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
A: Once in a workers' compensation case of noise exposure and hearing conservation of a forklift operator in a warehouse.
Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
A: Approximately eighteen (18) years.
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: Case review and summary opinion
Consulting on occupational and environmental risks related to various industries and occupations, medical aspects to support biological monitoring or medical surveillance, regulatory compliance and consensus standards, and exposure evaluation
Review of medical documentation to support occupational exposures
Industrial hygiene testing and analysis
Microbial testing and analysis
Accident health and safety investigations for associations or cause of loss
Site inspections to evaluate occupational and environmental health and safety exposures
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: Consultation - $225.00 per hour based on 1/6 hourly increments which include travel, onsite time, telephone conversations, meetings, and any other time directly related to the case.
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: Document review - $225.00 per hour based on 1/6 hourly increments which includes any suportive information or references, telephone conversations, meetings, and other time related to the case.
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: Depositions - $400.00 per hour based on 1/6 hourly increments which includes both onsite and travel time related to the case.
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: Trial testimony - $400.00 per hour based on 1/6 hourly increments which includes both onsite and travel time related to the case.
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: Travel expenses are billed at direct cost. Administrative fees are presented in the 2008 fee schedule.
