Ron Joseph's Resume | List of Industries | Expert Witness/Litigation
List of Major Research Ron Joseph's Resume of Papers Published
 

Ron Joseph & Associates provide expert witness services in litigation concerning paint and coating failures; personal injury; VOC, HAP permit and emission violations; disposal of hazardous waste, including paints, coatings, solvents, and pretreatment chemicals.

As recognized experts in the Paints, Coatings and Solvents industry, we will help you with:

• Paints & Coatings failures
• VOC and HAP emission violations
• Permit violations
• Improper disposal of hazardous materials, including chromium compounds from surface pretreatments, and chromate pigments in primers and topcoats
• Personal injury as a result of inhaling solvents and hazardous paint ingredients.

Sample of services we can offer to you:

• We have provided extensive testimony in variance hearings that have involved environmental issues, specifically air quality (VOC) compliance. 
• Due to our many years of expertise in the industry, we can review painting and coating practices and procedures going as far back as the 1950's.
• We have access to testing laboratories and can direct data acquisition.
• An extensive library of reference material and contacts with most of the coating and equipment vendors in the industry is available to you.
• We can provide a list of law suites for which Ron Joseph has been an expert witness.
  

CV for Ron Joseph, BSChE, MS
Ron Joseph has spent the past 30 years dedicated to the Paints & Coatings industry.  He acquired his early experience while employed with a paints & coatings manufacturer, where his responsibilities were to write comprehensive coating specifications for consulting engineers, architects and others who were designing large construction and engineering projects.   In 1977 he joined the FMC Corp. in Santa Clara, CA, where he became the Corporate Manager of Coating Technology, and was responsible for introducing new coating and application technologies to the corporation.  At that time FMC comprised over 15 machinery fabrication and assembly factories located internationally.  In this job he wrote coating specifications, acted as in-house consultant in matters concerning paint failures, and worked closely with coating manufacturers to develop new technology formulations that met the corporation’s production and performance requirements.  Simultaneously, Joseph worked with spray equipment vendors to identify equipment that would be able to apply the new coatings.

In the early 1980's Joseph started to focus on the then new and emerging air pollution regulations that were to sweep across the nation throughout the 80's and into the 90's.  On numerous occasions he participated in rule development in California, where initially he represented the FMC Corp.

Joseph started an independent consulting firm, Ron Joseph & Associates, Inc. in 1984 and was retained as independent consultant to represent individual companies which were struggling to get into compliance with the newly regulated coating technologies.   At times he was retained to consult to air quality agencies regarding the feasibility of implementing RACT and BACT technologies.  In his role as Consultant, Ron consults to a wide range of industries which use surface coatings.  He is therefore current on typical production processes in each industry, and what strategies can and cannot be achieved in terms of minimizing pollution using cutting-edge technologies (See List of Industries).  Ron has conducted numerous large coating-related projects, and has spent many years evaluating transfer efficiency (See List of Major Projects).

In 1986 Ron compiled the first comprehensive Paints & Coatings training program for the EPA, and has given courses on the subject to most EPA regions, state air quality control agencies, Department of Defense and the private sector  (See List of Clients). 

A hands-on training program geared to production facilities is presented to minimize the emissions of VOCs and HAPs.  This program focuses on the painting processes of the Air Force, Army, Navy, as well as small and large corporations.

Joseph has also compiled a comprehensive three-day seminar on abatement control technologies for the control of VOC and HAP emissions.  This seminar, first sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley, was later presented to the industry. It covered all forms of abatement controls, methods of monitoring, data acquisition, record keeping and calculations.

With regard to research projects, in the early 1990s RJA performed a two-year research contract for the California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to develop a standard Transfer Efficiency Test Protocol for evaluating the relative efficiency of spray guns.  The protocol is intended to be incorporated into California regulations.  Moreover, the EPA has referred to this project in its proposed NESHAP (or MACT standard) for the aerospace industry.

Ron Joseph is also the Organic Coatings Editor for Metal Finishing Journal[1] and the Organic Coatings Guidebook and Directory[2], published by Elsevier.  In this role Joseph keeps abreast of state-of-the-art technologies related to the surface coatings industry. On behalf of Metal Finishing, he is required to attend three or four conferences annually, and identify and speak to the key researchers who are working on new technologies in all fields related to the Paints and Coatings industry. 

In 1994/5 Joseph wrote a 15-chapter manual under contract to the EPA on better management work practices for the Paints & Coatings Industry. Each chapter focuses on process and technological strategies that can be implemented to maximize the efficiency of painting/coating operations while at the same time minimizing all forms of pollution, including emissions of VOC and HAP  (See List of Major Projects, 1994).

Expert Witness/Litigation

Joseph has been retained to provide expert opinion on several occasions, some of which are listed.

• Law Office of James R. Murphy Jnr., 221 E. Branch Str., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Plaintiff claimed that the finish on her new motor car was defective. (Represented Plaintiff)

• Thayer, Harvey, Hodder & Gregerson,  Plaintiff was not paid by customer (defendant) who complained that the coating applied to vehicles which had been purchased by customer did not match. (Represented Plaintiff)

• Cartwright Law Firm.  Case concerned a father and son who had allegedly inhaled paint fumes and toxic paint contaminants while building a boat in a boatyard.  (Represented Plaintiff)

• Russo, Weintraub, Bella & Morton, 521 Georgia Street, Vallejo, CA 94590.  Case involved spray painters who had allegedly inhaled paint solvents and particulates while contracting on a construction project. (Represented Plaintiff)

• Law Offices of Trac N. Vu.  Provided expert opinion regarding alleged theft of motor car and components by tracking paint finishes.  (Represented Defendant)

• Gary Moore, Attorney at Law.  Case dealt with a person who was severely hurt when he slipped on a smooth coated concrete floor. (Represented Plaintiff)

• Scott Handelman, Law Office of Stephen Kass. Pacific Commodities versus Snow.  Case concerned the deterioration of a coated warehouse roof that severely corroded. Plaintiff alleged that he was evicted for lack of cause.  Defendant counter sued because he believed that the roof coating failed on account of the acetic acid that is emitted when the cocoa beans which were stored in the warehouse, fermented.

• Scott Voelz - O’Melveny & Myers  LLP, 400 South Hope Str., Los Angeles, CA 90071, (213) 669-6680. Elsie A. Abel et.al. versus Lockheed Martin Corporation. Class action suit in which Plaintiff is accused of allegedly polluting the environment surrounding its plant over a period of 20 years or more. (Represented Defendant)

• Seibert Oxidermo (Defendant) in a case brought by Venture Industries Corp. (Plaintiff) alleging that faulty paint manufactured by Defendant resulted in the recall of a large number of automotive fascia panels for repainting. 

• Pitre & Teunisse, LLP.  This concerned the failure of powder coatings on grape stakes.  RJM Enterprises vs Quiedan Company, Stanislaus County Superior Court Case No. 172081.  (Retained on behalf of one of the cross defendants.)

• Richard Brown LLP: Mary Martin and Mary Martin vs. Lake Mead Ferry Services, Inc.  Personal injury suite in which plaintiff slipped and fell on painted floor. (Represented Plaintiff)

•  Wolkin & Timpane Llp:  International Paper Co. and Masonite Corp. vs. Affiliated FM Ins. Co, et al.  Case involved coatings used by large company that was failing.  Expert witness for defendant.

•  Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP:  General contractor was being sued by a development company for poor workmanship on housing development.  Client was one of many painting subcontractors who were being sued for damaged.  Expert witness for defendant.

• Airborne Express:  Mediation between Airborne Express and contractor who repainted an aircraft.  Consultant expert to both parties.

• Barry Montgomery (The Allen Group): Paint was peeling off building and contractor was being asked to repair damages. Expert consultant for claimant.

• PK Wong & Advani, Singapore: Large company is emitting paint particulates into the air and small paint droplets have damaged client’s car.  Expert witness for litigant.

• Selvin, Wraith, Hallman & Navigators Insurance:  Paint overspray on cars in parking lot. – Performed research and wrote consulting report.  Expert consultant to insurance company.

Environmental Legal Cases

Joseph has been retained on numerous occasions to provide expert witness in cases where clients have not been able to get into compliance with air quality regulations.  In some instances the clients were being pro-active and requested variances before District Hearing Board in California.  In other instances, clients had already been cited.  Joseph has appeared before hearing boards with and without client’s attorneys.  In all instances Joseph was successful in having variances granted in favor of the client.

Education

• M.S., Corrosion Science
  University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, U.K, 1968

• B.S., Chemical Engineering
  University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1965

• Certified Manufacturing Engineer
  AFP Section of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, U.S., 1979

Past & Present Professional Affiliations

• Coatings Editor, Metal Finishing Journal, Elsevier Science Publishing Company.

• AFP Section of Society of Manufacturing Engineers

• Professional and Technical Consultants Association

Publications & Conference Papers

• Ron is a coatings editor for Metal Finishing Magazine. In that capacity, he has contributed numerous articles and keeps abreast of state-of-the-art technologies related to the surface coatings industry.

• Ron Joseph has presented many papers at various conferences around the US:
  "Pollution Prevention Opportunities in Painting Facilities." CTP2, San Antonio, TX, December 7-9, 1999
  "Spray Booth Design Affects Paint Reworks.", Coating 2001, Orlando, FL, October 15-17, 2001

• Joseph Ron, "Regulations Controlling the VOC Emissions from Paints - The Benefits", 84-38.4, Air Pollution Control Association, 77th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, June 24-29, 1984.

• Joseph Ron, "Understanding California's VOC Rules for the Coating of Metal Parts and Products", Finstrat 84 Conference, AFP/SME, Anaheim, CA., Nov 27-29, 1984

• Joseph Ron, "California's VOC Rules for the Coating of Metal and Plastic Parts - An Example to the Nation?", Metal Finishing, 31-34, May 1985.

• Joseph Ron, "Getting into Compliance with California's Air Pollution Laws for Industrial Coatings - A Manual of Laws, Coating Technologies & Available Coatings", Ron Joseph & Associates, Inc., 1985

• Joseph Ron, "Which Coating?", Products Finishing, 54, April 1987

• Joseph Ron, "Silicon Valley's Unique Painting Requirements", Metal Finishing, 15-18, January 1987

• Joseph Ron, "Selecting Low VOC Waterborne Coatings in the '90s", Metal Finishing, 15-19, April 1991

• Joseph Ron, "Low VOC Waterborne Coatings", Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directory Issue '92", 449-456, Elsevier Science Publishing, New Jersey; 1992

• Joseph Ron, and M. Murphy, "Painting Systems", Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directory Issue '92", 457-469 Elsevier Science Publishing, New Jersey; 1992

• Joseph Ron, “How Current and Future Regulations Impact Spray Application Technologies”, Forest Products Society Symposium, Seattle, WA., April 1, 1996.

• Joseph Ron, Bonnie Hobster and John Franz, “Transfer Efficiency Training at Hill and Edwards AFB -  Results in Significant Pollution and Cost Reductions”, presented to Air & Waste Management Association Conference, Nashville, TN, June 1996. 

• Joseph Ron, “Hazardous Air Pollutants”, The Coatings Agenda America, National Paints and Coatings Association, 1966/67, Campden, UK. p 154.

• Joseph Ron, “Transfer Efficiency: The Secret to Cutting Finishing Costs and Emissions”, NASFM News, Oct/Nov 1996, p17.

• Joseph, Ron, “Savings of 10-30% Pollution Reduction - Air, and Hazardous Waste in Painting Facilities”, A&WMA Conference, St. Louis MO. June 21, 1999 & Metal Finishing, September 1999, 74-78.

• Monthly Columns in Metal Finishing Magazine. These have been published every month since 1993.

• 1994 Development of EPA Manual "Pollution Prevention in the Paints and Coatings Industry", EPA/625/R-96/003

• Joseph Ron, “Selecting Low VOC Waterborne Coatings in the '90s”, Metal Finishing, 15-19, April 1991

• Joseph Ron, “Which Coating?”, Products Finishing, 54, April 1987
• Joseph Ron, “Silicon Valley's Unique Painting Requirements”, Metal Finishing, 15-18, January 1987
• Joseph Ron, “Getting into Compliance with California's Air Pollution Laws for Industrial Coatings - A Manual of Laws, Coating Technologies & Available Coatings”, Ron Joseph & Associates, Inc., 1985
• Joseph Ron, “California's VOC Rules for the Coating of Metal and Plastic Parts - An Example to the Nation?”, Metal Finishing, 31-34, May 1985.
• Joseph Ron, “Understanding California's VOC Rules for the Coating of Metal Parts and Products”, Finstrat 84 Conference, AFP/SME, Anaheim, CA., Nov 27-29, 1984
• Joseph Ron, “Regulations Controlling the VOC Emissions from Paints - The Benefits”, 84-38.4, Air Pollution Control Association, 77th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, June 24-29, 1984.
• Joseph Ron, “Low VOC Waterborne Coatings”, Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directory Issue '92”, 449-456, Elsevier Science Publishing, New Jersey; 1992
• Joseph Ron, and M. Murphy, “Painting Systems”, Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directory Issue '92”, 457-469 Elsevier Science Publishing, New Jersey; 1992
• Joseph Ron, “Hazardous Air Pollutants”, The Coatings Agenda America, National Paints and Coatings Association, 1966/67, Campden, UK. p 154.

Citizenship

Mr. Joseph is a citizen of the United States.

Coatings Industries 

• Aerospace

• Automotive

• Miscellaneous Metal Parts

• Plastics - Automotive

• Plastics - Electronic & Business Machines

• Military