Being human, I think it is.

This occurred to me when I thought to tell you about the 100th anniversary this year of The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. The Iron Ring, given during the Ritual, is there in plain view on the little finger of our working hand reminding us to tell it like it is. It really does do that. But sometimes we don’t notice.

I remembered a survey I did in 2020 of seven engineers in the Maritimes about the presence of bias in experts. (Refs 1 and 2) I can’t help but think those seven engineers would have been referring to other engineers. My respondents said bias was there, and I was quick to report their view.

But, based on a pilot study Ruth Corbin did of 152 experts – including I’m sure some expert engineers -, the majority know they serve the courts. (Refs 3 and 4) Implying, I’m sure, that they know they must be unbiased. Ms Corbin is a forensic lawyer.

But implicit bias is lurking if you check Dr. Google, and also a talk in 2018 by three Toronto police officers. (Ref. 5)

I believe it sneaked into the comments of the seven engineers I surveyed and reported on. And also sneaked into my reporting.

See the following except from my blog Ref. 1:

“My opinion is based on a survey of seven people in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who provide expert services.  I asked them, “To what extent do you see bias and a lack of analysis and reasoning in rebuttal expert reports?”.

“The consensus was almost always.  Sometimes it’s due to sneaky bias that creeps up, unbeknownst, on all truth-seekers.  Other times – too often – it’s due to poor analysing and reasoning followed by poor report writing.  At times it’s blatant case-making for the client.”

In hindsight, this reporting of mine back then is quite black and white. I don’t raise the issue of possible implicit or explicit bias in my respondents.

To cut me a little slack, that’s what implicit bias does, it sneaks up on you. It possibly did on my respondents. It certainly did on me. I’m certain my Iron Ring was hollering at me, pulling its weight but I not hear. To cut me a little more slack, I live and learn like everyone. I’m more vigilant now than ever before, fittingly on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Iron Ring.

References

1. Is their an argument for a peer review of a peer review? Posted January 11, 2020
2. A Bundle of Blogs: On the need for peer review in forensic engineering investigation and expert service. Posted July 29, 2025
3. Corbin, Ruth M., Chair, Corbin Partners Inc. and Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall School, Toronto, Breaking the Expert Evidence Logjam: Experts Weigh In, presented at Expert Witness Forum East, Toronto, February, 2018
4. How experts are helping break the expert witness logjam.  Posted April 30, 2018 (A blog on Ruth Corbin’s  paper)
5. Are experts being broadsided by bias? Posted April 12, 2018. A blog on implicit bias as seen by three Toronto police officers. An excellent read.

Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer and Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, September 8, 2025 ejorden@eastlink.ca)