You’ve probably seen the word \u201cforensic\u201d in the newspapers often enough.\u00a0 The term is applied to many scientific disciplines today and to specialties outside the engineering and scientific professions.\u00a0 The following item explains what is involved in “forensic” engineering.<\/p>\n
Origin of the word “forensic”<\/strong><\/p>\n The word \u201cforensic\u201d comes from the Latin forum <\/em>and as an adjective means pertaining to or used in legal proceedings.\u00a0 The forensic engineer helps with the technical issues in disputes\u00a0– and their resolution –\u00a0arising from engineering failures.\u00a0 He does this\u00a0by presenting and explaining complex technical principles, technical evidence, technical facts supported by the evidence, and opinions to help the parties resolve the dispute.\u00a0 More than 90% of disputes are resolved by the parties in this manner without going to trial.<\/p>\n Forensic engineers\u00a0use engineering methods to investigate failures<\/strong><\/p>\n In my forensic engineering practice in eastern Canada, and\u00a0reviewing some literature, I\u2019ve come to think of\u00a0forensic work\u00a0as the use of the engineering approach, and various engineering methods and knowledge, to investigate the cause of failures in the built and natural environments – including environmentally related failures.\u00a0 A failure may mean total collapse, partial collapse or inadequate performance and serviceability problems.<\/p>\n The same engineering approach – the methods may change,\u00a0can be used to investigate the cause of slip, trip and fall accidents, and\u00a0motor vehicle\u00a0and aviation accidents causing property damage, personal injury,\u00a0or death.<\/p>\n Methods the same in forensic\u00a0engineering and design engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n The engineering approach and the methods used during forensic investigation are essentially the\u00a0same as those used during design of a structure.\u00a0 And in applying those methods to forensic work there would be no greater or lesser attention paid to thoroughness and accuracy.<\/p>\n The difference between forensic engineering and design engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n If there is a difference, forensic\u00a0work<\/em> looks at what was done in the past<\/em> to\u00a0provide for the loads on an existing\u00a0structure and whether or not it was adequate.\u00a0 Design work<\/em>\u00a0looks at what must be done in the future<\/em> to adequately provide for the\u00a0loads on a proposed structure.\u00a0 “Load” in engineering can be anything\u00a0to do with\u00a0a structure that should have been provided for or must be\u00a0provided for.<\/p>\n Forensic engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n “Forensic engineering” is the term now accepted to connote the full spectum of services which an engineering expert can provide.\u00a0 A number of engineering disciplines might be used in\u00a0the\u00a0investigation of a failure.\u00a0 For example, civil engineering, foundation, geotechnical, environmental, structural, chemical, mechanical, and electrical, among others.\u00a0 The forensic engineer directing the investigation – usually from the discipline thought at the beginning to be\u00a0most relevant to the problem, would retain other specialists as required by different\u00a0facets of the problem.\u00a0 I’ve done that often enough\u00a0during my forensic engineering investigations.<\/p>\n Most forensic engineers have higher, specialist degrees in engineering and decades of experience.\u00a0 They are usually retained by counsel for the plaintiff or defendant in a dispute, by claim’s managers\u00a0with insurance firms,\u00a0and occasionally by the court.<\/p>\n Anything can fail, break and fall down<\/strong><\/p>\n Anything in the built environment\u00a0can fail – buildings and their different components, including environmental components like fuel oil tanks, and civil engineering structures like\u00a0bridges, roads, dams, towers, wharves, and earthworks.<\/p>\n Also, anything\u00a0in the natural environment can fail\u00a0– natural slopes, river banks, coast lines, flooding protection, subsidence protection, and erosion and sediment control.<\/p>\n The infra structure servicing these building and civil engineering structures can\u00a0fail – infra structure like water\u00a0distribution\u00a0and sewage\u00a0collection systems, pipe lines, power distribution systems, and tunnels.<\/p>\n Typical forensic engineering investigations<\/strong><\/p>\n Forensic engineering experts might investigate why:<\/p>\n The majority of failures that are investigated by forensic engineers are quite ordinary, at least in the engineering world, and are not ongoing, news-grabbing events.<\/p>\n Assisting the court<\/strong><\/p>\n If the dispute can’t be resolved and it goes to trial the forensic engineer as an\u00a0expert presents and explains\u00a0the evidence, facts, and opinions\u00a0to\u00a0help the\u00a0judge or jury\u00a0understand the technical issues so that the verdict will be proper within the law.<\/p>\n In a dispute resulting in civil litigation, it is the\u00a0role of the forensic engineering expert to objectively provide evidence, regardless of whether it favours the plaintiff or the defendant.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n (Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada November 20, 2012 ejorden@eastlink.ca<\/span><\/strong>)\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You’ve probably seen the word \u201cforensic\u201d in the newspapers often enough.\u00a0 The term is applied to many scientific disciplines today and to specialties outside the engineering and scientific professions.\u00a0 The following item explains what is involved in “forensic” engineering. Origin … Continue reading \n
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