Like mine, your work has possibly slowed a little because of COVID-19. For that matter, I’m sure most practices and vocations.<\/p>\n
However, we can and should follow through on one forensic task: An initial visual assessment of a failure or accident site, as soon as possible after an incident. It’s just as important during COVID-19 days and just as easy.<\/p>\n
This is also a forensic task that quite often<\/em> is all that is necessary in determining probable cause, and quite often<\/em>, cost effective in the extreme.<\/p>\n It’s also important to be seen to have done this by the parties to a dispute or claim. It’s easier to explain doing too much than too little.<\/span> COVID-19 would not cut it as an excuse for not getting on site as soon as possible.<\/p>\n COVID-19 is not a good reason because an initial visual site assessment<\/span> is carried out by the forensic expert alone<\/em>. Social distancing is not a problem<\/em> when you’re walking around a site by yourself <\/em>doing things like the following<\/span><\/strong>:<\/p>\n Neither is social distancing a problem when taking a briefing by phone, e-mail or Zoom<\/span>. Nor reviewing documents<\/span> sent by courier. Taken together, a virtual<\/em> visual site assessment.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I recently looked at e-mailed photographs of the scene of a slip and fall. The probable cause was known but not who was responsible. I was able to identify from the photographs the three investigative tasks needed for determining responsibility. One task was getting some accurate measurements on site – rough ones were possible from the photographs – plus getting that calibrating visit under my belt.<\/p>\n But, as I type this, it occurs to me that one of the other three tasks could be carried out in a very preliminary way and indicate probable responsibility.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n However, we do need to get on site quickly after an incident because physical and environmental conditions change and important data can be lost. This is the case whether it’s a breaking-news, catastrophic failure or a tiny component failure, a terrible accident or a seemingly “simple” slip and fall. Examples of important data<\/strong><\/span> include:<\/p>\n Often, as indicated above, an initial visual assessment<\/span> can point confidently at the probable cause of a failure or accident. For example:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And if a more detailed and intrusive investigation is needed – none was in the examples above except skid-resistance testing on the slippery sauna floor – then the visual site assessment ensures more investigation is well planned.<\/p>\n For sure, COVID-19 might delay additional investigation till the lock-down was lifted – but it can’t delay a visual site assessment by a lonely<\/em><\/strong> forensic engineering expert. Nor a virtual<\/em><\/span> visual site assessment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n (Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada ejorden@eastlink.ca<\/span><\/strong>) <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like mine, your work has possibly slowed a little because of COVID-19. For that matter, I’m sure most practices and vocations. However, we can and should follow through on one forensic task: An initial visual assessment of a failure or … Continue reading \n
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