Forensic Engineering
Forensic engineering involves investigating the failure of a part or structure that has lead to personal death or injury. This is an important part of engineering and most companies such as Claxton Engineering have aspects of forensic engineering in their midst. However: Forensic engineering as a discipline is a field of study all of its own.
The forensic engineer will typically be called out to the scene of an aeroplane crash to investigate the structural parts in an attempt to determine if one or more of the parts failed, causing the plane to crash. They could also be called out to a scene where a building or a bridge has collapsed – once again to investigate whether the integrity of the structure was compromised or if there was a different reason for the mishap.
In the process of the investigation, the forensic engineer revisits the processes and procedures followed to produce the individual parts, as well as to build the structure. Every step is scrutinised and possible scenarios are investigated. Should there be a flaw in an individual part, it could be due to a faulty production process. If there are no flaws, the forensic engineer will have to look further to find the problem.
Forensic engineers are often called to testify in court cases regarding accidents or structure failure. Most commonly these court cases are civil court cases, but occasionally there are also criminal court cases that require their expert testimony. They are able to pinpoint the exact point of failure and explain why it is important that that specific part caused an accident or other disaster.
Forensic engineers need to be up-to-date with the latest technology and scientific developments. This means that they are constantly studying and learning. Dedicated forensic engineers spend a lot of time at relevant conferences either as an attendee or even as a speaker sharing his experience of a certain aspect of the job.
No matter what part of your life you consider safe, it is important to know that, should you be in any kind of accident, a forensic engineer will be called upon to investigate any strange aspects of the accident. If it is a manufacturer fault, you will be able to claim compensation. If it was a maintenance or other fault, you may be held liable if other people were injured due to your negligence. Of course this is not the case in, for instance, an aeroplane crash.
Without forensic engineers, there will be less data to use when designing new products. They offer valuable opinions about the products that will ultimately lead to safer, possibly cheaper engineering products. Their input is essential to engineering advances.