Christopher Nunns
FTI Consulting Asia

Dr Sean Brady is a specialist forensic engineer. Don’t ask him to design a building, because he would politely refuse. He would direct you to a design engineer.

Many of us listening to him speak were surprised, even a little shocked, by Dr Brady’s firm advice that the best engineers do not make the best experts in forensic work. Yes, we already understood that top professionals may not be the best expert witnesses, as a result of the peculiar pressures of cross-examination, but Dr Brady made a more fundamental point. He argued convincingly that design engineers simply have the wrong mindset to be forensic experts. They are inclined to say “I wouldn’t have designed the structure in this manner, so this must be related to the cause of failure”.

Dr Brady pointed out that it is experience in the application of the forensic process that is critical, and this experience cannot be attained through design experience alone.

The talk was well-illustrated by documented cases of engineering disasters in the past and a fascinating description of the forensic work which resulted in a better understanding of the cause of failure and, though often painfully slow, improvement in design standards subsequently.

All in all, a fascinating talk for both engineers and non-engineers who might be invited to give expert opinion in their specialist field.