POWER May 2010 - 50

PLANT SAFETY
Forensic Engineering: A Valuable
Tool in Incident Investigations
Much like the crime scene investigators on the CSI TV shows, power plant
investigation teams are increasingly employing forensic engineering
methods to gather evidence and determine the causes of malfunctions of
equipment, materials, or products that result in personal injuries or property
damage. Case studies show how different investigation teams used
their forensic engineering expertise to examine a dust collector explosion,
a coal terminal fire, and the failure of a forced draft fan.
By Angela Neville, JD
I
t's common for a power plant that has
experienced a serious fire, explosion,
or equipment failure to assign a crossfunctional
team to conduct an investigation.
A recent development, however, is investigation
teams' increasing use of sophisticated
forensic engineering techniques when they
conduct inquiries into serious incidents at
power plants that involve personal injuries or
damage to property.
Forensic engineering is the investigation
of products, materials, structures, or components
that fail or do not function properly
and, as a result of such malfunctions, cause
personal injuries, property damage, or monetary
losses to a business. This discipline
involves retracing processes and procedures
related to accidents in the operation of machinery,
products, structures, or components.
Many universities and training facilities
now offer courses on incident investigations,
which usually incorporate forensic engineering
methods. Such training typically covers
the principles of incident investigation, the
responsibilities in the investigation process,
investigation planning and preparation, the
tools and techniques used in investigations,
the collection and examination of information,
root cause analysis, preparation of the incident
investigation report, and effective real-world
corrective actions (see " Lessons Learned from
a Hydrogen Explosion, " POWER, May 2009).
The forensic engineering process can be
applied in civil law cases, although it also
may be used in criminal lawsuits. In particular,
the law of products liability deals with
the consequences of failure of equipment and
machinery in the civil law arena.
The application of forensic engineering
ranges from investigations in industrial settings
such as electric power plants to inquiries
into incidents involving individuals in
automobile accidents that are suspected to
have been caused by malfunctioning vehi50
cles.
Typically, the individuals or teams who
conduct such forensic engineering inquiries
seek to find the cause or causes of failure in
order to improve the performance or extend
the life of a machine or piece of equipment,
or to help a court of law in determining the
facts related to an accident.
In the context of power plants incidents,
such inquiries usually involve either a knowledgeable
team of plant personnel who use
1. Explosive situation. On Feb. 27, 2006, Plant Miller, a coal-fired power plant in Alabama,
had an explosion in its No. 10 dust collector on top of the yard silos. Courtesy: Southern Co.
Forensic Engineering Comes of Age
Although today's forensic engineers probably
don't wear deerstalker hats like Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle's famous literary detective
wore, these modern day " truth
sleuths " do resemble Sherlock Holmes in
their successful use of specialized training
and acute deductive reasoning to discover
the underlying causes of events.
Forensic engineering is defined as
the application of the art and science
of engineering in matters that are in,
or may possibly relate to, the jurisprudence
system, according to the National
Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE)
www.powermag.com
(www.nafe.org). Formed in 1982, NAFE is
a professional organization dedicated to
advancing the art and skill of engineers
who serve as engineering consultants to
members of the legal profession and as
expert witnesses in courts of law, arbitration
proceedings, and administrative
adjudication proceedings. NAFE members
come from 38 different engineering disciplines,
and their respective expertise
covers a wide range of specialty subjects,
including power plants, mechanical and
products design, and pollution control
technology.
POWER | May 2010

http://www.nafe.org http://www.powermag.com

POWER May 2010

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