Biography
On this page you can read about my experience and qualifications in civil and forensic engineering investigation. More information is contained on the Forensic, Civil and Environmental Engineering pages of my website, as well as in my CV, which is available upon request.
Experienced Consulting Professional Engineer
I am a consulting professional engineer with 38 years civil and forensic engineering investigative experience. I have worked on civil engineering projects, and forensic and insurance cases, in eastern, western and northern Canada, offshore Nova Shore, the Beaufort Sea, and overseas in the Caribbean, the U.K. and Australia.
Civil engineering alters and reshapes the natural environment to provide built environment to meet the needs of mankind.
Civil engineering includes the planning, design, construction and maintenance of structures making up the built environment. Examples of these structures are industrial, commercial and residential low- and high-rise buildings, also bridges, roads, dams, drainage systems, earthworks, and hydraulic works. Included is the plant and equipment in the buildings and the infra-structure servicing the buildings.
Forensic Engineering investigates the cause of problems and failures with these structures as well as the cause of traffic and industrial accidents that occur in the built environment. The technical data from an investigation is used by the judicial system in determining damages.
I practiced as a provincial land surveyor on Prince Edward Island, Canada before studying and practicing civil and forensic engineering.
Qualifications and Formal Education
My formal education consists of:
- Master of Science in Civil Engineering
University of Birmingham, England. - Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
University of New Brunswick, Canada. - Diploma in Land Surveying
College of Geographic Sciences
Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, Canada. - Member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia.
- Member of the Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia.
Continuing Education
My continuing education in recent years has focused on:
- The proper writing of forensic engineering reports (see Guidelines Page)
- Analysing evidence for the cause of failure, and the formation of well reasoned, impartial, objective opinions (see Guidelines page).
- Evaluating the strength and validity of claims, arguments and opinions by others (see Guidelines Page).
- Forensic engineering conferences, courses and workshops for specialists and expert witnesses in the U.S. with some emphasis on good engineering practice, testifying at discovery and trial and report writing.
- Project/Case management.
- Estimating the cost of property damage and remediation.
- Lecturing and talks at engineering conferences, seminars and workshops.
- Reading the investigative methodology used by scientists, medical practitioners, and police detectives.
My publications include papers directed to specialists in associated fields, and the occasional, more learned paper directed to other civil engineers.
I have completed a research report on the effect of inadequate foundation investigation on the failure of buildings and civil engineering structures, and the first draft of a report on the project management of environmental site remediation.
I prepared the first draft of a chapter for a manual on site characterization for use by engineers in Canada.
Main Areas of Practice
My main areas of practice and where I believe I can assist clients most are:
- Forensic and insurance investigation of civil engineering and environmental problems with buildings and civil engineering structures to determine cause.
- Forensic and insurance investigation of accidents causing property damage, injury and death to determine cause.
- Independent review of claims, opinions, reports and investigations by others.
- Engineering investigation of the condition of sites proposed for new construction; identification of problems with new sites.
- Environmental site assessment.
I have carried out civil engineering work on most types of buildings and civil engineering structures. I have also worked in a variety of different terrains in temperate and tropical climates. (The terrain in which a structure that is having problems is located, or an accident occurs, often has a marked effect on the cause.)
Current and Recent Engineering Projects and Forensic Cases
Current and recent cases include:
- Engineering investigation of foundation conditions, Keltic Petrochemicals, Guysborough Co., N.S.
- Engineering and advisory services during construction of a 19 story building in Dartmouth, N.S.
- Independent, peer review of the environmental investigation and remediation of a contaminated site in HRM.
- Environmental investigation and remediation of two furnace oil spills.
- Forensic engineering and insurance investigations to determine cause of:
- The effect of construction of two basement parking garages on
adjacent buildings. - The effect of poor drainage on another building.
- The flooding of the basement of a commercial building.
- The flooding of two properties.
- A retaining wall failure.
- A fatal motor vehicle accident (the Rankin accident in Nova Scotia).
- A fatal step ladder accident.
- A slip and fall accident.
- Two landslides.
- A bridge failure.
- A swimming pool failure.
- The flooding of a swimming pool pump room.
- Toxic odours in a building.
- The effect of construction of two basement parking garages on
Forensic, Civil, Geotechnical, Foundation and Environmental Engineers
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sailboat image courtesy of J. Knoll.
