09/25/2020

30 Forensic Engineering Launches Fall/Winter 2020/2021 Virtual Seminar Series Curriculum & Registration

30 Forensic Engineering, Canada’s leading and fully-independent multidisciplinary forensics firm, is proud to announce its dynamic FALL/WINTER weekly series of webinars that are well-suited towards insurance industry professionals.

As engineers, scientists and experts, we deal in complexities – but we don’t speak in them. Hear from industry leading professionals that are accustomed to delivering the facts in a way that’s detailed, insightful, and understandable to everyone – layperson and expert alike. These virtual and interactive seminars will also provide you with the opportunity to speak with the experts directly and ask questions. 

With science as our foundation, our belief is that knowledge enables action and with that in mind, commencing on October 15th, 2020, we are offering the following complimentary weekly webinars.

2020/2021 Fall/Winter Seminar Series at a Glance & Registration

Complete curriculum details are located below
Please click on the webinar titles to register

Thursday, October 15th – 1:00pm EST

What Would a ‘Normal’ Driver Do? Human Factors in Collisions and Municipal Liability Assessments

Thursday, October 22nd – 1:00pm EST

Latest Technologies Used to Investigate Heavy Truck Collisions

Thursday, October 29th – 1:00pm EST

Post-loss Remediation – Technical Pitfalls Leading to Cost Escalation

Thursday, November 5th – 1:00pm EST

Assessments of Restraint Use and Effectiveness during Motor Vehicle Collisions

Thursday, November 12th – 1:00pm EST

New Technologies for Assessing Vehicle Collision Claims

Thursday, November 19th – 1:00pm EST

Equipment Failures: Fire, Breakdown, Failure

Thursday, November 26th – 1:00pm EST

Assessments of Snowmobile and All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Collisions

Thursday, January 14th —  1:00pm EST

Product Liability Investigations: How Everyday Objects Can Cause Big Problems

Thursday, January 21st – 1:00pm EST

Sustainable Safety Principles, and Design Strategies in an Era of Innovative Mobility Planning

Thursday, January 28th – 1:00pm EST

Sprinkler and Fire Alarm Systems Failures

Thursday, February 4th – 1:00pm EST

Innovative Approaches in Forensic Geotechnical Investigations

Thursday, February 11th – 1:00pm EST

Renewable Electrical Failures – Prevention, Response and Safety

If you have any questions, please email Colleen Heffernan: cheffernan@30fe.com

Curriculum Details

Please click on the webinar titles to register

What Would a ‘Normal’ Driver Do? Human Factors in Collisions and Municipal Liability Assessments

Date & Time:  Thursday, October 15th – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Adam Campbell, B.Kin., Ph. D.

Synopsis: In many collision assessments, focusing only on the vehicle often falls short of understanding the complete liability landscape. Join Adam Campbell, B.Kin., Ph.D., as he uncovers the many novel ways that human factors assessments are uniquely useful to determining if drivers behaved normally, whether they should have avoided the collision, and whether roadway design contributed to various types of collision situations.

Latest Technologies Used to Investigate Heavy Truck Collisions

Date & Time: Thursday, October 22nd – 1:00pm EST 

Speakers: Djordje Miholjcic, B.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Synopsis: This presentation will explore the various types of technologies heavy trucks are equipped with, including event data recorders, dashcams, and fleet tracking technology. Djordje Miholjcic, B.A.Sc., P.Eng., will discuss the benefits and pitfalls of these emerging technologies when used in collision reconstruction.

Post-loss Remediation – Technical Pitfalls Leading to Cost Escalation

Date & Time: Thursday, October 29th – 1:00pm EST 

Speakers: Claire Miller, B.E.SC., P.Eng., Deepak Bhathal, B.A., CRSP, Jeff Reitsma, MBA, PMP, P.Eng.

Synopsis: This will be a multi-disciplinary presentation focusing on common technical issues that lead to cost-escalation on remediation projects. A consideration of 30 Forensic Engineering’s experience with ‘how to / how not to’ manage a loss event and remediation in an insurance context. Topics will include life safety, code upgrades, building permits, temporary building envelopes, designated substances and impact mapping, and construction administration and controls. This presentation will appeal to insurers, adjusters, and remedial contractors as well as lawyers engaged in cost disputes associated with insurance projects.

Assessments of Restraint Use and Effectiveness during Motor Vehicle Collisions

Date & Time: Thursday, November 5th – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Chad Gooyers, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., Mark Paquette, B.A.Sc., CFEI, CVFI, P.Eng.

Synopsis: As vehicle technology and computerization continues to advance the capabilities of modern passenger cars on the roadway, the need and ability to capture and decode the data measured by dozens of sensors is becoming more important. In particular, when assessing motor vehicle collision claims, the historical data recorded by several different computer systems in modern passenger cars today can shed light on the vehicle’s motion, the driver’s behaviour, and in some cases even provide photographic documentation of the events as they happen. Join collision reconstructionists Raffi Engeian, B.A.Sc., M.B.A., P.Eng., and Harrison Griffiths, B.Sc.E., P.Eng., for a discussion on new technologies that add to the growing list of electronic data that can be obtained and used to help assess your claims. These include imaging data from now-common Event Data Recorders, infotainment systems using the Berla iVe system, and more recently the Toyota-specific Vehicle Control History.

New Technologies for Assessing Vehicle Collision Claims

Date & Time: Thursday, November 12th – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Raffi Engeian, B.A.Sc., MBA, P.Eng., Harrison Griffiths, B.Sc.E, P.Eng.

Synopsis: With increasing pressure to expedite projects or reduce cost, insufficient expertise or field data has become a more prevalent issue leading to failure or damage of structures and foundations. As forensic engineers, we have attested how buildings, bridges, or other structures have failed due to a lack of subsurface investigation or soil-structure interaction analysis.

Equipment Failures: Fire, Breakdown, Failure

Date & Time: Thursday, November 19th – 1:00pm EST 

Speakers: Robert Sparling, B.Eng.Mgt., P.Eng.

Synopsis: There are many types of industrial equipment and losses associated with this equipment can vary widely. Losses range from fires which spread to the entire facility to, water leaks, to mechanical failures that render the equipment in operative. In this presentation we will present case studies on a variety of industrial equipment, including presses, compressors, industrial diesel engines, hydro-electric turbines, gas turbines, and furnaces.

Assessments of Snowmobile and All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Collisions

Date & Time: Thursday, November 26th – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Mark Paquette, B.A.Sc., CFEI, CVFI, P.Eng., Chad Gooyers, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Synopsis: Please join us for a seminar on snowmobile and ATV collision investigations. This seminar will focus on what to look for when handling matters involving snowmobile and ATV collisions, as well as some of the challenges that may arise during engineering and biomechanical assessments of these incidents. Mark Paquette, P.Eng., will discuss the collision reconstruction considerations unique to these incidents. Dr. Chad Gooyers will provide an overview of the biomechanical techniques that establish rider motion, injury causation and helmet effectiveness.

Product Liability Investigations: How Everyday Objects Can Cause Big Problems

Date & Time: Thursday, January 14th —  1:00pm EST

Speakers: Ben Desclouds, B.Eng.Mgt., P.Eng., Olivia Yalnizyan, M.A.Sc., B.A.Sc.

Synopsis:

Join Ben Desclouds and Olivia Yalnizyan for an informative session on product liability and the investigation path for determining causation of various types of unique failures. We will be discussing how failures in the everyday materials and mechanical system in our lives can cause significant property damage and personal injury. We will also be discussing how the increasing interconnectedness of mechanical systems and technology is creating new types of failures and risks.

Throughout the presentation we will be providing case examples touching on a variety of topics such as:
• Pool equipment
• Glass failures (windows and beer bottles)
• Gym equipment
• Doors and chairs
• Water leak detection devices
• Sprinkler systems and CPVC piping

And more!

Sustainable Safety Principles, and Design Strategies in an Era of Innovative Mobility Planning

Date & Time:  Thursday, January 21st – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Dewan Karim, M.A.Sc., MITE, P.Eng., PTOE

Synopsis: Join Dewan Karim, M.A.Sc., MITE, P.Eng., PTOE, for a discussion on current and emerging future mobility, and safety and liability management issues on highways, city streets, rail corridors and private property. Vision zero development and its core principles will be addressed to better understand common traffic safety issues, including general road maintenance, winter maintenance, and typical road operations. Furthermore, the presentation will address safety concerns related to new mobility such as rideshare, bikeshare, scooter share and other shared mobility modes. We will also discuss highway safety, including engineering route permit procedures, rail safety and urban planning issues, and emerging autonomous vehicle safety.

Sprinkler and Fire Alarm Systems Failures

Date & Time: Thursday, January 28th – 1:00pm EST 

Speakers: Robert Sparling, B.Eng.Mgt., P.Eng.

Synopsis: Sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems are intended to prevent damage when fire events occur. Unfortunately, these systems often fail, and releasing volumes of water that cause large losses. Often during these losses, fire alarm systems do not perform as intended and fail to warn building operators of the water release event. In this presentation, we will discuss various types of sprinkler systems, the important components of these systems, and the ways in which failures commonly occur. We will also address how fire alarm systems interconnect to sprinkle systems and what information can be downloaded from these systems to aid in sprinkler investigations. In addition to discussing how failures occur and the methodologies of sprinkler/fire alarm system investigation, we will also discuss the requirements for system installation, maintenance, and testing.

Innovative Approaches in Forensic Geotechnical Investigations

Date & Time: Thursday, February 4th – 1:00pm EST 

Speakers: Vito Schifano, Ph.D., P.E., C.Eng., Xiangyu Li, B.Eng., M.Sc., P.Eng.

Synopsis: The discipline of Geotechnical Engineering has expanded rapidly in the past years to include a wide variety of applications to infrastructure, buildings, mining and environmental sectors. This presentation illustrates novel approaches and methods of forensic geotechnical engineering origin and cause investigations, technical assessment related to repair/remediation strategies and construction risk assessment, monitoring and mitigation.

After an initial introduction on general concepts of forensic geotechnical engineering and geotechnical failures, the presentation will focus on innovative approaches and technologies in forensic investigations. Eventually, a number of real case histories will be discussed.

This webinar will facilitate the following learning outcomes to insurance adjusters and lawyers that provide services involving property losses:
• Understand the types of properties and losses that will require geotechnical expertise to perform adequate forensic engineering investigations.
• Understand the latest methodologies to investigate structural failures due to geotechnical causes.
• Innovative methods and technologies to optimize the effectiveness of geotechnical investigations.

Renewable Electrical Failures – Prevention, Response and Safety

Date & Time: Thursday, February 11th – 1:00pm EST

Speakers: Daniel Pelkman, RSE, RME, CCEI, C.Tech, NABCEP, CFEI, Rashmiya Raviraj, B.A.Sc., CFEI, P.Eng., Grant Elligsen, P.Eng, CRSP, LEED-AP O&M, C-NRPP

Synopsis: This will be a combination health & safety and electrical presentation, speaking to the nature roof-top solar installations and electrical systems in general being a bit ‘out of site, out of mind’. The presentation will be of interest to insurers and property managers, and speak to 30FE’s experiences in common electrical equipment failures and hazards, how those can contribute to secondary property damage, health and safety risks for maintenance/inspection staff, and suggestions for risk management.

If you have any questions, please email Colleen Heffernan: cheffernan@30fe.com

VANCOUVERTORONTOOTTAWA

About 30 Forensic Engineering

30 Forensic Engineering is one of Canada’s largest and most respected multi-disciplinary forensic firms. Our core team of 70 professional engineers, experts, investigators, engineering technicians and support staff is enhanced through relationships with some of the top scientists, standard-makers and specialized consultants in North America serving a wide variety of industries including: Insurance, Manufacturing, Legal, Construction, Health Care, Commercial and Residential Property, Financial, Government, Hospitality, Mining, Renewable Energy and Transportation.

We provide world-class engineering and consulting expertise in:

Civil/Structural Failure
Building and Fire Code
Geotechnical and Mining
Biomechanics & Personal Injury
Human Factors
Collision Reconstruction
Transportation Safety
Renewable Energy
Environmental Health & Safety
Multi-disciplinary Remediation
Materials & Product Failure / Piping & HVAC
Fire / Electrical & Explosion investigations
Trucking

The Canadian Lawyer Magazine readership acknowledged 30 Forensic Engineering as their top choice in both forensic engineering categories:

For further information and media inquiries, please contact:

Paul Aquino, Director, Marketing
paquino@30fe.com

For confidential inquiries on becoming a member of the 30 Forensic Engineering team, please contact:

Stephanie d’Obrenan, Director, Human Resources
sdobrenan@30fe.com

30 Forensic Engineering