Forensic Engineering

Brady Heywood provides forensic engineering services for law firms, infrastructure owners and top tier contractors requiring the investigation of a physical failure, defect or non-performance. Over the last ten years, we have acted in numerous investigations and proceedings both in Australia and overseas, utilising a systems thinking approach to engineering failure, data analytics and engaging with our wider network of trusted partners to deliver forensically sound expert opinion.

A key first step in any investigation is to determine the nature of the investigation required, which are best separated into two types: causation and compliance. Each type of investigation requires different expertise, a causation investigation requires forensic expertise, whereas a compliance investigation requires design expertise.

These types of expertise are quite distinct: forensics is a process of analysis, with the expert opining on what actually happened in the real world, whereas design is a process of synthesis, with an expert opining on what should have happened in order to comply with the relevant requirements. In other words, causation is concerned with what actually happened, while compliance is concerned with what should have happened.

In practice, both types of investigations may be necessary, and the formation of opinion may benefit from collaboration between the two or more experts.