ASTM E3176-20
(Guide)Standard Guide for Forensic Engineering Expert Reports
Standard Guide for Forensic Engineering Expert Reports
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This guide may be useful to forensic engineers, courts, jurists, attorneys, insurance adjusters, and clients of forensic engineers. Although this guide is directed to the practice of forensic engineering, its description of the elements of investigative reports may be useful to practitioners in other disciplines that embrace scientific laws and theories.
5.2 This guide is based on Guide E2713, which discusses elements of the practice of forensic engineering and provides suggested readings which may be of interest to those creating (or reading) forensic engineering reports.
5.3 This guide is informational and not mandatory. Not all items necessarily apply to all forensic engineering reports. Practitioners should adopt the requirements stated herein as appropriate to their individual situations.
SCOPE
1.1 This document provides guidance on the purpose, content, and limitations of forensic engineering expert reports, and it discusses report representation in electronic form.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
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This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E3176 − 20
Standard Guide for
1
Forensic Engineering Expert Reports
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E3176; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope 3.2.1.1 Discussion—Areport may incorporate contributions
from multiple individuals. Usually one individual should be
1.1 This document provides guidance on the purpose,
named as being responsible for the report as a whole. If the
content, and limitations of forensic engineering expert reports,
report is submitted into legal proceedings, that individual will
and it discusses report representation in electronic form.
likelybecometheinitialfocusofdepositionorcourttestimony.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the
Joint authorship may be asserted.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3.2.2 incident,n—generictermforaproblematicoccurrence
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
orconditionwhichisthesubjectofinvestigationandreporting.
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
3.2.2.1 Discussion—Typical incidents include vehicle
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
crashes,structuralfailures,chemicalspills,electricalorplumb-
1.3 This international standard was developed in accor-
ing failures, uncontrolled fires, roofing defects, cosmetic
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
features, natural disasters, and various human actions. An
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
incident which underlies a forensic engineering report is not
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
necessarily sudden and disastrous. It may be a statistical
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
deviation over time such as a manufacturing process, the
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
acknowledgementofalatentphenomenonsuchasanexplosive
mixture, a design option, an alleged civil tort or criminal act, a
2. Referenced Documents
human error or administrative violation, or a sequence or
2
2.1 ASTM Standards:
collection of such occurrences.
E2713 Guide to Forensic Engineering
3.2.3 report, n—a formal written document which commu-
2.2 Other Standards:
nicates the result of an investigation.
ISO 32000-2:2017 Document Management – Portable
3
3.2.3.1 Discussion—A report may be qualified, such as
Document Format – Part 2: PDF 2.0
draft, preliminary, final,or supplementary.Updatedversionsof
3. Terminology a report will modify, supplement, or supersede previous
versions.
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 expert, n—an individual with specialized knowledge,
4. Summary of Guide
skills, and abilities acquired through appropriate education,
training, and experience. E2713
4.1 Forensic engineering reports are typically composed of
elements such as: introduction, background, description of an
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
incident, questions to be resolved, materials examined, inspec-
3.2.1 author, n—the individual(s) asserting responsibility
tions conducted, testing or experiments performed, data
for a report, along with an organizational unit (position or title,
obtained, assertions offered, findings, alternative explanations,
company affiliation, government agency, etc.).
and conclusions or opinions, along with the scientific or
technical rationale for the foregoing. The scope of the report
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E58 on Forensic
should lie within the expertise of the author and be relevant to
Engineering and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E58.01 on General
the incident under investigation. The scope should be agreed
Practice.
upon with the client or customer. The report may be subject to
Current edition approved May 1, 2020. Published May 2020. DOI: 10.1520/
E3176-20.
legal requirements peculiar to a jurisdiction, beyond the extent
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
of this guide.
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
4.2 Forensic engineering reports have characteristics and
the ASTM website.
constraints that differ from reports prepared in forensic science
3
Available from International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO
and other disciplines.Aforensic engineering report commonly
Central Secretariat, BI
...
NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
Designation: E3176 − 20
Standard Guide for
1
Forensic Engineering Expert Reports
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E3176; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope 3.2.1.1 Discussion—A report may incorporate contributions
from multiple individuals. Usually one individual should be
1.1 This document provides guidance on the purpose,
named as being responsible for the report as a whole. If the
content, and limitations of forensic engineering expert reports,
report is submitted into legal proceedings, that individual will
and it discusses report representation in electronic form.
likely become the initial focus of deposition or court testimony.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the
Joint authorship may be asserted.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3.2.2 incident, n—generic term for a problematic occurrence
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
or condition which is the subject of investigation and reporting.
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
3.2.2.1 Discussion—Typical incidents include vehicle
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
crashes, structural failures, chemical spills, electrical or plumb-
1.3 This international standard was developed in accor-
ing failures, uncontrolled fires, roofing defects, cosmetic
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
features, natural disasters, and various human actions. An
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
incident which underlies a forensic engineering report is not
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
necessarily sudden and disastrous. It may be a statistical
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
deviation over time such as a manufacturing process, the
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
acknowledgement of a latent phenomenon such as an explosive
mixture, a design option, an alleged civil tort or criminal act, a
2. Referenced Documents
2 human error or administrative violation, or a sequence or
2.1 ASTM Standards:
collection of such occurrences.
E2713 Guide to Forensic Engineering
3.2.3 report, n—a formal written document which commu-
2.2 Other Standards:
nicates the result of an investigation.
ISO 32000-2:2017 Document Management – Portable
3
3.2.3.1 Discussion—A report may be qualified, such as
Document Format – Part 2: PDF 2.0
draft, preliminary, final, or supplementary. Updated versions of
3. Terminology
a report will modify, supplement, or supersede previous
versions.
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 expert, n—an individual with specialized knowledge,
4. Summary of Guide
skills, and abilities acquired through appropriate education,
training, and experience. E2713
4.1 Forensic engineering reports are typically composed of
elements such as: introduction, background, description of an
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
incident, questions to be resolved, materials examined, inspec-
3.2.1 author, n—the individual(s) asserting responsibility
tions conducted, testing or experiments performed, data
for a report, along with an organizational unit (position or title,
obtained, assertions offered, findings, alternative explanations,
company affiliation, government agency, etc.).
and conclusions or opinions, along with the scientific or
technical rationale for the foregoing. The scope of the report
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E58 on Forensic
should lie within the expertise of the author and be relevant to
Engineering and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E58.01 on General
the incident under investigation. The scope should be agreed
Practice.
upon with the client or customer. The report may be subject to
Current edition approved May 1, 2020. Published May 2020. DOI: 10.1520/
E3176-20.
legal requirements peculiar to a jurisdiction, beyond the extent
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
of this guide.
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
4.2 Forensic engineering reports have characteristics and
the ASTM website.
constraints that differ from reports prepared in forensic science
3
Available from International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO
and other disciplines. A forensic engineering report commonly
Central Secretariat, BIBC II, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, 1214 Vernier,
Geneva, Switzerland, http://www.iso.org. communi
...
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