ASTM E3176-24
(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. The author should verbally discuss findings with the client prior to the preparation of a written report. Not all clients will require a written report, and some may want a report with a focused scope or a report that follows a particular format.
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 − 24
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
2. Referenced Documents
mixture, a design option, an alleged civil tort or criminal act, a
2
human error or administrative violation, or a sequence or
2.1 ASTM Standards:
collection of such occurrences.
E2713 Guide to Forensic Engineering
2.2 Other Standards: 3.2.3 report, n—a formal written document which commu-
ISO 32000-2:2017 Document Management – Portable nicates the result of an investigation.
3
Document Format – Part 2: PDF 2.0 3.2.3.1 Discussion—A report may be qualified, such as
draft, preliminary, final, or supplementary. Updated versions of
3. Terminology
a report will modify, supplement, or supersede previous
3.1 Definitions:
versions.
3.1.1 expert, n—an individual with specialized knowledge,
skills, and abilities acquired through appropriate education,
4. Summary of Guide
training, and experience. E2713
4.1 Forensic engineering reports are typically composed of
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
elements such as: introduction, background, description of an
3.2.1 author, n—the individual(s) asserting responsibility
incident, questions to be resolved, materials examined, inspec-
for a report, along with an organizational unit (position or title,
tions conducted, testing or experiments performed, data
company affiliation, government agency, etc.).
obtained, assertions offered, findings, alternative explanations,
and conclusions or opinions, along with the scientific or
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E58 on Forensic technical rationale for the foregoing. The scope of the report
Engineering and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E58.01 on General
should lie within the expertise of the author and be relevant to
Practice.
the incident under investigation. The scope should be agreed
Current edition approved March 15, 2024. Published March 2024. Originally
upon with the client or customer. The report may be subject to
approved in 2020. Last previous edition approved in 2020 as E3176 – 20. DOI:
10.1520/E3176-24.
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 Internatio
...
This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Because
it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: E3176 − 20 E3176 − 24
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
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.
2. Referenced Documents
2
2.1 ASTM Standards:
E2713 Guide to Forensic Engineering
2.2 Other Standards:
3
ISO 32000-2:2017 Document Management – Portable Document Format – Part 2: PDF 2.0
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 expert, n—an individual with specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired through appropriate education, training,
and experience. E2713
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.2.1 author, n—the individual(s) asserting responsibility for a report, along with an organizational unit (position or title, company
affiliation, government agency, etc.).
3.2.1.1 Discussion—
A report may incorporate contributions from multiple individuals. Usually one individual should be named as being responsible
for the report as a whole. If the report is submitted into legal proceedings, that individual will likely become the initial focus of
deposition or court testimony. Joint authorship may be asserted.
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E58 on Forensic Engineering and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E58.01 on General Practice.
Current edition approved May 1, 2020March 15, 2024. Published May 2020March 2024. Originally approved in 2020. Last previous edition approved in 2020 as
E3176 – 20. DOI: 10.1520/E3176-20.10.1520/E3176-24.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or 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 the ASTM website.
3
Available from International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO Central Secretariat, BIBC II, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, 1214 Vernier, Geneva,
Switzerland, http://www.iso.org.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
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E3176 − 24
3.2.2 incident, n—generic term for a problematic occurrence or condition which is the subject of investigation and reporting.
3.2.2.1 Discussion—
Typical incidents include vehicle crashes, structural failures, chemical spills, electrical or plumbing failures, uncontrolled fires,
roofing defects, cosmetic features, natural disasters, and various human actions. An incident which underlies a forensic engineering
report is not necessarily sudden and disastrous. It may be a statistical deviation over time such as a manufacturing process, the
acknowledgement of a latent phenomenon such as an explosive mixture, a design option, an alleged civil tort or criminal act, a
human error or administrative violation, or a sequence or collection of such occurrences.
3.2.3 report, n—a formal written document which communicates the result of an investigation.
3.2.3.1 Discussion—
A report may be qualified, such as draft, preliminary, final, or supplementary. Updated versions of a report will modify,
supplement, or supersede previous versions.
4. Summary of Guide
4.1 Forensic engineering reports are typically composed of elements such as: introduction, background, description of an incident,
questions to be resolved, materials examined, inspections conducted, testing or experiments performed, data obtained, assertions
offered, findings, alternative explanations, and c
...
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