Hazardous Materials Expert Witnesses

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Hazardous materials expert witness candidates typically have extensive experience in industrial health, environmental health, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, construction safety, and may be certified industrial hygienists.

Hazardous materials (hazmat) are dangerous goods that pose a risk even when not being transported, and are subject to chemical regulations from organizations such as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

Expert witness service by a hazardous substance expert could include expert testimony in toxic tort litigation cases, insurance disputes, or an accident investigation. Litigation support services by a hazardous materials specialist could include exposure assessment, toxicology report review, expert opinion, expert reports, and expert witness testimony at a trial. A law firm may request a qualified expert with prior testifying experience in a high-profile case or litigation involving a significant financial stake. In addition, lead counsel may seek a hazardous material subject matter expert for pre-litigation consulting work.

Whether the case involves OSHA compliance, indoor air quality, exposure to hazardous material or hazardous waste, industrial hygiene, or other safety issues, Cahn Litigation Services has the experience required to turn an expert witness search around quickly. The firm routinely provides expert witnesses with the right balance of expertise and testimony to support each unique project.

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Hazardous Materials Expert Witness - Representative Bios

Please Note: All Cahn Litigation expert witness searches are customized to attorneys' precise specifications and preferences. Attorneys are encouraged to discuss search parameters with a Cahn search specialist.

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The below expert witness bios represent a small fraction of those Hazardous Materials experts known by Cahn Litigation Services. These bios are provided to give lawyers a sense of the Hazardous Materials landscape.

• Expert Witness #227074

  This expert holds a PhD in Metallurgy and brings to the table many years of experience in the areas of materials engineering, failure analysis and engineering investigations. This expert’s doctoral research dealt with safely containing hazardous, explosive materials and this is also true for much of this expert’s industrial consulting work. This expert has direct experience with grey cast iron in terms of pipeline corrosion and prediction of fatigue life in cast iron vessels.

  This expert’s code related work has involved pressure vessel and pipeline codes. This work has involved assessing old cast iron pressure vessels for conformance to current codes. Below is a summary of example work experience:

  Cast iron experience:

  1.  Life estimate for buried pipe
  2. Water main failure in river crossing
  3. Stray current induced corrosion failure

  Metallurgical/Fatigue Life for gray cast iron:

  1. Remaining life prediction for very old dryers
  2. Fitness for service on old paper mill dryer drums
  3. Failure prediction in check valve bodies
  4. Failure of brake drums

  Code Experience:

  1.  Repair procedures for damaged batch digesters
  2. Life prediction for dryers and dryer drums
  3. Butane gas line explosion
  4. Steam piping analysis and failures
  5. Refrigeration line failures
  6. API/ASME 579 Fitness for Service experience

  Risk for Natural Gas Transport:

  This expert’s graduate course work and dissertation dealt with preventing explosions (liquid natural gas). Much of this expert’s professional experience has involved efforts to prevent explosions or determining why explosions occurred. This is a poorly understood problem and one that many companies are ignoring. This expert has directed NDT or inspection efforts in a number of different applications.

  
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• Expert Witness #247249

  This expert joined a hazardous materials regulations and compliance company where he provides dangerous goods regulatory assistance to customers worldwide by drawing on vast experience and knowledge of the hazardous materials regulations. This expert served with an organization, where this expert was responsible for directing approximately 150 hazardous materials transportation specialists of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Program, including overseeing the regulatory development, technical review and classification, international standards, outreach, special permits and approvals and enforcement offices. In this position this expert was involved in the development of domestic and international regulations and gained not only an understanding of the regulations but the intent and meaning behind the words. This expert has been involved in the development and implementation of hazardous materials safety regulations for many years and has been responsible for a broad range of domestic and international hazardous materials safety efforts.

  Since leaving the government for private practice, this expert draws on vast experience to provide guidance and consulting services to clients ranging from major international corporations to small businesses. This expert has assisted numerous clients with bringing their operations into compliance. Typical services include:

  -  Working with company staff to better their understand of regulatory issues, improve management oversight, hold suppliers more accountable and improve corporate safety;

  -  Conducting compliance audits and providing corrective action reports and recommendations;

  -  Providing compliance assistance (e.g. intermodal shipping strategies, hazard classification, regulations interpretation, etc.);

  -  Developing operations and policy manuals, standard operating procedures and job aides;

  -  Developing reverse logistics/customer return solutions;

  -  Providing technical expertise for classifying hazardous materials including lithium batteries;

  -  Identifying opportunities to use regulatory exceptions to lower shipping cost and reduce risk;

  -  Penalty mitigation related to enforcement actions;

  -  Serving as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases, including deposition and testimony;

  -  Acquiring special permits and approvals;

  -  Providing training development, assess employee competencies and function specific responsibilities; and

  -  Developing and supplying customized dangerous goods products specific to client's needs.
  
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• Expert Witness #247257

  This expert is internationally recognized as a leader in the hazardous materials / dangerous goods compliance industry. This expert's extensive background includes work leading hazardous and dangerous goods initiatives at several organizations. Throughout a career in the transportation safety field, this expert has worked with legislative and regulatory staffs at the state, federal, and international level to draft, introduce, support, and implement reasonable and prudent controls within the transportation industry. This expert has developed and presented written and oral testimony on hazardous materials and transportation safety in both Houses of the U.S. Congress. This expert has written several books on the guiding principles of hazardous materials transportation and participates in the IMO Dangerous Goods Subcommittee and the UN Sub Committee of Experts on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. This expert has participated on several committees of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board.

  In addition to hundreds of industry seminars, this expert has taught the principles of hazardous materials transportation management at seminars and undergraduate and graduate degree programs at US universities. This expert has provided thousands of steamship representatives, State & Federal enforcement personnel, shippers & other Hazmat employees with dangerous goods and hazmat training products and services. This expert provides copies of regulatory code books and has also published a complete library of compliance guides & training programs. In addition, this expert provides professional Hazmat auditing and training, specializing in incorrectly classified, packaged or described shipments.

  
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• Expert Witness #260507

  This expert is recognized as an expert in chemistry, hazardous materials, metallurgical and plastics failure analysis and fire and explosion investigations. This expert is the founder and chief technologist for a nationally recognized fire science and forensic laboratory and specialized burn facility, equipped with among other apparatus, fabric flammability test cabinets, instruments used to characterize fabric density, warp/weave and composition (synthetic, cotton, blend, FR etc.), and a cone calorimeter which is a standard test method to characterize the fire performance of materials.

  This expert performs investigation according to recognized and professional standard practices and methodologies for engineering failure analysis and fire investigation with results supported by testing, analysis, codes, standards and literature. Familiar with existing test methods on soft furnishings as well as changes in regulations with respect to fire retardants and fire testing, this expert often performs instrumented, modified standard or ad hoc fire tests on these materials.

  This expert was the lead engineer that developed tests and criteria for assessing the burning rate hazard of solid chemical oxidizers based on research and testing at bench and intermediate scales that was accepted by the fire codes. This expert has training in Regulatory Fire Tests and is a principal member on a technical committee which addresses room fire hazards including fuel loads like furniture. This expert is also very familiar with other industry guides including the SFPE.

  This expert has training in hazard assessment methodologies, failure analysis and hazardous waste operations and emergency response. This expert serves on hazardous chemical, combustible metals and combustible dust technical committees as well as on technical panels overseeing research related to hazards associated with combustible dusts, antifreeze in home sprinkler systems and separation distances.

  This expert has been retained as a consulting and testifying expert by numerous law firms, insurance companies and corporations.

  
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• Expert Witness #121842

  This trucking and DOT compliance expert has over 50 years of experience in commercial trucking and compliance, including work as a truck driver, owner-operator, truck driver-training instructor, truck driver training program director, and consultant for motor carriers and truck driving schools. This expert is licensed, certified, and qualified as a CMV driver with endorsements for hazardous materials, tank truck, double and triple trailers, passenger carriage, and school bus. Certifications are held for air brake inspection and repair, operation of Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs), and Pilot/Escort Driver work for oversize and supersize loads of extreme weight and dimension. This expert also holds a Transportation Worker Identification Credential.

  This expert has over 40 years of experience as a truck driving instructor, truck driving program director, and truck driving curricula designer, and has operated truck driver training programs in numerous locations nationwide. This expert served as a liaison to federal transportation regulators and supervised special training programs under federal contracts and government grants, focusing on evaluating the effectiveness of fostering development of a safety culture in new entrant motor carriers. This expert has experience in developing and producing motor carrier management and truck driver training materials, truck accident analysis, trucking litigation consulting, special truck driving assignments, and transportation study and research projects. This expert conducted research and provided recommendations for rulemaking on a federal transportation project studying the Hazardous Materials Safety Permit (HMSP) program for motor carriers in response to a Congressional mandate.

  This expert has extensive experience as an expert witness and litigation consultant, including work on over 4,000 cases, testimony in more than 1,500 depositions, and over 200 trial appearances in both Federal and State courts as a qualified expert concerning safe operation of commercial motor vehicles and the reasonable performance of commercial vehicle operators and motor carriers.

  
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• Expert Witness #270481

  This trucking safety expert has over 40 years of experience in the trucking industry as both a driver and safety consultant, with expertise in trucking safety standards, truck driver actions, and standards of care.

  This expert is familiar with FMCRs (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations) and DOT standards for transporting hazardous materials, and has transported Class 3 Packing Group II liquids.

  This expert has experience as an expert witness and litigation consultant.

  
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• Expert Witness #278296

  This fire/explosion causation expert has over 40 years of experience in fire/explosion investigation, reconstruction, and Fire Protection Engineering, and holds credentials as a Registered Professional Engineer, Certified Fire Investigator (IAAI), Certified Fire/Explosion Investigator (NAFI), and Registered Gas Distribution Professional.

  This expert has experience with lithium battery fires and numerous other hazardous materials, including propane, natural gas, ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, fireworks-related materials, explosives, and magnesium, and has testified on several occasions.

  
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• Expert Witness #283318

  This boiler system expert specializes in forensic investigations of mechanical, plumbing, and HVAC system failures for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. This expert has knowledge and experience regarding pre-task planning, lockout/tagout procedures, control of hazardous materials in factory environments, ASME boiler code, and ANSI pipe labeling requirements.

  This expert has worked in a facilities engineering role on a large-scale retrofit project at a semiconductor manufacturing facility, focusing on HVAC equipment used to maintain cleanroom conditions. The project involved decommissioning and removing older HVAC equipment, piping, and ductwork, as well as installing and commissioning new HVAC equipment, piping, and ductwork. Duties included reviewing demolition and installation drawings to ensure conformance with specifications and standards, as well as generating pre-task plans for the modification and removal of operational or hazardous HVAC equipment, piping, and ductwork.

  
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• Expert Witness #283773

  This freight and trucking expert holds a PhD and has decades of experience in trucking and trucking safety, including senior safety and risk management leadership for a major bulk motor carrier. This expert has also worked as a special investigator and accident investigation specialist for a federal motor carrier safety regulator.

  This expert has over 40 years of experience in the transportation of hazardous materials, including safety management and corporate hazardous-materials roles for a regional less-than-truckload carrier, senior safety and risk management leadership at a bulk motor carrier transporting hazardous and non-hazardous materials, and transportation leadership for a manufacturer and private fleet handling chlorine in liquid and gas form and other bulk hazardous materials in tank trailers.

  This expert is an experienced expert witness and litigation consultant.

  
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• Expert Witness #285125

  This hazardous materials disposal expert holds an M.Sc. in Natural Resources and a state-level hazardous materials investigations and program management credential, with over 20 years of experience in hazardous and acutely hazardous materials safety, regulatory compliance, environmental science, engineering, and regulatory affairs.

  This expert has provided services to numerous clients in the semiconductor, printed circuit board, metal finishing, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, as well as to municipal, state, and federal government entities, including defense-related agencies. This expert's experience includes industrial process and wastewater treatment engineering, system monitoring and control design, risk assessment and management, and environmental and safety regulatory compliance.

  This expert specializes in federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for industries handling large quantities of acutely hazardous materials and aqueous wastes.

  
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• Expert Witness #286064

  This machine safety/OSHA expert has over 50 years of experience in occupational safety, beginning as a safety coordinator for an electrical contractor on a federally funded project in Texas. As an employer representative for an electrical workers union, this expert was asked to join the committee tasked with developing guidelines and reporting documents for the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulation 29 CFR Part 1904, Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

  This expert earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Safety & Health and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Safety & Health. This expert received the Certified Safety Health Official (CSHO) designation from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration through a university-affiliated engineering extension service in Texas. This expert has served in a senior leadership role at an industry-leading non-profit that provided education, training, and consulting services related to hazardous materials. As adjunct faculty at a Texas community college, this expert taught occupational safety and health courses, hazardous waste operations, and human resource development.

  This expert is qualified in workplace safety, with specialization in interpreting and implementing United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations. This expert provides well-researched opinions, impressions, reports, deposition testimony, and trial testimony to counsel representing either plaintiffs or defendants, and has been retained in over 40 cases.

  
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