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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