Mechanical Engineer - Failure Investigation

Charles Francis Cooper; Wales; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the UK is seeking a Mechanical Engineer for forensic investigations of various engineering incidents, including personal injury cases. Ideal candidates will possess an engineering degree and have several years of industrial experience. Responsibilities include conducting investigations, preparing reports, and providing expert witness evidence in Court. Unpredictable hours may be required, offering a unique and challenging professional opportunity.

Qualifications

• Several years of postgraduate experience in an industrial engineering environment.
• Familiarity with health and safety regulations.
• Prepared to provide expert witness evidence in Court.

Responsibilities

• Conduct site-based investigations to gather physical evidence.
• Prepare detailed reports for Court proceedings.
• Provide expert witness evidence when required.

Skills

Problem solving

Communication

Self-motivated

Practical engineering ability

Education

Good honours degree in mechanical engineering

Job description

Mechanical Engineer - Failure Investigation

Locations: Cardiff or Leeds

Introduction

They presently have vacancies for Mechanical Engineers to undertake forensic investigation of a wide range of engineering related incidents and accidents including those involving personal injury and health and safety aspects.

These investigations will usually be undertaken for insurance related purposes. Their clients include international insurers, loss adjusters, solicitors, marine Protection and Indemnity clubs, insurance brokers and industrial corporations. Their clients require prompt and accurate technical advice, sometimes at very short notice, regarding the cause of the incident or accident and assistance with determining liability.

The Nature of the Work

If you are looking for a routine laboratory or an office-based position, then this is definitely not the job for you. They are offering you a rare opportunity to enter a unique and very rewarding profession in which the variety and the nature of the technically focused work is extremely diverse and challenging, thus providing you with what they consider is unrivalled job satisfaction.

A key attraction of this role is that you will typically have the opportunity to be responsible for seeing the technical investigation through from beginning to end, from initially collecting the evidence on site to preparing the final technical report and ultimately giving expert evidence in Court.

You will have the opportunity to investigate a broad range of engineering related incidents and accidents. This will encompass the investigation of engineering failures, ranging from the separation of plumbing connections to the collapse of large engineering structures. The investigation of personal injury accidents will often require both engineering expertise and a detailed knowledge of health and safety regulations and guidelines. The entirely unpredictable nature and location of the work are key attractions of the roles.

Your work will often require you to visit the location of an incident, sometimes at short notice, to record and gather evidence and to examine and analyse engineering components and other physical evidence in a laboratory environment.

There is also a practical element to the job in that on occasion you will be required to carefully dismantle machinery, equipment or component assemblies in a systematic manner to obtain the evidence that you require to determine the cause of the failure. This practical aspect of the work also extends to the requirement to devise and undertake ad hoc mechanical tests, as and when the need arises.

Overview of the Various Aspects of the Job

• Conducting site-based investigations to record and gather the available physical evidence.
• Obtaining details regarding the background and circumstances surrounding the incident by interviewing people associated with the incident.
• Undertaking telephone enquiries of equipment suppliers and manufacturers to obtain the required technical information.
• Reviewing technical documentation that may comprise engineering drawings, operating manuals and maintenance records.
• Providing the client with timely preliminary verbal and/or written advice in a form that can be readily understood by a layperson and ultimately a Judge.
• Conducting detailed visual and low magnification examinations of failed components, equipment or machinery.
• Mechanical testing of components, equipment or machinery.
• Devising and conducting ad hoc testing of components, equipment or machinery.
• Preparing reports that may be in the form of a brief letter style report or in the form of a detailed, illustrated report for Court proceedings.
• Providing expert witness evidence in Court, which may involve being questioned in depth by a Barrister.

Examples of the Types of Investigation Undertaken

• The collapse of a large, newly constructed cement storage silo
• A collision between two forklift trucks sustaining fatal injuries.
• A mobile crane accident resulting in injury to the operator and serious damage to both the crane and a nearby building.
• An industrial accident in which a machine operator sustained a serious hand injury due to inadequate guarding.
• A fatal accident resulting from the detachment of a section of the boom of a vehicle‑mounted hydraulic access platform.

Requirements

• Have attained a good honours degree in mechanical engineering.
• Have gained several years of postgraduate experience, preferably in an industrial engineering environment.
• Have an aptitude and enthusiasm for problem solving.
• Be self‑motivated and be able to work effectively under pressure.
• Have experience of undertaking engineering type investigations and be familiar with health and safety regulations and guidance relating to the workplace.
• Have a practical engineering ability in addition to a strong academic record.
• Have the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly, both verbally and in writing, to others less informed than yourself.
• Be prepared to work unpredictable hours, as and where the work demands.
• Be prepared to provide expert witness evidence in Court when required.

Training and Prospects

Charles Francis Cooper celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for both employees and applicants.

(Charles Francis Cooper are acting as an employment agency)