Investigative Engineering

Investigative Engineers are practicing design professionals who apply their practical skills as well as their academic training to solving the technical quandaries of the Insurance Claims industry. Tri-Tech has a long history of providing Investigative Engineering services to clients in need of impartial, professional services, with scopes of services that have varied widely depending on the complexity of the loss and the actual claim value.

Mark Kessler, P.E., is a registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio and brings 28 years of experience to our staff. He leads our team of professional engineers to complete investigations for all disciplines. This team is comprised of registered professional engineers who are specialists in many disciplines including structural, mechanical, electrical, and piping.

In addition to Mark’s design experience, he has over fourteen years of expertise in both leading and performing technical inspections. He has combined his knowledge with his construction experience to provide top-quality services to the insurance industry, attorneys and contractors. Tri-Tech is available to testify as experts as to our opinions, and our services will always be accomplished professionally, timely, and on a cost-effective basis.

Water Infiltration / Mold Source Inspections

Water infiltration can be very damaging to any structure and building assembly. Mold growth is one major resultant of such damage and infiltration. Tri-Tech’s professionals are trained in locating and identifying water infiltration sources.

Weather Damage Evaluations

All products on the exterior of a building envelope will wear due to the natural exposure to weather and sunlight. Occasionally, extreme storms may cause substantial damage to the building that is beyond normal wearing patterns. Our experience in building design and construction, and specification of products, provide required insight for analyzing damage. As a result of this acquired knowledge, Tri-Tech’s professionals render accurate opinions on the cause of damage found on structures.

Cause and Origin

Cause and Origin investigations are intended, as the name implies, to pinpoint the origin and establish the probable cause of an accident or failure. The term is most often applied to fire-loss inquiries, but is also more liberally applied to other types of building loss and machinery investigations.

Scope of Repairs

Investigative Engineers are frequently retained to furnish a scope of repairs for a property loss claim, which necessitates surveys, inspections, materials testing, engineering analysis, and drawings and/or specifications.

Quantum of Damages

Investigative Engineers are often asked by Insurance Adjusters to assess the quantum of damages for a loss. The adjuster must have an estimate of the damages so that he may set aside a reserve fund for the loss, as well as for use as a guide in determining the reasonableness of repair contractors’ quotes submitted for the work. The Investigative Engineer may also be asked to present a detailed estimate in the case of major property loss, when the damage may exceed the actual cash value of the property. An estimate of this nature is required to assist both the Insurer and the Insured in determining the best course of action to follow; whether it is best to repair, settle, or reconstruct.

Supervision of repairs to a property are dependent on several variables. Investigative Engineers are commonly retained to work alongside contractors for machinery and equipment repair dismantling and testing, as the full scope of the damage often cannot be determined until such work is in progress. Building officials may request that repairs be inspected by a qualified engineer in order to certify quality, a practice becoming more prevalent as building officials become more acutely aware of the specialized knowledge and training necessary to assess the scope of damage and to effect the required repairs in major building loss claims.

Faulty Design

The magnitude of faulty design in insurance claims can be determined only by a professional. It is for that reason Investigative Engineers are retained in essentially all faulty design insurance claims. Evidence of faulty design may also be discovered during the course of a normal building loss investigation.

Defective Construction

In the course of investigations, the Investigative Engineer may find that a given building loss claim was caused partially, if not primarily, by a construction defect. At that time, the Investigative Engineer will have to compare actual construction to available design drawings, specifications, or shop drawings of the building in question. Although the determination of a construction defect may not void coverage under the property owner’s policy, it may enable the Insurer to subrogate his loss against the building contractor or supplier.

Product Liability

In product liability losses, the Investigative Engineer will occasionally be asked to ascertain whether the product or equipment contains an “inherent defect”, arising as a consequence of poor design, faulty material, improper assembly or retrofit alteration.

Expert Witness

The Investigative Engineer must occasionally be prepared to give expert testimony at deposition and at trial.

Risk Management

Insurers and Insured alike have a vested interest in reducing their exposure to claims and losses through the implementation of risk management. Insurers who underwrite policies for unknown or uncertain risks take the chance that they might underestimate the risk they underwrite, and those insured who do not take steps to reduce their exposure can expect to pay a premium rate for their insurance.

Arbitrator

A large number of insurance policies provide for the arbitration of disputed claims. Although these arbitration provisions vary according to individual claim or jurisdiction, the Investigative Engineer, due to his special knowledge of insurance claims, is frequently retained to serve as an arbitrator for such conflicts.