Folks involved with a wide range of legal issues may need to bring in explosives expert consulting firms for support. You should know what to expect, though, when you invest in this kind of expert opinion.
Independent Input
Ultimately, every explosives expert legal consulting professional will provide independent input. While one party to a matter may hire a consultant, the expert will have professional motives for maintaining their independence. Zealous advocacy is the job of a lawyer. The expert will provide the fullest and most unbiased explanation possible based on the evidence and science available.
Knowledge of the Duty of Care for Specific Explosives
In many legal matters involving explosives, the issue often boils down to what the duty of care is for someone handling a specific type of material. Strict liability in injury cases involving explosives, for example, is usually tied to a broad understanding of how a professional should handle certain explosives.
Suppose a demolition company sends a piece of debris flying by using too large a charge for the job. An explosives expert consulting on the matter can explain what counts as too much. Similarly, the expert can explain what precautions should have been involved and how the company might have failed in its duty of care to protect people at the site and beyond.
Testing
Not all the details are immediately evident in some cases. An expert may need to test residues from an explosion to determine what was involved. Likewise, they may need to run tests and simulations to assess the dangers of particular combinations or uses.
Experts also can look closely at the signatures of explosions using chemical and X-ray analysis. They may even be able to tell where the materials came from, how they were manufactured, and how the environment influenced the outcome.
Human Understanding
Most incidents involving explosives have at least some human element. An expert can explain how a professional should conduct themselves around dangerous materials. Also, they can explain some of the challenges people in explosives fields may face due to stress or tiredness. The human element can oftentimes explain whether and how errors occurred.
Reports
Sometimes, an expert's value in a case centers on providing reports. Skilled explosives expert legal consulting firms can distill difficult ideas into understandable text, charts, images, and even videos. An expert can provide the academic support required for insurance adjusters, judges, jurors, and law enforcement officials to understand why an explosion happened the way it did.