First Annual CPD & Networking Event

We welcome all members and guests to attend a CPD event in which a number of Forensic Engineers from Hawkins and Associates will be providing an insight into the issues surrounding the investigation of certain types of property claims. They will cover fires involving lithium-ion batteries, fires involving white goods, floods caused by escapes of water and floods caused by the ingress of water into basements.

Talk 1 - Lithium Ion Battery Fires - Richard Heath

Richard is a Chartered Electrical Engineer who joined Hawkins as a forensic investigator in 2004. He specialises in fire investigation and matters relating to electrical/electronic engineering. He has advised the insurance and legal profession on a plethora of incidents involving domestic, commercial, industrial and vehicle fires, thefts, control and alarm system failures, and personal injuries involving electric shock and electrocutions.

Richard’s presentation aims to provide an overview of Lithium Ion battery fires, with the following learning objectives:

• What Lithium-ion batteries are, and why they are so popular.
• How Lithium-ion batteries can fail and cause fires.
• Challenges presented by Lithium ion batteries to forensic fire investigation.

Talk 2 - White Goods Fires - David Reid-Roland

David is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer who has been employed in Hawkins’ London office since 2004. He has undertaken investigations of fires in domestic, industrial, commercial and health care settings. He has also investigated a wide spectrum of engineering-related failures and personal injury cases.

David will be discussing fires that are caused by domestic appliances. He will explore the mechanisms by which fires can start and the actions being taken by manufacturers, statutory bodies and trading standards in identifying and issuing recalls and repair actions for appliances.

Talk 3 - Escapes of Water - Nicola Stanley

Nicola is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer who joined Hawkins’ Reigate office in 2010 after working in the oil and gas industry designing mechanical equipment. She specialises in investigating escapes of water, fires and failures related to materials or mechanical equipment. Nicola has led over 500 investigations ranging from small domestic losses to extensive commercial and industrial incidents.

Nicola will be drawing on her extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of plumbing, and how it goes wrong, to offer the following learning objectives:

• To understand the role of a forensic engineer in the context of escapes of water and when to instruct one.
• To understand common failure mechanisms that lead to escapes of water and what causes these failures.
• To understand the factors that can affect escapes of water and other warning signs when first attending a site.

Talk 4 - Ingress of Water into Basements - Ian Major

After a 15 year career as a Chartered Civil Engineer designing and delivering infrastructure projects, Ian moved into the field of forensic engineering and fire investigation, joining Hawkins & Associates in 2010. He has conducted numerous building and construction related investigations ranging from claims of water ingress into buildings through to catastrophic structural collapses.

Ian has provided advice in relation to numerous cases where the identification of defects in the waterproofing system has assisted insurers in pursuing a recovery. He will refer to case examples and relevant design standards to offer the following learning objectives:

• To understand the potential causes of unwanted water in a basement.
• To obtain an overview of the various types of waterproofing used for basements.

To appreciate how the identification of defects in the design and installation of waterproofing can provide an opportunity for recovery.

To view our image and video capture consent statement, please click here.