Electrical engineering analysis of shock, electrocution, and arc flash incidents: how the person became part of the circuit, and what should have prevented it.
Party names are what the check runs against. Nothing privileged is requested.
Electrical injury cases turn on two questions. The first is physics: what was energized, at what voltage, along what path, and why the protective devices did or did not operate. The second is the standard: what the codes, the employer's safety program, and the equipment labeling required of the people involved.
Ohm Forensics addresses both for plaintiff and defense counsel, carriers, and employers. We do not give medical opinions. We define the electrical exposure, meaning voltage, available current, duration, and path, so the medical experts have a reliable starting point.
Incidents during switching, racking, testing, or maintenance of energized equipment. We calculate incident energy under IEEE 1584, compare it with the equipment label and the PPE worn, and review whether energized work was justified under NFPA 70E.
Lockout and tagout, verification of a de-energized state, temporary power, and qualified person questions under OSHA Subpart S, 29 CFR 1910.269 for utility work, and the construction standards in Part 1926.
Cranes, booms, ladders, scaffolds, and tree work near overhead lines, including clearances and minimum approach distances.
Energized enclosures, missing or open equipment grounds, and lost neutrals that put voltage on surfaces people touch.
Equipotential bonding under NEC Article 680, GFCI protection, and stray voltage.
Appliances, tools, cords, lighting, and building wiring, including GFCI and AFCI requirements and the code edition that applied when the work was done.
Examination of the equipment and the scene, with measurements of grounding, bonding, and circuit conditions where that can be done safely. Settings, labels, and nameplates are documented before equipment is returned to service.
Fault current, incident energy, and protective device clearing time calculations, touch and step voltage evaluation, and review of the arc flash study, one-line diagram, safety program, training records, and work permit against NFPA 70E, OSHA, and the NEC.
A written report that states the method, the data relied on, and the basis for each opinion, so every conclusion can be traced and defended under Rule 702 and Daubert or the state equivalent. Where a preliminary oral opinion is all you need, the work stops there.
Deposition and trial testimony that explains the engineering in plain language. We also prepare rebuttal analysis of opposing expert reports and cross-examination outlines for counsel.
Arc flash hazard analysis is ongoing engineering work for us, not something learned for litigation. Our principal engineer performs short circuit, protective device coordination, and arc flash studies for commercial, industrial, and utility-scale facilities using industry-standard power system software.
He has more than twenty years of design experience with the switchgear, transformers, and protection systems involved in these incidents, from 480 V equipment to 345 kV substations. Knowing how a study is supposed to be done is what makes it possible to tell whether the label on the equipment was right.
Usually, if the system data can be obtained: the utility fault contribution, transformer data, conductor lengths, protective device types and settings, working distance, and equipment configuration. Where data is missing, the report states the assumptions and bounds the result.
Not necessarily. Standard breakers and fuses protect conductors and equipment from overcurrent, and the current that can kill a person is far below their trip threshold. Protecting people from shock is the job of GFCI devices, grounding, and bonding, so the analysis usually turns on whether those were required, present, and working.
Commonly NFPA 70E for electrical safe work practices, the OSHA electrical standards, the NEC for the installation, and the NESC or state rules for utility facilities. The edition in force on the date of the work or the incident matters, and we identify it at the outset.
The equipment in its as-found condition, without being reset, repaired, or re-energized; the PPE, tools, and test instruments in use; the arc flash study, labels, and one-line diagram; lockout and tagout and work permit records; and any relay or breaker event data. Our free evidence preservation checklist covers the first 48 hours.
No engagement, no cost. If we are conflicted or this is not the right discipline for your question, we will say so.