From time to time, engineers are asked to act as expert witnesses for investigations or prosecutions under the Health and Safety at Work Act (either for regulators or for defence counsel). This type of work can be very interesting and rewarding for the engineer involved, but can also be very challenging. It is important for engineers carrying out this type of work to understand their obligations, the nature of their role in the investigation and/or prosecution process, and the risks that expert witness work can carry.

This webinar is presented by Joe Bain (CPEng, current chair of the NZSSE) and Jack Mains (FEngNZ, CPEng, executive officer of the RSE Technical Group). Both Joe and Jack are regularly engaged as expert witnesses in HSWA investigations, mostly by regulators but also occasionally on behalf of defence counsel. The webinar provides a brief introduction to the role of the expert witness (specifically in the context of HSWA), the responsibilities and duties of engineers serving as expert witnesses, and some of the challenges that engineers taking on this type of work should be prepared for.

Joe and Jack will draw on their experience as expert witnesses to provide this introduction, and to share some of the lessons they have learned along the way.