Edward George is the owner of E & S Consulting. He is a court-qualified expert in the field of product liability and failure analysis. He has over 20 years of experience as an expert witness. Plus, his forensic training is complemented by his industrial experience. We sat down with him to discuss his career.
AALM: Edward, what circumstances led you to your career in engineering and welding?
EG: My father was a heavy equipment operator, diesel mechanic and a welder. I entered the University of Florida Materials Science Department in 1981 and specialized in metallurgical engineering. This is where I learned about the science of casting, forming and welding metals. I also took classes in failure analysis and material identification dealing with polymers (plastics) and ceramics.
AALM: How did you come to serve as an expert witness in product liability cases and failure analyses?
EG: My professor and mentor was a forensic engineer and expert witness in the field of products liability and failure analysis. I worked with him for many years and took over his business as principal investigator after he passed away. I enjoy the scientific nature of each failure in that each one is a little different and requires different methods and tools. I implement different destructive and non-destructive techniques for each failure investigation.
AALM: Tell us about your work as a certified welding inspector with the American Welding Society.
EG: I have traveled all over the country working as a welding inspector. I have inspected steel bridge girders, road sign structures, steel crane booms and a variety of welded aluminum structures such as bridges and booms on sea going vessels, and a variety of handrails.
AALM: Despite your specialty in metallurgy, you also have experience working with other material failures. Tell us a little bit about your other material work.
EG: I recently obtained my Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), Level II Inspection certificate. I have inspected paint coatings on bridges and parking lot striping associated with slip and fall cases as well as interior coating on steel girders and painted drywall.
AALM: The engineering industry has surely evolved over the course of your 30-year career as an expert witness. How have those changes affected the cases you’re engaged to consult on?
EG: Earlier in my career, I was involved in the inspection of several skylights that were involved in serious death or injury due to different types of workers falling through them. I even wrote a paper about them from a materials and codes and standards perspective. I don’t see as many of those because the industry realized they needed to be covered with cages for fall protection. I still see various slip and fall cases even though there are coating available that would prevent them. I have had many, and still see, wheel off cases where the lug nuts are either over or under tightened resulting in a fatigue of the stud and ultimately a vehicle accident.
AALM: Looking ahead, what predictions do you have for the industry as well as the litigation facing it?
EG: I have worked for both defense and plaintiff attorneys, and I believe as long as we humans are interacting with machinery, using products that are pressurized, made out of breakable glass, sharp objects, there will always be litigation needing services that I offer.
AALM: Have there been any cases you’ve worked on as an expert that stood out to you the most?
EG: Well, the most obvious and frustrating to me were the skylight cases which in my opinion were easily avoidable by using a thicker plastic or using screening or cages. But I will never forget a ballon accident that ended a person’s life by fire and a catastrophic fall. There are other cases in which people have been hurt or killed due to someone’s incompetence or lack of quality control and assurance.
AALM: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside the office?
EG: I enjoy playing disc golf and being outside. I love surfing, biking, hiking and kayaking. When I was a kid before this whole work life got in the way I was outside all the time, rain, heat or Florida snow (rain). Of course, I am always looking for a shady spot nowadays but outside, nevertheless.
