Cause of damage
The cause of damage is very often determined by surveyors and publicly appointed and sworn experts in the case of damage to machinery, technical equipment, mechanical engineering and their evaluation.
General
The success of a damage investigation to determine the cause of the damage depends on the care with which it is planned, the type and extent of the investigation steps and the quality of their implementation.
Damage description & inventory
The documentation of the found condition at the damage location as well as the recording of general information about the product (component) are part of this.
The process of a damage investigation with the task of “finding the cause of the damage” follows a technically clearly defined and structured process. First, a detailed inventory is taken and relevant evidence is collected before the cause of the damage is determined through targeted investigations.
However, despite the clear mandate, many expert reports do not determine the actual cause of the damage. Instead, a hypothesis of damage is often put forward and falsely declared as the “cause”. This approach is problematic, especially if the case leads to litigation and an experienced court expert examines the hypothesis and reveals it to be inadequate. In such cases, the report may be considered unreliable, which can lead to significant legal and financial disadvantages for the parties involved.
There is no doubt that determining the cause of the damage involves considerable effort, especially when the case involves complex or elusive causes. In such cases, numerous factors must be carefully analyzed and various hypotheses tested in order to identify the true cause. However, this effort is necessary in order to provide a well-founded, reliable and legally sound answer to the question of the cause of the damage.
It is important to know:
The cause of damage cannot always be determined.
Damage hypothesis(es)
One or more damage hypotheses are derived from the previous knowledge gathered.
Instrumental analyses
The test results of the (different) instrumental analyses confirm or refute the hypothesis(es) . This can become an iterative process.
Cause of damage
If the hypothesis is proven, the cause is determined. If multiple causes of damage are identified, an attempt must be made to separate the primary cause from the influences causing the damage.
Claims Assistance & Expert Opinion
The findings and results are documented in writing in a written expert report.
Notes on the cause of the damage
In many technical reports, the cause of the damage is often merely “asserted”. This assumption may be correct in individual cases, but a cause is only considered confirmed if the underlying hypothesis is supported by sound evidence.
As a rule, it is not possible to determine the cause of the damage from the damage descriptions and inventory alone. However, if these first steps have been systematically processed, this can make the development of one or more damage hypotheses much easier.
There are a variety of analysis methods from which the most suitable is selected depending on the samples available, the material to be examined, the properties that can be derived from the damage hypothesis and the reasonable effort required for the investigation.
The results of the investigation must then be compared with the damage hypothesis or hypotheses. It is crucial to check whether the findings provide additional conclusions or new clues that may not have been explicitly taken into account in the original hypotheses. If necessary, further investigations may be required to confirm or supplement the results. If it turns out that the previous hypotheses are refuted by the results, new hypotheses must be developed and tested. It may also be necessary to review the original hypothesis or the inventory.
Depending on the complexity of the damage case, it is often not possible to derive a clear cause from the damage pattern. In such cases, the aim is to develop sufficiently reliable evidence of one or more possible causes. If several causes are identified, it is important to distinguish the primary cause from influences that contribute to the damage.
The investigation is complete when the causes of the damage and any influences that may have contributed to the damage have been clearly established.
Recommendation:
Determining the cause of damage can take time and is an iterative process. This increases the cost of an expert opinion. Whether it is “worth it” for the client always depends on the goals and/or legal strategy. To find a cause or even not to be able to determine a cause because it is technically no longer possible is still more profitable than to “declare” a hypothesis to be the cause. At the latest, this becomes a sure boomerang in the event of subsequent legal disputes.
