Protecting Objectivity During A Calamity

When there has been a loss of life or property, speculation and the pointing of fingers are never far behind. An emotionally skewed reaction is natural when unexpected loss destabilizes and alters everyday life, sometimes irrevocably. Everyone touched by these events naturally looks to find answers and explanations that will allow a return to some kind of normalcy and a sense of security.

Part of this process is the assignment of accountability and placing of blame. Some do this as a matter of course in an effort to explain what happened and to decide if there is a risk of it happening again. Unfortunately, in today's world, personal accountability and responsibility are nearly extinct concepts.

Whether it's a fire, a vehicle accident, or a structural concern, the underlying questions needed to ascertain out what really happened are relatively similar..  The post-incident information must be analyzed. In addition, the design, materials, tolerances, environmental factors, age, maintenance history and usage may all be necessary to carefully review and evaluate, without being compromised by preconceived notions based on cursory observation or a “wanted” outcome.

The application of scientific discipline and methodologies are required to reveal the root cause of the incident.

Forensic engineering is comprised of many disciplines, each requiring a great deal of scientific expertise. Any theory, no matter how brilliantly conceived, must be proved through testing with repeatable and industry-accepted results. While previous experience is invaluable in the interpretation of facts, a multi-disciplinary evaluation may be necessary to assure broad perspective and thinking unfettered by familiarity and repetition.

A fundamental commitment to ethics and objectivity equal to the passion for discovery are required for science to be science. Anything less is not science at all.

We live in a time when fact, speculation, news and rumor are almost indistinguishable from each other, with 24-hour news cycles that can't wait for confirmation and social media that does not require confirmation at all.

Real answers do not take sides. They are what they are. They do not incriminate the innocent or protect the guilty. Sometimes they prove that a random set of circumstances may combine to cause a failure. 

At S-E-A, our work is unlikely to make us famous, even as it grows in importance every day. This is the way it has to be. Should we become “celebrities” of the moment, then we will be expected to be reassuring, interesting and even entertaining to satisfy a voracious and undiscriminating appetite for information. None of these demands serves our mission in any way. As forensic researchers, scientists and engineers, it is unethical to serve any purpose outside searching for the true origin/cause of accidents and failures and the mitigation of future risks.

Providing a touchstone of objective reality in the disorienting clamor of a virtual world may only be appreciated by those hoping to protect people and companies in an all-to-real world.

That's O.K. with us.

Objectivity, like evidence, must be protected and preserved. The world is all too ready to be carried away with the moment. In order to survive, you and your company must be able to weather the moment and the aftermath. That requires being firmly anchored in reality and the truth and moving accordingly into the future. Ethics and objectivity are the only real countermeasures against the noise and confusion of conflicting agendas and emotional biases surrounding a catastrophic event.

At S-E-A, Science is a verb. While we have an incredibly well-educated staff, their work is anything but academic. We apply our disciplines to the real world. The world where hands get dirty. The world where things break, burn, collapse and collide.

In the real world, the answers to what happened are often hidden in a maze of twisted metal. Or buried in a mountain of dust and debris. They may be concealed in a heap of smoldering ashes or lying in the dark on the ocean's floor. The answer is there for those who know where to look and have the ability to recognize what they see. This requires equal parts expertise, experience and open-mindedness. Qualities we demand from everyone we put on an assignment, whatever their degree or title. 

Sometimes standing the test of time is a matter of moments.The decisions made in a crisis can make or break even the most stable of companies. Make sure you have the correct information on which to base these decisions. Make sure you get that information from people whose reason for being is based on objective observation, scientific discipline and rock solid ethics.

I'm part of such a company that has been helping others through such moments of truth for 42 years.  S-E-A does this with highly qualified multi-disciplined response teams that can get objectivity to the scene within 24 Hours. Which in a crisis, is not a moment too soon.  

Jason Baker is vice president at S-E-A Limited. For more information contact Jason at 88-782-6851 or visit www.sealimited.com.