Human Factors Expert Witness Services

About Human Factors Expert Witnesses

Businesses and organizations may retain the services of human factors expert witnesses to provide court testimony in legal cases. They evaluate the actions of individuals to attempt to understand the visual, audible and instructional cues that influenced their behaviors within a specific environment.

These accomplished professionals also serve in consultative roles and advise organizations on the human factors they observe and their potential impacts. They use the information they accumulate to form expert opinions and draft reports detailing their findings.

These services enable organizations to better grasp the nuances of human behavior and how they contribute to incident causes. The experts can also recommend design changes, upgraded safety measures and other improvements that can help prevent future incidents. Additionally, they can help establish objective, scientific reasoning to explain why many potential hazards go unnoticed.

Areas Where a Human Factors Expert Can Help

Specific areas where a seasoned human factors expert witness can be an invaluable asset include:

• Detecting design flaws: An expert can often determine whether a product defect contributed to the cause of an accident involving a user. 
• Investigating auto accidents: A human factors witness can uncover factors that may have played a role in an auto accident, such as faulty vehicle design features, distracted driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Improving workplace safety: Experts can assess your work procedures, machinery design and environmental factors to determine if they contributed to worker fatigue and other circumstances leading to a workplace accident.
• Assessing medical malpractice: These experts rely on their industry knowledge and insight to pinpoint whether the design of a medical device or procedure was a factor in an error that harmed a patient.
• Providing expert testimony: A human factors legal witness can testify in court as to whether cognitive impairments or environmental issues influenced a criminal defendant’s behavior and decision-making processes.