Practical Ethics for the Expert Witness in Ergonomics and Human Factors Forensic Cases
This chapter describes how many texts concerning the intersection of law and applied disciplines address ethical concerns in passing or do not address them at all. Ethical concerns are like skin, skin is our larges organ and the one that interacts with the world around us. However, it is simply overlooked until something goes wrong – and so it with ethics. If ethical concerns are unaddressed, they will surely emerge during forensic consultation and often with potentially disastrous results. The objective of this chapter is to alert the reader to some concerns which, if addressed appropriately, lead to the immense satisfaction of doing a job professionally and also serving society. The chapter will address the ethical questions that face the expert at the beginning of a case, followed by some questions that might arise during the data gathering and consultation state, and the chapter concludes with questions that arise during the concluding stage.
Avoiding Misrepresentation in Forensic Human Factors
Every aspect of human factors consulting in litigation presents opportunities and challenges for acting in an ethical manner. This article discusses three types of misrepresentation that pose ethical problems: (1) disregarding information, (2) misrepresenting existing research, and (3) misrepresenting facts in a case. These examples are demonstrated in the context of three different lawsuits involving forensic human factors experts. The article concludes with a discussion of the role of the forensic expert to help reveal the truth, and a suggestion to revise the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Code of Ethics.
A New Vacuum Pressure Infiltration CFRP Method and Preparation Experimental Study of Composite
In order to prepare a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) with ideal microstructure and properties, a new vacuum pressure infiltration CFRP method is proposed based on an analysis of existing CFRP preparation process methods. Research on composite material preparation systems was carried out by using this new method principle. The system mainly includes a fiber pre-forming module, a vacuum heating infiltration module, a hot-press curing molding module, and a data acquisition control module. Under the conditions of natural curing at 0 MPa + 6 h + 25 °C, vacuum heating curing at –0.05 MPa + 30 min + 80 °C, and hot-press curing at 0.7 MPa + 5 min + 50 °C, a two-dimensional (2D) CFRP with excellent microstructure and properties was successfully prepared. Observing the microstructure of the prepared composite material, it can be found that the inside of the composite material was sufficiently and uniformly infiltrated, and common preparation defects such as holes and delamination were effectively controlled. Through the performance test, the bending strength of the material reached 790 MPa.