Construction Safety Expert Witnesses: 26

Ronald Tyson is a Building and Premises Expert in the construction business for over 45 years.  He has years of hands on experience in the individual trades as a tradesman, subcontractor and general contractor.  

Mr. Tyson has been a Michigan licensed builder since 1967 and has functioned as a general contractor and provided supervisory tasks for Tyson Enterprises, Incorporated and other contractors on all types of industrial, public, commercial and residential construction projects since 1963. He is a member of numerous building code and standard authorities, including but not limited to IBC [BOCA, UBC] NFPA, IAEI, NAHB, etc.

Mr. Tyson's experience and expertise can help clients with contracts, safety, and other obligations as they may affect project control of contractors and/or project managers.  He can advise on the duties in new and remodeling construction and maintenance required by the premises owner.

Litigation Support - Mr. Tyson has served the legal community as a Construction Expert Witness for 35 years. He has worked for both plaintiff and defendant attorneys. He is available to perform onsite inspections, research, review litigation matters, makes drawings, interview litigants, and provides evidence for court, including correct building code and life safety statutes and standards as they may affect personal injury claims, construction, contracts, etc. and causation.  Mr. Tyson has never been disqualified in over 200 times in court.

Areas of Expertise:

Cassandra K. Moody, MS, PE, the President and Principal Engineer of Time For Change, LLC., is a professional engineer with nearly 15 years of Pipeline Engineering and Operations experience encompassing Integrity Management Program (IMP) responsibilities.

Litigation Support - As a proficient expert in the midstream pipeline industry, Mrs. Moody has represented both plaintiffs and defendants on a variety of cases, both by testimony and through expert opinion reports. In-the-ditch pipeline operator expertise sets her apart from other desktop “experts.” Mrs. Moody’s retained engagements as an independent engineering expert have resulted in favorable resolutions for 100% of her clients to date.  Mrs. Moody is an effective communicator who excels at presenting complex information simply, both written and verbally.

Subject Matter Expertise:

Background Experience - Prior to establishing her own consultancy firm, she served in various regional operations engineering capacities, leading people and managing projects for a midsize North American pipeline operator as an Operations Engineer. Mrs. Moody has performed practical operations analysis of new and existing pipeline systems and facilities, of both natural gas and hazardous liquid product types, from operability optimizations, cost consciousness, and regulatory compliance perspectives throughout her career. She offers innovative solutions to achieve safe and efficient operations while communicating visionary changes in processes and procedures through training and encouragement across all levels of organizations to result in lasting, favorable change.

Mrs. Moody's company maintains national and local certifications as a Women’s Owned Small Business (WOSB), Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), and is recognized as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) in the state of Texas. She was a founding leadership team member of Young Pipeline Professionals, USA (YPP USA) and is active with the Society of Women Engineers – Houston Section (SWE) where she enjoys encouraging the next generation through activities such as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day outreach events. 

Mrs. Moody attributes her ability to support a wide variety of projects to her broad education foundation where she earned undergraduate Bachelor of Science degrees in Biochemistry and Genetics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering through the University of Houston. She is registered with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors as a Mechanical Engineer.

Litigation Support - Mr. Stein Offers consulting and expert services for attorneys on issues regarding road, street, highway, temporary traffic control, runway, and earthwork; asphalt, concrete, coatings and other construction materials; designs, plans, specifications, CPM scheduling (Primavera) and contract documents; right-of-way issues; and work zone safety. Licensed in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas, he performs contract performance forensic investigations and provides consulting, expert reports, rebuttals, and testimony if required.

Areas of Expertise:

Certifications:

• Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
• Certified Primavera Basic (CPM)
• Certified Primavera Advanced (CPM)
• Certified LADOTD Structural (bridge)
• Inspector/Technician Certified Troxler
• Humboldt Nuclear Moisture/ Density Operator
• Lead Abatement
• Certified Quality Compliance Surveillance in Fossil Power Plants, Organic & Inorganic Coatings Application and Inspection
• Certified Traffic Control Supervisor
• Certified Flagger Instructor

John D. Shepherd, RRC, RRO, founder of Shepherd Consulting Services has been actively involved in the Roofing, Waterproofing and Construction Industry for over 50 years. He has spent 10 years as an active roofing contractor and the last 30 years as a Construction Forensic Consultant with expertise in Commercial and Residential Roofing (low-sloped and steep sloped), Waterproofing (above and below grade), Sheet Metal, Fenestration, and Exterior Wall Cladding (stucco, siding, EFIS, and masonry).

Over the last 30 years, Mr. Shepherd attended about 1500 hours of continuing education courses related to roofing, waterproofing, sheet metal, exterior walls, windows and other various building envelope components. He is an IIBEC Registered Roof Consultant and Registered Roof Observer, a HAAG Certified Residential and Commercial Roof Inspector, a licensed roofing contractor in California and Arizona, and a Certified Building Science Thermographer. Mr. Shepherd has been retained in over 500 construction defect litigation cases, representing plaintiffs, developers and/or sub-contractors. He has been deposed more than 100 times, testified in over 20 trials and has extensive mediation experience as well. Mr. Shepherd is also an expert in analyzing insurance related property damage claims involving wind, hail, earthquake, fire and water damages.

Areas of Expertise:

• Construction Defect
• Water Intrusion Investigation
• Property Loss Damage Claims
• Personal Injury Claims
• Standard of Care and Building Code Issues Related to Roofing, Sheet Metal, Waterproofing, and Building Envelope

View Consulting Profile.

Michael P. Lawler, MS, CSP, ASP, CHST, is a Construction Safety Expert with over 30 years of experience. He offers a unique combination of formal education and "project based" technical experience working on some of the largest construction projects in the United States. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Lawler's experience includes over 50 OSHA inspections and associated negotiation and defense preparation related to OSHA citations.   His background allows him to opine on OSHA Standards and Contract Responsibility with a demeanor of care and confidence. 

Mr. Lawler is an expert at applying OSH Act of 1970 standards, CFR 1926 & 1910 regulations, policies, construction industry practices, contract responsibility, incident investigation, and accident reconstruction. Mr. Lawler analyzes how post incident details and investigations should be completed and who is responsible per the OSHA Standard and construction industry practices. He is experienced in personal injury, catastrophic injury, and fatality cases. 

Areas of Expertise:

Michael C. Wright, PE, CSP, CPE, is a Professional Engineer with over 40 years of academic, practical, and specialized knowledge of Engineering, Construction, Safety, Maintenance, Demolition, and Training in general industry and construction activities. Mr. Wright's expertise is a definite plus in providing clients with leading-edge information and insight. A licensed and practicing engineer, he rounds out his knowledge as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Plant Engineer to provide an insightful and accurate understanding of the issues involved in a case. 

Mr. Wright has completed over 600 hours of specialized safety training, serves on ANSI and ASTM Standards committees, and provides a thorough knowledge of OSHA Regulations, Directives, and Letters of Interpretation. A recognized author, presenter, and trainer, Mr. Wright communicates the issues clearly for all to understand. His expert witness experience is a balanced blend of defense, plaintiff, and OSHA Solicitor cases. He is licensed in 46 states. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Mr. Wright's Curriculum Vitae

Greg Gerganoff, CSP, Esq., possesses extensive experience in safety compliance and practice involving OSHA and MSHA.  He obtained is law degree from Western Michigan University, Cooley Law School and practiced general civil law for approximately 12 years in Colorado prior to entering the safety profession. Mr. Gerganoff earned a Certified Safety Professional certification and has 18 years of field safety experience in mining, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, power plant outages, and light rail construction.

His professional safety experience includes OSHA / MSHA Safety field work and compliance with experience in the heavy construction, manufacturing, light rail construction, power plant outages, public schools, oil and gas, mining, pipeline, and trenching and excavation industries.

• Authorized Outreach Trainer for OSHA General Industry.
• PEC Safeland Basic and Core instructor (Oil and gas).
• MSHA Approved Instructor (Blue Card) for Surface, Metal/nonmetal.
• Member of the American Society of Safety Professionals.

Litigation Support: Mr. Gerganoff assists with discovery questions regarding safety matters. Safety opinions based upon statutory, administrative, judicial rulings and related industry association safety policies ancillary to OSHA and MSHA.  Mr. Gerganoff is retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defendant. Some of the subject matter litigation he has handled include:

View Greg Gerganoff's Consulting Profile.

Non-testifying consulting support for counsel on matters involving fall protection and access systems, including BMU, suspended, and permanent access systems (U.S. and International)

Rauch Safety & Engineering provides non-testifying technical consulting to counsel in matters involving fall protection systems, façade access systems (including Building Maintenance Units – BMUs), and permanent access infrastructure.

Engagements are typically initiated prior to expert designation to evaluate the technical validity of a claim, defense, or opposing position. This allows counsel to determine whether a matter is structurally sound before proceeding into formal expert pathways.

Work focuses on system failures, installation alignment, and responsibility across design, manufacturing, and construction, particularly where breakdowns occur between design intent and real-world conditions.

Scope includes analysis of:

• System design and engineering intent 
• Installation and commissioning conditions
• Lifecycle use and maintenance environments
• Alignment with applicable standards (OSHA, ANSI, IWCA)

RSE is engaged to:

• Evaluate case feasibility and technical merit
• Identify system failures, misalignment, and responsibility gaps
• Analyze construction defects and performance issues
• Review and assess opposing expert reports 
• Determine design vs. installation discrepancies 

RSE operates independently of contractors, manufacturers, and installers, providing unbiased technical evaluation grounded in real-world system behavior across the full system lifecycle.

All engagements are strictly non-testifying and available across U.S. and international matters.

Key Services

• Early Case Technical Evaluation (Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• Construction Defect & System Performance Analysis (Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• Failure Analysis – Fall Protection & Access Systems
• BMU / Façade Access System Review
• Suspended Access & Permanent Access System Evaluation
• Commissioning & Installation Condition Review (Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• Lifecycle & Maintenance Condition Assessment (Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• OSHA / ANSI / IWCA Standards Interpretation (as applicable to Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• Expert Report Review & Rebuttal Support (Non-testifying, Fall Protection & Access Systems)
• Design vs. Installation Discrepancy Analysis (Fall Protection & Access Systems)

Positioning Statement

RSE provides non-testifying consulting support to counsel requiring a clear, technically grounded understanding of fall protection and access systems and their real-world performance, particularly in matters where design, manufacturing, installation, and operational realities intersect.

Areas of Expertise:

View Rauch Safety and Engineering's Consulting Profile.

R. Kevin Smith P.E., D.F.E. has been a specialist in Engineering Forensic Safety and Design for 44 years. He has consulted on over 1,000 matters nationwide. Mr. Smith is a registered professional engineer and holds a BSME and MMAE from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is board certified forensic engineer through NAFE. He specialties include  Material Handling Equipment Safety, including lift trucks, dock safety, truck loading, conveyors, aerial work platforms, Construction Equipment Safety, Trucking Industry Safety including safe loading procedures and interactions at loading/unloading facilities, and Accident Reconstruction.

He is an active member of the committee that writes the Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks (ASME/ANSI B56.1) for over 40 years. He also serves on the B56.6 committee (rough terrain lift trucks) and the ANSI A92.5 and A92.6 subcommittees (self-propelled elevating work platforms), as well as the A92.20, A92.22, A92.22 series of ANSI standards for MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms).

 Litigation Support - Mr. Smith formerly worked for Triodyne, Inc. for over 15 years as a forensic engineer/principal engineer. As President of R. K. Smith Engineering Inc., for 28 years, he currently has a laboratory for examination and testing, and owns or has access to varied testing equipment and tools.He has testified at depositions and trials on several hundred matters. Mr. Smith has performed hundreds of investigations into product failures involving injury and property damage, and has reconstructed numerous accidents. His expertise is available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Mr. Smith also was previously on the Adjunct Math faculty at Prairie State College for 13 years. 

Areas of Expertise:

View R. Kevin Smith's Consulting Profile.

Dr. J. P. Purswell, PhD, PE, CPE has extensive experience in Human Factors, Ergonomics, and Safety Engineering. He holds a doctorate in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. He has taught Safety Engineering and Ergonomics in the Industrial Engineering Department at CSU-Pueblo since 1999. 

A member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the American Industrial Hygiene Association, Dr. Purswell also served as the Chair of the Industrial Engineers PE exam from 2005 to 2009. He continues to serve on the committee which is responsible for the preparation of the national professional engineering examination in industrial engineering. 

Dr. Purswell is the author of more than 20 publications and presentations on Product Safety, Occupational Safety, Printed Warnings, and Auditory Warnings. Examples of products addressed include silica, asbestos, cleaning chemicals, gasoline containers, and recreational equipment. Dr. Purswell maintains NIST-calibrated equipment for the measurement of light, sound, force, and whole-body and hand-arm vibration in addition to standard photo and video equipment. 

Litigation Support - An Expert Witness in the legal industry since 1997, Dr. Purswell has been qualified as an expert in state and federal courts across the nation in safety engineering, including safety analysis techniques such as Fault Tree Analysis and FMEA as well as product warnings / instructions and OSHA compliance issues. His services include site inspections, document review, drafting Rule 26-compliant reports, deposition, and trial testimony. He has been retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff (40%) and Defense (60%) more than 100 times, has been deposed more than 100 times, and has testified at trial over 20 times. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Purswell's Consulting Profile.

NO COST CASE FILE REVIEW! 

Dr. Eric N. Brown, CIH, CSP, is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), with both certifications in good standing with the issuing boards. Dr. Brown holds a Doctorate in Public Health with an Industrial Hygiene specialization from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a Master’s degree in Public Health with an Occupational Health specialization from the Medical College of Ohio. He has over 25 years of experience in:

• Mold
• Thermal Comfort and Heat Stress
• Health and Safety
• Industrial Hygiene
• Indoor Air Quality Exposure 

Litigation Support - Dr. Brown has been a designated expert in thousands of cases, been and has testified in both trials and arbitrations. His expertise has never been successfully challenged. His services are available to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. 

Areas of Expertise:

Prof. Makarand (Mark) Hastak, PhD, PE, CCP, CRIS, is the Professor and the Dernlan Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management as well as Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Hastak has been involved with the construction industry for the past 35 years providing his expertise through consulting, research, teaching, and service to the industry. 

Dr. Hastak is a world renowned expert in the area of construction engineering and management including risk management, profitability of Construction companies, process improvement, disaster risk reduction, resilience and capacity building, infrastructure management, intelligent planning for the built environment, project control, project management decision-making, and strategic planning. As a Fellow of the American Council on Education (cohort of 2013-14) at Cornell University his work focused on the various facets of Hybrid RCM budget, engaged institution, and Public-Private Partnership in academia.

Dr. Hastak is a Professional Engineer (PE), a Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS), and a Certified Cost Professional (CCP). He  has worked on numerous projects sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute (CII), NSF, State DOTs, and City Agencies. He is the current President of CIB (International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction) and the Chair of the Advisory Board of teh Global Leadership Forum for Construction Engineering and Management programs (GLF-CEM). He also serves as an Academic Advisor to the Downstream and Chemicals Committee of the Construction Industry Institute (CII).

Dr. Hastak  has authored over 200 publications in his areas of expertise. He has co-authored a widely used book on Infrastructure Planning, Engineering, and Economics (McGraw-Hill 2006 and 2015). Dr. Hastak served on the Education Board of the Association for Advancement of Cost Engineering (2004-2016). He was Editor for two AACE books, the Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering (6th Ed. 2015) and the CCP Certification Study Guide (2nd Ed. 2016). He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering (2009-2016). 

Dr. Hastak has given over 50 keynotes and invited lectures around the world. As a prominent educator and consultant, he also engages in developing training material and workshops as well as regularly teaching professional courses for the A/E/C industry. His services include consultation, on-site investigation, data collection, assessment, and reporting. He has completed the 30-Hour OSHA Hazard Recognition Training for the Construction Industry 

Dr. Hastak Lectures at the 2015 International Conference on Building Resilience

Litigation Support - Dr. Hastak offers expert witness services to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. He has served as an Expert Witness on twenty-six (26) cases since 2017 and was deposed on eight plus two evidence depositions. His services include case reviews, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Hastak's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Fari Barzegar is a Licensed Engineer with 37 years of experience in Civil and Structural Engineering & Construction Forensics, Construction Project Management, university teaching/research. He has been an Expert Consultant / Witness in over 100-cases.

Litigation-Support Consulting Expert Witness with testimony and trial experience. Has been retained by insurance companies, law firms, construction, energy, mining, technology & manufacturing industries, governmental & educational institutions, engineering and architectural firms, property owners and individuals. Consultant in both plaintiff and defendant cases.

• Insurance & Surety Claims, Peer Reviews
• Buildings, Structures & Materials: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Historic Structures; Bridges, Towers, Stacks/Chimneys, Containment Vessels, Tanks, Grain Silos, Conduits & Pipelines, Retaining Walls, Foundations, Slabs & Pavements; Concrete, Steel, FRP Composites, Wood, CMU, Brick Masonry & Adobe
• Design / Construction / Integrity issues, Seismic Resistant Design; Errors & Omissions;Standards of Care; Repair & Retrofit Design Documents
• Construction Defects & Accidents; Defective Concrete; OSHA Standards, Excavations / Trenching / Scaffolds
• Slip/Trip/Fall, Code Compliance
• Damage & Failure Investigation; Due Diligence; Non-Destructive Testing 
• Explosion, Impact, Earthquake, Wind, Fire, Hurricane & Flood Damage Inspections / Analysis/Report
• Pile Driving & Demolition Damage to Adjacent Facilities: Vibrations, Cracking / Settlement
• Dynamic, Fracture, Thermal & Finite Element Stress Analysis; Product Design; Failure Simulation / Reconstruction
• Intellectual Property & Patent Infringement

Kiwesa King, PE, CCM, DBIA, PMP, is a construction management consultant and expert witness with nearly 30 years of experience in the vertical construction market. She is a Licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Construction Manager and Trainer.

Ms. King has managed a range of projects, including restorations, renovations, and ground-up construction. Throughout her career, she has served as an engineer, mechanical subcontractor, general contractor, and construction manager. 

Ms. King leads Expanded Resources LLC, a New York City-based construction management consulting firm. She teaches graduate and continuing education courses in Construction Management at Fordham University and New York University. 

Litigation Support - Ms. King provides expert opinions for cases involving:

Degrees and Certifications:

• New York State Licensed Professional Engineer
• Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
• Licensed Site Safety Manager by the New York City Department of Buildings
• Certificate of Competence as a Master Fire Suppression Contractor by the New York City Department of Buildings
• Certified as a Construction Manager by the Construction Management Association of America
• Designated Design-Build Professional from the Design-Build Institute of America
• Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute

View Expanded Resources LLC's Consulting Profile.

Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc. (DDPSI )is a Construction Consulting and Expert Witness Firm that Specializes in Supporting Litigation and Representing Clients for Renewable Energy, Power, Heavy Civil, Underground Utilities, Building and other related Construction Specialty Projects. They are a diverse team with construction claims and project management expertise who value the importance of relationships and continue to distinguish themselves by showing clients that Experience + Talent + Strategy = Results.

Litigation Support - DDPS understands the complexities of dispute resolution and work extensively with attorneys to identify documents, prepare computerized document databases, establish document shared files, support witness statements, and prepare expert reports. Their construction and engineering litigation expert witnesses participate hands-on in all projects. They develop the methodology of analyses, analyze the relevant documentation, and develop support for opinions.

• Renewable Energy - Utility Scale Wind, Utility Scale PV Solar, Utility Scale Concentrated Solar Power, Biomass and Battery Storage
• Heavy Civil - Earthwork, Roads, Bridges Highways and Airports
• Power - Transmission, Distribution and Substation / Switching Yards
• Underground Utilities - Water, Reclaimed Water, Storm Drainage, Sanitary Sewer/Lift Stations, and Force Main
• Buildings - Commercial, Institutional, Industrial, and Heavy Civil
• Construction Specialties - Dewatering, Directional Drilling/Jack and Bore, Low Pressure Sewer, Fiber Optic Systems, Reinforced Earth Wall, Sound Barrier Wall, Telecommunication Infrastructure, Transformer – RCA of failures and Transmission Line Pole Remediation

Nicholas Fiduccia is President and Co-Founder of Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc. a Florida based expert witness service, construction claims specialist and project management consulting firm that focuses its practice on law firms, owners, engineering, construction firms, and contractors performing renewable energy, power, heavy civil, underground utilities, building and other related construction specialties.

Mr. Fiduccia has over 30 years of U.S. and Canadian construction experience involving construction contract disputes analysis and resolution, arbitration/litigation support and expert testimony, project management, engineering/construction management, cost and schedule control, and value-engineering.

Before co-forming Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc, Mr. Fiduccia had corporate-wide responsibility for technical management and oversight for the preparation and resolution of construction claims for 11 years for a utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure contractor, plus over 19 years of hands-on experience to ensure that profit, cost, schedule, scope, quality, and safety objectives were achieved for renewable energy, power, heavy civil, underground utilities, building and other related construction specialty projects.

Ron Ritter, Vice President and Co-Founder of Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc. has been responsible for on-site project management for Wind, Solar, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Projects, Heavy Civil Projects, and Underground Utility Projects over the last 25 years.

Mr. Ritter’s expertise in a full array of self-perform and key subcontractor oversight has allowed him to execute multiple EPC contracts successfully and safely. 

Before co-forming Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc, Mr. Ritter successfully built a career in the construction industry that consisted of 45 years of hands-on, field experience. Twenty (20) years of that field experience has been spent building and supervising the construction of renewable energy facilities. Seventeen (17) years of his construction career have been spent as the senior field representative, directly responsible for the safe, timely, profitable and quality construction of 15 wind farms in the USA totaling 2,465 megawatts.  Mr. Ritter has also worked on and supported the construction of wind farms and solar farms in Canada.  

View Due Diligence Professional Services, Inc.'s Consulting Profile.