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In Construction Process Can Lead to Defects, construction expert witness Michael S. Poles, GC, CM, RCI, DABFET, ACFE, writes on the complex process involved in a building project:

Cost vs. Profit The pursuit of lower costs can become a powerful driving factor, which all too often leads to construction defects, especially during a recession such as the current recession that the construction industry has faced throughout the past four years. These highly competitive elements are forcing contractors into resorting to the widespread practice of using semiskilled, and, most often, unskilled labor to perform skilled labor tasks. These skilled labor tasks in the past have always required extensive training, certification, and years of experience.

In addition to this widespread and growing practice of the utilization of questionably skilled labor, supervision is also waning. All too often, semiskilled and even unskilled crews are left to their own devices to perform their work on the job site without proper supervision or even without any supervision at all.

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In The Seven Rules for Hiring a Wireless Technology Expert, wireless technology expert witness Jonathan Wells PhD, MBA,

President, AJIS Wireless Consulting, writes:

Nowadays, wireless technology is ubiquitous. We all carry cell phones, navigate via GPS, check our emails when sitting in coffee shops and hotel rooms, and connect to the internet wirelessly from our homes and offices. Wireless technology is readily available, always on, and everywhere.

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Environmental expert Edward Kuk spoke before the Bridgewater, NJ, planning board regarding the environmental impact should developer Steven Lang build 18 homes on 34 acres of woodlands. Sixty nearby homeowners are hoping to stop approval of the construction application citing negative impact on wildlife and vegetation.

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In CT Scans Linked to Leukemia and Brain Cancer, emergency medicine expert witness Dr. Barry Gustin writes:

Children undergoing computed tomography (CT) scans with cumulative radiation doses of about 50 mGy had about triple the risk for leukemia, and those who received doses of about 60 mGy had nearly triple the risk for brain cancer, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study published online June 7 in the Lancet. Radiation exposure from CT scans in childhood could triple the risk of leukemia and brain cancer.

The study authors note that CT scans are very useful diagnostically, but that children are more radiosensitive than adults and may therefore have additional potential risks for cancer from ionizing radiation. The study goal was to determine the excess risk for leukemia and brain tumors after CT scanning in a cohort of children and young adults.

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In Construction Process Can Lead to Defects, construction expert witness Michael S. Poles, GC, CM, RCI, DABFET, ACFE, writes on the complex process involved in a building project:
Competitive Bidding The low bidder gets the contract. With the competitive bidding process, the only way for a contractor to be awarded the contract is that he / she must first be designated the low bidder. In order to be designated the low bidder, it can either mean that the successful bidder has a substantial following of subcontractors and material suppliers that are highly cost effective and are capable of furnishing low quotations for their collective work. Or, it could mean that one or more of them omitted one or more items in their cost breakdown that could equate to a lot of money … missed.

When a low bid is received by a general contractor from their subs and suppliers, it is often wondered by the recipient just what and how much the low bidder left out of his / her bid and whether or not to take the chance of using that low bid. The dilemma is always raised … “Well, if they bid this number to us, then they surely must have bid it to our competition”. And, to make things worse, most of the sub bids are received by telephone only moments before the prime contract bid is to be submitted, and; therefore, the general contractor has precious little or no time available to scrutinize this temptation, otherwise known as the “last minute low bid”.

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Professional engineering expert witness Paul Gogulski says the construction industry can rebuild America. “Provided we learn from history, improve ethics and let civil engineers take the lead, we can rebuild America,” said Paul Gogulski. Mr. Gogulski is the key speaker at a construction and engineering seminar in Qatar Sept. 9-11.

Mr. Gogulski is a professional engineer and president of Gogulski & Associates Inc. with over 50 years’ experience in general contracting, forensic engineering, facilities planning and construction consulting

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Child sexual assault expert witness Tara Healy testified in the case against four 12 and 13 year old New York defendants. Healy is the sexual assault forensic examiner for Good Samaritan Hospital, Ramapo, NY, and examined the 14 year old girl. Rockland County Court Judge Sherri Eisenpress is presiding.