If energy is conserved, how can we produce or save energy? Everywhere, we hear that we consume too much energy and that we are currently experiencing the worst energy crisis of the industrial era, in other words, in human history. As good citizens that we are, we all take small actions [...]
MSEI CASE EXAMPLE MSEI was contacted to investigate an alleged chemical leak suspected of causing irritation and burning sensations to the skin and eyes of multiple workers. These workers, from diverse trades, had been carrying out general remodelling work inside a retail unit of a building constructed in 2004. MSEI conducted a series of tests, the [...]
Once in a while, we hear that scientific experts are partial, that they “lean toward their client’s side” because they are paid by their client to perform an expertise of some sort. In any given claim, scientific experts are totally independent professionals who are mandated to determine the cause of a loss. In order to carry [...]
In our previous bulletin, we mentioned the importance of the independence of the scientific expert in his mandates and, ultimately, during his presence in court. The pertinence of this independence or impartiality is particularly reflected during the expert’s cross-examination by the prosecutor and/or by the judge himself simply because the expert must respond based on his/her [...]
It is not uncommon that wood structures deterioration in buildings is attributed to rot following water damages or watering caused by a partial fire. This attribution is usually false because moulds are not the real cause of deep rot in wood. Moulds are “microcospic” mushrooms, in other words, mushrooms difficult to see with naked eyes. In [...]
To be able to answer these questions, which may have legal implications, our team of scientific experts must be aware of engineering principles and knowledge. The solution to a cause of failure often requires the intervention of several scientific disciplines that MSEI can offer to its clients through its multidisciplinary team. Scientific experts are often [...]
Legionella spp. is a bacterial genre frequently found in aquatic environments such as lakes, rivers and drinking water systems. The Legionella pneumophila, which is the most commonly found species in cases of human infections, has first been involved in an outbreak of pulmonary infections in 1976, among legionnaires attending a convention in Philadelphia. The Legionella genre [...]
Once in a while, in order to facilitate his work, his understanding as well as to save time, or else corroborate certain decisions during loss management, the insurer or his claims adjuster representative must call upon technical or scientific specialists in different fields of expertise. The first goal is a better understanding of the dynamic and [...]
Each year, MSEI receives numerous mandates pertaining to agricultural losses, whether related to loss of crops in the fields or in storage, various animal productions, as well as dairy production. Within those files, those concerning loss of crops in the fields that are related to pesticide applications are the most complex of them all. The [...]
Every spring, when summer temperatures warm our brains, thousands of Quebecers wish that their pool water would instantly become clear and residue-free, just by snapping their fingers. Each of us improvises himself as an alchemist and becomes a "tester". Everyone rushes in and empties the shelves of chemical products in specialized stores, to the great [...]
