Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities

Challenge: A major manufacturing facility experienced benzene contamination in their major aerosol consumer product products, risking public safety and brand reputation.

Solution: EPS was engaged to lead a multidisciplinary team into the investigation of the carcinogenic contamination and, within 3 weeks, determined the origin of the contaminations, the manufacturing process causes, and the implementation of effective changes to the quality assurance procedures.

Result: Corrective and preventative manufacturing practices were implemented to cease production and recall affected products, preventing future contaminations and ensuring compliance with consumer safety expectations.

Challenge: A major engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm faced extensive design changes while building a state-of-the-art nitrocellulose munitions manufacturing facility for the Department of Defense (DoD), leading to significant project delays and approximately $180 million in disputed costs.

Solution: EPS conducted a comprehensive technical review of the multi-year project's design elements, including process, mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, and safety systems, and performed a detailed cost engineering analysis. Through this extensive evaluation, EPS identified significant latent design defects and project management errors and then quantified the resulting scope changes.

Result: EPS's thorough analysis of the engineering design and project management supported effective dispute resolution, enabling the construction firm to present a strong defense in a contractual disagreement over project delays and cost escalation.

Challenge: A steel mill facility experienced chronic materials handling and operational issues, including a catastrophic collapse and shutdown during a severe snowstorm.

Solution: EPS conducted a thorough engineering and equipment maintenance assessment, including site inspections and a appraisal of the equipment and blast furnace operations. .

Result: The evaluation determined negligible damages to the client, a controls and equipment supplier, providing a clear quantification of risks for the resolution of the dispute through impartial engineering and appraisal analysis.

Challenge: A steel production facility experienced a catastrophic explosion in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere technology, resulting in the tragic deaths of two workers and serious injuries to another.

Solution: EPS conducted a forensic investigation detailing the failed components and performed an effective root cause analysis of the metallurgy and operating conditions, determining the origin and cause of the worker's injuries and deaths.

Result: The technology provider and associated defendants provided compensation to the estates of the deceased and injured workers.

Challenge: In 2020, an explosion at an industrial facility resulted in three deaths and damaged over 1000 properties in a significant radius of Houston neighborhoods.

Solution: EPS, leveraging its leading forensic methodologies, including advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD), quantified the effects of the explosion, including blast wave propagation through the neighborhoods.

Result: Immediately after the analysis was presented, EPS clients obtained a settlement of $52 million plus undisclosed amounts for approximately 2200 claimants for injuries and damages to their homes.

Challenge: A catastrophic explosion occurred during the transport of ammonium nitrate in Arkansas, resulting in the death of the truck driver and widespread property damage. The event raised critical concerns about material compatibility and adherence to safety standards.

Solution: EPS conducted a thorough forensic investigation, analyzing transport materials and ignition sources and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. The team identified that ammonium nitrate was transported in a partially lined aluminum trailer, a chemically incompatible material that sensitized the explosive reaction.

Result: EPS's expert analysis clarified the root cause of the explosion incident, highlighted failures in safety compliance, and provided improved transport protocols, contributing to the litigation outcome.