NV5’s Forensic Engineering & Building Consulting group offers in-person and remote-learning continuing education courses for professionals in the insurance and legal industries. Our forensic experts offer classes in various forensic engineering disciplines including structural engineering, industrial hygiene, building science, and expert witness.
In addition to offering CE presentations at conferences across the U.S., we offer CE courses by request to private groups and public seminars at no cost. We are happy to hear your requests for new CE course topics and create a class that meets your company’s needs.
To learn more about our CE program or register an in-house presentation for your company, please email Selena Zambito at Selena.Zambito@NV5.com.
Please click here to download a list of our courses.
Expertise
NV5 Continuing Education Courses
All classes available as webinars.
Building Sciences |
| Air Conditioning Water frequently causes damage in homes; however, professionals tasked with explaining these problems often lack a sufficient understand of air conditioning systems to correctly diagnose the problem. Due to this lack of understanding problems are frequently misdiagnosed. This course seeks to educate professionals in the operation of these systems including the principles of how they work and the problems that can arise. 1 credit | Instructor: Michael Bass, LEED AP |
| Cabinetry: Historical Perspective and Water Damage Participants will learn the history and composition of modern cabinets. The presentation will discuss the results of moisture exposure on various cabinet materials and how the duration of loss can be determined. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Cause and Origin of Water Losses: An Expert’s Perspective This presentation examines the difficulties conducting and defending water-loss claims from the perspective of the expert witness. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of the defense and offers suggestions to improve the defensibility of water loss claims. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| NEW Clearing the Air:The Impact and Cause of Microbial Growth in HVAC Systems Understanding if an HVAC system is operating normally or experiencing problems can bridge the gap in knowing if coverage applies. Are the observed issues due to deferred maintenance, wear and tear, operator error, or failure? This course will provide insurance adjusters with the ability to understand and assess the condition of an HVAC system. Additional information includes how the indoor environment is influenced by the HVAC system and how to determine if the HVAC system is inefficient, malfunctioning, experiencing excess microbial growth, and/or operating normally. 1 credit | Instructor: Nolan Wells, PE |
| Don’t Believe Everything You Read. A Soot Remediation Claim Case Study Webinar Technical reports can be difficult to understand, even for experienced adjusters. There are certain red flag items that can be found while reviewing technical reports if one knows where to look. 1 credit | Instructor: Steven A. Lipson, CIH, CSP |
| Duration of Loss: Building Material Performance To provide some tools to recognize the occurrence of a water loss and methods to support the duration of loss.water loss claims are among the most frequent and contested losses. Efforts to understand the duration of the loss are critical in defending whether the loss was sudden and accidental or long-term in duration. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Duration of Loss: Interpretation of Water Damage to Wood Building Materials The presentation is based on research conducted by NV5 engineers and scientists to evaluate the effect sustained conditions of moisture on 16 types of building materials. The presentation will discuss the changes in moisture content, changes in dimension (height and width), microbial growth and general appearance following six weeks of exposure to high humidity and constant exposure to water (via capillary action). The presentation provides quantitative insight into the duration of water losses when contents containing wood products have been exposed to moisture. The attendee will learn supplemental field methods to interpret short and long term water losses. 2 credits | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Effective Evaluations of Microbial Growth In Bathrooms Bathrooms are frequently the focus of microbial growth investigations. The frequent occurrence of microbial growth in bathrooms is a function of the available moisture sources in close proximity, unique to bathrooms. These unique characteristics create difficulties in identifying the correct source responsible for microbial growth. The availability of water vapor and usage habits in these small rooms can quickly alter the latent heat load adding complexity to these investigations. The additional need to understand the potential pressure relationships produced by exhaust vent fans require a thorough understanding and holistic approach to microbial growth investigations in bathrooms. This presentation will discuss the unique strategies and implementation of these strategies necessary to correctly identify the cause of microbial growth in bathrooms. 1 credit | Instructor: Michael Bass, LEED AP |
| NEW Effective Evaluations of Water Damage in Kitchens Water damage frequently occurs in kitchens. The water damage is frequently accompanied by microbial growth which is a function of the available moisture. The close proximity of the moisture sources, unique to Kitchens create difficulties in identifying the correct source responsible for water damage. Investigations of water damage in these rooms require a thorough understanding of the complex assemblies and component interactions. Along with an understanding of how usage habits can contribute to the occurrence of water damage adding complexity to these investigations. This presentation will discuss the unique strategies and implementation of these strategies necessary to correctly identify the cause of water damage in kitchens. 1 credit | Instructor: Michael Bass, LEED AP |
| Expert Witness: It’s Not Only About Truth – It’s About Your Skill Of Persuasion The objective of this two hour seminar is to acquaint the audience of potential fact and expert witnesses to the pitfalls of the deposition process and offer an explanation of what is occurring during this discovery procedure. Attendees will obtain a clear view of the deposition process and participate in their depositions with a better understanding of their responsibilities and efforts by opposing counsel to attack their credibility. 2 credits | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Introduction to Fungi Many homeowners insurance policies stipulate coverage for mold (fungal) damage; however, that coverage is contingent upon the specific cause, origin and duration of the moisture that resulted in the mold growth. While there are several common features that define the fungal kingdom of life, not all molds (or fungi) are the same. Understanding these differences in species and their life cycles will provide the adjuster insight regarding the nature of the moisture damage in a water loss and the conditions that had to exist for mold growth to occur. 1 credit | Instructor: Jeff Wilemon, CIEC |
| Mitigation Inflation – Challenging Mitigation Abuses with Scientific Industry Standards This one-hour course is intended to empower insurance professionals to recognize and understand unsupported practices and allow them to make informed decisions regarding water damage mitigation. The course will identify and rationalize appropriate mitigation objectives based upon scientific principles, peer reviewed publications and established industry standards. 1 credit | Instructor: Jeff Wilemon, CIEC |
| Pipe Corrosion and Leaks Expedited construction, varying degrees of workmanship and different kinds of plumbing materials have contributed to pipe failure and leaks. This presentation examines the causes of pipe failure and identifies the common elements of failure in copper, galvanized steel, pvc and polybutylene pipe. Insurance adjusters will understand that occurrences of pipe failure represent careful consideration of the loss for subrogation opportunities. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| NEW Septic Waste Pipe Failures: Out Of Sight, But Not Out Of Mind To provide property insurance adjusters a more comprehensive understanding of the composition, layout and performance of sanitary waste plumbing systems and allow them to make informed decisions regarding drain pipe loss claims. 1 credit | Instructor: Jeff Wilemon, CIEC |
| The Science of Tile Tapping: Defending Fact from Fiction Teach claims professionals the legitimacy of the tile tape method, the importance of obtaining tile taps on all tiles, distinguishing tile de-bonding from installation deficiencies, defending opinions regarding damaged tile claims. Tile failure real, created or pre-existing is a prominent financial element in the vast majority of water loss claims and restoration efforts. Understanding the methodology used to identify tile failure and distinguishing between induced, actual and preexisting tile failure is intended to prevent the unnecessary reimbursement of many tile claims. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Tile Debonding: Do Cold, Heat and Water Exposure Cause Floor Tiles to Move? The course begins with an evaluation of the legitimacy of the tile tapping method to differentiate between bonded and unbonded tiles. This portion of the presentation will compare audible sounds created by tapping instruments and compare them to sound frequencies recorded by each tapping method. second half of the presentation will evaluate the effects of heat, cold and water on tile movement. Tile movement is essential in order to cause resulting damage to the tile. The presentation will show the impact of dry ice (-109of) ice (16of), heat (150of) and water exposure on tile movement and evidence of tile debonding. Seven types of tile (ceramic, porcelain, limestone, marble, travertine, slate and sandstone) will be examined in the presentation. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Tile Debonding: Real or Pre-existing Condition Allegations of tile debonding following a water loss are common and complicate efforts to provide reasonable and fair settlements. The presentation is based completely on current research studies conducted over the past four years. All of the research presented either has been published or will be published at the time of the PLRB presentation. The presentation is intended to provide the participant with a clear understanding of the conditions that substantiate tile failure and offer a perspective on whether alleged tile separations were likely preexisting or the result of an event. The purpose of the presentation is intended to dispel misunderstandings about agents that cause tile debonding. 1 credit | Instructor: Ralph Moon, PhD |
| Unintentional Consequences of Green Upgrades That Alter the Home’s Moisture Equilibrium To provide professionals with an understanding of green building and the unintentional consequences that can arise from green upgrades. The equilibrium of a home encompasses many parameters. However, homeowners typically consider only a single variable when upgrading their residence. Frequently energy saving is their sole objective to the detriment of HVAC run time. This narrow focus can result in unintentional shifts in the moisture equilibrium of a home. This presentation will discuss common energy saving upgrades that frequently have unintended consequences to the moisture equilibrium. 1 credit | Instructor: Michael Bass, LEED AP |
Structural |
| Building Code Requirement Changes and Updates Building repair requirements will changes based on the adopted code and the interpretation of the building official. As part of the mitigation process, early collaboration with the building official will help minimize/avoid future construction problems. 1 credit | Instructor: Patrick Rhoads, PE |
| Damages to Exterior Wall Cladding This webinar will help adjusters distinguish what caused damage to certain types of exterior cladding. It is often claimed that wind and/or hail during storm events caused damages to exterior wall cladding on a structure. Many times the issues are not from the storm, but are pre-existing or were exacerbated by age-related issues or improper construction methods. 1 credit | Instructor: Steven Pace, PE |
| Defects In Commercial And Residential Buildings, Design, Installation, Maintenance, And/Or Manufacturing Many defects that occurred as a result of deficiencies in the construction, installation, and/or maintenance can cause initial and on-going damage. To assist insureds with speedy resolutions, assisting the adjusters and/or attorneys with knowledge and understanding from this course will help them determine the cause of the loss and will assist in a defensible and reasonable result. 1 credit | Instructor: Patrick Rhoads, PE |
| Hail Roof Damage Assessment The course describes the meteorological conditions favorable for hail development and the process of hail formation. The forensic process for collecting and observing hail damage is discussed in detail including the documentation of collateral damage and wind driven hail versus free falling hail. The threshold for hail damage based on hail size is examined for several different roof coverings. Numerous case studies and photographic documentation from over 10 different hail cases (residential and commercial) are examined in detail. 1 credit | Instructor: Patrick Rhoads, PE |