Structural Forensic Engineering
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
This seminar has now been cancelled.
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 am – 12:15 pm
Lunch (On your own): 12:15 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon Session: 1:15 – 5:00 pm
Designing and Constructing to Prevent Failures
Importance of standards and codes
Design professional duties and the design process
Understanding the standard of care
Legal and economic impacts of failures
Purpose of forensic engineering
Understanding Causes of Structural Failures
Lessons learned from historic failures
Design errors
Defective construction
Material deficiencies
Excessive loadings
Deterioration and degradation
Understanding the Forensic Engineering Process
Documenting the failure
Conducting investigation and research
Test protocols and tests
Determining causation and responsibility
Learning from failure
Forensic Examination of Structures
Investigation of steel structures
Investigation of wood structures
Investigation of concrete structures
Investigation of masonry and building facades
Load testing and instrumentation of existing structures
Using Forensic Engineering Information
Examining the forensic engineering report
Impact of forensic engineering information on post-failure disputes
Use of forensic engineering information in mediation, arbitration and litigation
The forensic engineer as consultant, expert and witness
Ethical Issues in Structural Engineering
Design responsibilities that are exclusively duties for engineers
Practicing only in areas of competence
Adopting new materials/techniques: due diligence
Duty to disclose potential problems
Credits
Professional Engineers
7.0 PDHs
Architects
7.0 HSW CEPHs/CE Hours
7.0 AIA LU|HSW
Contractors
Non-Credit Continuing Ed.
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public. It offers 7.0 PDHs to professional engineers in all states. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Texas.
This course offers 7.0 HSW continuing education hours to architects in all states, including 7.0 CEPHs to Texas architects. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Texas.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 7.0 LU|HSW (Sponsor No. J885). Visit www.halfmoonseminars.org for complete AIA information under this course listing. Only full attendance is reportable to the AIA/CES.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700), North Carolina, and North Dakota. HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects.
This course offers a non-credit continuing education opportunity to construction contractors. It has not been approved by any state contractor licensing entity.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Jarrod Burns
BSC Forensic Services, LLCMr. Burns is the founding principal of BSC Forensic Services, LLC, and he practices as a structural forensic investigator, holding professional engineer licensure in 25 states and counting. He has a unique background including education, business development, technology development, engineering design, forensic engineering, and teaching. Since 2011, BSC has grown to a nationally-recognized firm under Mr. Burns’ leadership with experts licensed throughout the United States in fields such as: structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, mold, industrial hygiene, drones, as well as fire and explosion. Mr. Burns is the author of two patents pending pertaining to forensic investigations, and he has testified in multiple trials, depositions, arbitrations, and/or mediations.
Mr. Burns’ forensic experience includes structural design, failure analysis, construction defect, premises safety/ injury (including trips and slips), water losses, wind assessments, hail assessments, flooring assessments, foundation performance evaluations (including movement attributed to plumbing leaks), building envelopes, air and water penetration (spray testing), and much more. Mr. Burns and BSC staff under his responsible charge perform inspections on commercial, residential, multi-family, industrial, and government facilities as well as automobile, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems routinely.
His experience has also included work as a structural engineer on nationwide projects, as a project manager for a civil engineering firm in Houston and Dallas, Texas, and as an adjunct instructor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Houston. Mr. Burns holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and he is a past-president of Tau Beta Pi, AR-Alpha.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Structural Forensic Engineering
Delivery Method: Live
Course Description: This seven-hour live lecture presentation examines design and construction practices to prevent construction failures, the causes of structural failures, the forensic engineering process, the forensic examination of structures, using forensic engineering information, and ethical issues in structural engineering.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to explain the importance of building codes and code compliance, and they will be able to explain the legal, economic, and HSW impacts of construction failures.
Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to identify the and describe the common causes of structural failures, including design errors, material deficiencies, defective construction excessive loading, and deterioration and degradation.
Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to describe the forensic examination process of steel, wood, concrete, and masonry structures and the importance of load testing of existing structures.
Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to describe how forensic engineering information and reports can be used to learn from past engineering and design failures.
Learning Objective 5:
Learners will be able to discuss ethical issues that are related to the design practice, including practicing only in areas of competence, adopting new materials and techniques, and disclosing potential problems in the design process.
LUs: 7.0 LU Type: LU|HSWs.
Prerequisites: Experience with structural design
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 12/20/2022
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to doug@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.