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Back in the 19th century, Sherlock Holmes’ ability to notice and analyse the smallest clues arguably made him the first well known forensic investigator. He was in fact based on Dr Joseph Bell, a forensic scientist from Edinburgh under whom Conan Doyle (the author of the books) studied.

That legacy of scientific rigour and meticulousness continues today as demonstrated by the Burgoynes’ investigators. One perfect example of this attention to detail can be seen in a case that involved extensive litigation, but finally hinged around a clothing label spotted by one of Burgoynes’ partners, John Fuller.

Smoke produced during a fire can spread well beyond the area that is directly affected by the fire itself; often entering neighbouring premises. Smoke contains the airborne products of combustion in the solid, liquid and gaseous states. The composition of smoke is varied and often complex, depending on the nature of the fire, but typical constituents include: soot, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s), halides (such as chloride), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water vapour. Many constituents of smoke settle on, condense on or are adsorbed by solids with which they make contact.

During April 2010 a product recall was initiated by the electrical equipment manufacturer, Electrium, relating to the risk of fire associated with certain miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) including Crabtree, Volex and Wylex brands supplied between April 2009 and February 2010, see www.mcbexchange.co.uk/electrium.

On 31 January 2004, a fire at the Rosepark Care Home in Lanarkshire led to the deaths of 14 elderly residents.  This was a relatively modern facility with 24 hour staffing and only two minutes from a fire station.  In 2010 a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) heard from all the key players and reported in 2011.  It sought to identify improvements in fire safety that might prevent such a tragedy in the future.

Non-Destructive Methods of Entry

Insurance policy clauses related to theft often include a condition that liability will only be accepted if there is evidence of violent and forcible entry, or words to that effect. Liability may be declined or an excess applied if such evidence is not apparent to claims investigators. On many occasions it is entirely obvious that a door (or window) has been forced open whilst locked but what if those obvious signs are absent?

Changes to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code 

There are three specific categories of calcium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite mixtures defined in the IMDG Code.  For the purposes of this note it is taken as read that whenever reference is made to the chemical, the same applies to the mixtures.  

Tops popping off bottles, discolouration or turbidity of liquid products, filter blockages, gauge errors, self-heating of stored produce and unaccounted for pipe or tank perforations: these are just some of the effects of microbes when suitable conditions arise for them to grow and multiply. These undesirable effects are besides any potential health risks that can occur if pathogenic organisms also become established and people become exposed to them.

Over recent years Burgoynes has investigated numerous water escapes in multi-storey buildings that incorporate boosted (pumped) water supplies.  In many instances the cause of the leak has been traced to inadequately tightened plumbing fittings.  However, boosted water supplies can create transient pressure shocks that can briefly exceed, by far, the normal system operating pressure and the maximum pump output pressure.

Current global nitrogen fertilizer use is of the order of 100 million tonnes per annum, a proportion of which is transported by sea. Because plants require nutrients other than nitrogen, however, a range of compound or complex fertilizer formulations have been developed which contain more than one of the three main plant nutrients:

We will have all seen the graceful modern Quixotian structures that appear to spring up overnight, like mushrooms, by our roadsides.  How many of us, however, have thought about what is inside these seemingly gentle giants?  We all know that they convert wind energy into electricity but how many of us have thought, in detail, about how they work?