Have you ever wondered ‘What is engineering due diligence’ and what is it that ‘R2A does’?

As due diligence engineers we often get asked what is engineering due diligence and what it is that we actually do at R2A. To be honest, this has been a really difficult question to answer.  Due diligence is a legal concept and often construed to only mean compliance in the engineering context which is not the case. Previously Richard has used throw away lines like ‘we align the laws of nature with the laws of man’  that is, ‘we make lawyers useful’. Although these are outcomes of what we do, they didn’t quite answer the question of ‘what engineering due diligence actually is’.

So, after much thought, here is our latest attempt of explaining what engineering due diligence is.

R2A explanation – What is engineering due diligence?

Engineering due diligence uses the principles behind the judgments of the courts and applies them pre-event to ensure sound organisational decision-making. The primary purpose of engineering due diligence is to facilitate safe and efficient operations. It also provides confidence to all relevant parties.  It perhaps represents a form of reverse engineering of ‘the decisions of the courts’.

In the event of an incident, the due diligence process should satisfy the courts.  As a legal concept and it represents an aspect of moral philosophy, that is, how the world ought to be and how humanity should behave.  This is along the lines that one should treat others as you would like to be treated by them (the reciprocity principle).