ABSTRACT
When a human factors practitioner is called upon by an attorney as a potential consultant or a potential expert witness, that practitioner is expected to have certain knowledge and skills pertaining to his field of expertise. However, to be effective, he also must possess a reasonable amount of knowledge and skills pertaining to the environment that he has been invited to enter. The typical human factors/ergonomics professional’s base of knowledge and experience may be in one or more disciplines as diverse as psychology, engineering, medical, or life or computer science, but the number includes less than a handful with formal training in law (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002). The forensic human factors practitioner must blend his training and experience to the requirements of a legal system that demands compliance with its peculiar system of logic, procedures, and concepts of truth.
