What caused the failure and what damage the event actually produced are distinct engineering determinations. Combining them tends to inflate one and obscure the other.
01
Differentiating event damage from pre existing condition
Wear, corrosion, fatigue initiation, and prior repairs frequently exist before the event. Distinguishing them requires inspection records, metallurgical examination, and comparison to sister equipment where available.
Pre existing condition is not a defence. It is a measurable engineering fact or it is not.
02
Reparability is an engineering judgment
Whether a component can be restored to a fit for service condition depends on code requirements, material condition, dimensional integrity, and availability of qualified repair. Cost is a consequence of that judgment, not an input to it.
03
Scope statements should be traceable
Every line of a technical scope should trace to an observation, a measurement, or a code requirement so that a reviewer can evaluate the basis rather than the total.
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