Structural failures - Reliability: Learning from failures, and legal consequences

This contribution focuses on some of the main aspects of the interaction between engineers, scientists, lawyers and technical insurers within the framework of failure analysis, failure assessment and failure prevention in various fields of engineering. It is found, that learning from failures is a common though very expensive method of improving structural design and fabrication. In addition, in spite of the increasing interest of engineers in legal matters and the developing interest of legal experts in technical issues, there is still a wide gap between these groups of experts and the search for a common language and possible ways of effective cooperation is underway.