ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Jonathan (Jay) Beam, MS, CSP


Founder • Safety Engineer • Legal Consultant


Jonathan (Jay) Beam is the founder of Inertia Consultants. With over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Jay Beam is a seasoned Safety and Forensic Engineer recognized for technical depth, investigative rigor, and strategic insight into complex industrial cases. His multidisciplinary background, combining a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.S. in Biochemistry, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, enables

him to bridge the gap between process safety, chemical behavior, and mechanical systems performance across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.


Throughout his career, Jay has led and supported accident investigations, OSHA, and

regulatory inquiries, and root cause analyses involving process safety incidents,

mechanical failures, and catastrophic injuries. His analytical and technical expertise

extends to regulatory compliance reviews, engineering assessments, and system-level

failure modeling.


In addition to his field and technical experience, Jay provides specialized litigation and

expert witness support to law firms, insurance carriers, and operators. His services

include case strategy development, technical evidence evaluation, deposition, and

trial support, and courtroom presentations that translate complex engineering and safety

principles into clear, defensible narratives. Known for his precision, integrity, and clarity under pressure, Jay continues to advance safety performance, regulatory compliance, and technical accountability across the energy and industrial sectors, helping organizations and legal teams uncover the truth through

engineering discipline and scientific rigor.


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 Background & Expertise

  • Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Engineering

Over 20 years of leading HSE programs, conducting audits, managing risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance across upstream operations.


  • Forensic & Failure Analysis

Decades of experience investigating equipment failures, process upsets, near misses, and catastrophic incidents.

  • Litigation Support

Comprehensive engineering review of procedures, logs, equipment, and field records to strengthen your case strategy.


  • Regulatory and Compliance Evaluation

Expert understanding of OSHA, EPA, API, and state-level oil and gas regulatory frameworks.

 

  • Production Engineering

Hands-on operational experience working with production systems, wellsite operations, and field personnel provides a practical understanding of what is “reasonable and expected” in the field.



This multi-disciplinary expertise gives us a truly comprehensive perspective — one that bridges engineering theory, regulatory requirements, and real-world field operations.

Oil worker in a hard hat and vest reviews a tablet in front of a pumpjack and vehicle.
A black and white photo of an oil rig with puffy clouds in the sky.

Clients value Inertia Consultants for delivering precise safety engineering insights that clarify complex accident scenarios.

Their expertise helped us resolve a challenging case with clear, credible technical analysis.

Clear, Defensible Communication

We don’t just understand the technical issues—we explain them in a way that attorneys, judges, juries, and regulators can understand. Our work is built to withstand scrutiny.

Our collaboration with Inertia Consultants ensured thorough risk assessment and expert testimony that influenced case outcomes positively.

Their direct oilfield experience adds unmatched credibility to their safety engineering evaluations.