Professional Biography
Hratch Nerkizian is a Senior Managing Consultant at YA group and a Mechanical Engineer with over twenty years of experience in consumer product manufacturing and safety. He is a valued member of the YA Group team, providing technical expertise across product safety, testing, and engineering analysis.
Hratch’s previous experience includes serving as the Principal Product Safety Engineer for Sunbeam Products, where he investigated numerous property damage and personal injury claims involving a wide range of kitchen and home appliances. In this role, he examined warranty claims and conducted both field and laboratory evaluations. He has been deposed and has testified in trial as a corporate designee, fact witness, and expert witness in both state and federal courts. As a corporate designee, he was also responsible for fulfilling requests for production, interrogatories, and requests for admissions.
Earlier in his career, Hratch held various Research and Development and Quality roles. These positions involved extensive travel to factories in China, Hong Kong, India, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, giving him direct exposure to multiple levels of the manufacturing process. In addition to conducting factory inspections, he facilitated training to improve manufacturing and development processes, including Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), ISO 9001, and enhancements to packaging and product instructions.
Hratch is an active member of multiple UL Standards Technical Panels and has contributed to IEC technical committees as well as collaborated with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). He currently provides litigation support, expert testimony to law firms and insurance carriers, and technical guidance to manufacturers and industrial clients.
Credentials & Certifications
- Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
- MSME
Professional Experience
- Senior Managing Consultant | YA Group | 2026 - Current
- Senior Investigator | Jensen Hughes | 2024 - 2026
- Principal Product Safety Engineer | Sunbeam Product Inc. | 2005 - 2024
Practices & Skillsets
- Products Liability
- Fire Origin & Cause
- Electrical & Mechanical Systems and Failures
- Failure Analysis of Materials and Components
Education
- Masters Business Administration, Business, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 2012
- Masters Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics and Design, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 2005
- Bachelors Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 2001
Training Courses
- Principles of Fire Investigation Multi-Program 67 Hour Training and Certification, CFItrainer.net IAAI, Palm Beach, Florida (February 2024)
- Fire Investigation Safety Multi-Program 29 Hour Training and Certification, CFItrainer.net IAAI, Palm Beach, Florida (February 2024)
- Investigation of Gas and Electric Appliance Fires, Seminar, Fire Findings, Benton Harbor, Michigan (June 2013)
- ISO 9001:2000 Lead Auditor Training Course, Edison, New Jersey (September 2006)
- Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator Training Program, NAFI, Madison, Wisconsin (April 2024)
Affiliations
- Member, National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI)
- Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Member, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- UL Standards Technical Panel - TC 231 – Power Outlets
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 310 – Quick-Connect Terminals
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 335A – Household and Similar Electrical Appliances – General Requirements
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 498 – Attachment Plugs and Receptacles
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 507 – Electric Fans and Power Ventilators
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 498A – Current Taps and Adapters
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 746 – Polymeric Materials
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 817 – Cord Sets and Power-Supply Cords
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 982 – Motor-Operated Household Appliances
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 998 - Humidifiers
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 1026 – Electric Household Cooking Appliances - Stakeholder
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 1042 – Standard for Electric Baseboard Heating Equipment - Stakeholder
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 1699 – Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupters
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 1699B – Photovoltaic (PV) DC Arc-Fault Circuit Protection
- UL Standards Technical Panel TC 5500 – Remote Software Updates