Newsletter No 40 - October 2015

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Report Overview

TENTH ANNIVERSARY This 40th CROSS Newsletter marks ten years since the introduction of Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety by SCOSS – the Standing Committee on Structural Safety. Since 1976 SCOSS had been collecting data on structural safety from publicaLly available sources and deciding whether unacceptable risk exists. At first the Committee reported their findings every two years to the Presidents of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Institution of Civil Engineers. Some years later the Health and Safety Executive joined as a sponsor and these three bodies continue to fund the operation in the interests of Institution members, the construction industry, and the public. Biennial reports and Alerts were produced. In the early 2000s the Committee recognised that there were many events and concerns that were not published anywhere from which lessons could be learned. A system used by the aviation industry was used as a model and in 2005 CROSS was formed. Since then the number of subscribers has risen to 8,500, over 500 reports have been received of which many have been published in the quarterly Newsletters. Where particular risks are identified SCOSS Alerts are published. Published and other reports, together with Alerts, have been added to the on-line data base for use by practitioners and for educational purposes. CROSS and SCOSS were more recently merged into a new organisation: Structural-Safety, to streamline operations. There is interest from many parts of the world including Australia, the USA, Southern Africa and elsewhere. Fundamental to the scheme have been the unstinting contributions from the SCOSS Committee and the CROSS Expert panel. These representatives from the highest levels of the industry give guidance and provide advice to improve structural safety and to help prevent failures. Also key to the operations have been the contributions by executives and staff at the Institution of Structural Engineers. Of course, CROSS also could not exist without the reports that are submitted so that experiences can be shared for the benefit of us all. The contribution of Rippleffect, our web site designers, is much appreciated. We look forward to the next decade and to enhancing and expanding the programme. INTRODUCTION The first two reports are significant in that they come from major bridge owners who are willing to share their experiences of in- service issues. Both illustrate the value of inspections in assessing safety and it is hoped that other infrastructure owners will be encouraged to follow suit and report incidents. Next is a concern about falling objects that may become increasingly significant as more tall domestic buildings are constructed in urban locations. In addition to new-build many buildings are altered which gives rise to numerous problems, and sometimes to collapse, so the next report which describes a near-miss is relevant. There are then instances of components being blown off buildings and the design of fixings for PV panels. Finally there are concerns about the high costs of some design standards and about gallows brackets. The success of the CROSS programme depends on receiving reports, and individuals and firms are encouraged to participate by sending concerns in confidence to Structural-Safety.

Overview of Reports in this Newsletter