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Newsletter No 43 - July 2016
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Report Overview
Despite wider dissemination of structural safety information, failures still occur and as engineers we must always be on our guard. There have been three severe events in the UK recently which emphasise the continuing risks: the Didcot power station collapse during demolition in February, the Scottish schools’ problems which have become manifest during normal use in January, and the Manchester Ship Canal bridge collapse during construction in May. At Didcot power station there were four deaths; the tonnes of debris from a masonry wall collapse in Edinburgh fell into school grounds which were fortunately empty; whilst the Ship Canal bridge fell at a site during working hours when there could have been casualties. The difference between a near hit or a catastrophe can be wafer thin and often depends upon the time of day (or night) or whether there are people in the vicinity. In March a bridge under construction collapsed in Kolkata reportedly killing twenty-four and injuring many more amongst those who were passing by or working beneath it. In Europe, Australia, and the USA there have been devastating storms which have ripped away infrastructure and led to multiple casualties and huge damage. Engineers are associated with every structure that is built and will feel sympathy for their colleagues who have been involved in any way with these collapses. In future, similar events may be avoided by learning lessons from what has happened, provided that the reasons are made public and can hence be used to improve structural safety. 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. Recently there have been fewer reports than usual so please add to our data base with your concerns or experiences on structural safety or on weather related damage.
Overview of Reports in this Newsletter
540 Lack of lateral stability in steel frame
This concerns three similar buildings. The roof of Building No 1 was a concrete-composite deck supported on lattice trusses and it collapsed whilst carrying a moderate imposed load. The report relates to the findings on one of the other similar buildings designated Building No 2.
576 Worker trapped in excavation
An operative received serious injuries when the excavation they were in collapsed.
549 Fall of material from bridge soffit
Reports about materials falling from bridges have been sent by a bridge owner and some are given below.
571 Injuries from falling scaffold tube
Two children received injuries when a scaffold tube fell from height.
580 Alteration of calculations on a loft conversation that was already built
A reporter says he was pressurised to change retrospectively calculations and drawings following completion of works at a domestic property.
584 Balustrade testing
Designs are made by a reporter's firm for balustrade systems for a number of fabricators and in the course of this work the firm are sometimes asked to comment on proposed proprietary systems. These are often justified by testing and appear to give clients reassurance about the suitability of the product. However, the information provided often leaves a lot to be desired.
548 Local wind effects
Further to the SCOSS Alert Wind Adjacent to Tall Buildings published in December 2015 a reporter says that he had been involved in work on the outside face of a city centre building, but at a high level rather than at street level.
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