Viewpoint: Communication in the event of failure

摘要

Despite the degree to which sophisticated technology surrounds us, quality communication remains key. This is particularly so in an industry notable for being safety-critical, labour intensive (in its widest sense) and extensively fragmented in the manner in which it operates. Scope for error is ever present. Thus a fundamental part of the professional (structural) engineer's duty is to keep abreast of contemporary information that is relevant to their particular area of work. Some of this will relate to learning the lessons from past mistakes, so that these may be avoided in the future. On 30 June 2005 a train travelling from Stratford-upon-Avon narrowly escaped disaster thanks to the driver's attention to the track ahead - the tunnel had collapsed. We know this event as the Gerrards Cross tunnel collapse and, some nine years later, industry still does not know the cause, beyond what has been learned through informal 'grapevines'. Similar situations exist for other equally important collapses and events in the UK; for example the collapse of the five-storey steel frame in llford in 2012, or the substantial reinforcement cage in 2011 which 'lozenged' during fixing, killing four workers.