Back in 1965 Britain’s first offshore rig called the Sea Gem was making its way out into the North Sea on its maiden voyage. ibid.
The almighty bang was the sound of two of the Sea Gem’s legs snapping. The 5,500 ton rig began to lurch into the freezing cold sea … It took half an hour for the entire rig to disappear beneath the waves. ibid.
These days as many as 11,000 people can be working out in the North Sea. ibid.
6th July 1988 about 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, the world’s deadliest offshore oil field disaster: Piper Alpha was the first production platform for the Piper Field … The Piper Alpha disaster claimed the lives of 167 men. ibid.
Spectacular bridges, breathtaking buildings, extraordinary structures: our man-made world is awe-inspiring. But in an instant it can crumble before our eyes … To investigate why sometimes our bridges and buildings fail with disastrous consequences. I’m visiting the scenes of some of the world’s worst disasters. Rob Bell, When Buildings Collapse: World’s Worst Engineering Disasters: Miami Bridge, Channel 5 2019
These deadly mistakes cost lives and teach engineers how to save them. ibid.
This is the US41, an 8-lane highway that takes you from downtown Miami to the Everglades national park … 15th March 2018: a bridge collapsing and then crushing the line of vehicles waiting in the light below. ibid.
But just five days later that project was literally in ruins. ibid.
Florida International University’s bridge. The collapse resulted in the deaths of six people. ibid.
Kansas: The city’s Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalks 1978: In 1981 1,500 people were attending a social event … The death toll rose: 114 people died that night and a further 216 people were injured. ibid.
A fatal design change turned the skywalks into death traps … So who changed the design and why? ibid.
2018 Jakarta: Another internal suspended walkway … The walkways fell when hanger rods broke away from the ceiling … 77 people were injured. ibid.
Residents have moved out of a south London estate … One type of building in Britain that’s become notorious for its design defects … More tower blocks were built in the same way as Ronan Point. ibid.
The Grenfell fire became Britain’s worst tower block tragedy killing 72 people and injuring at least 70 more. ibid.
The engineering wonders of the world didn’t always look this way. For years many lay abandoned, derilect and decaying. Rob Bell’s Engineering Reborn s1e3: Sky Garden & Liberty Hotel, Channel 5 2022
How the cutting-edge innovations of today were combined with the ingenuity of past to build the superstructures of the future. ibid.
In South Korea visionary engineers imagine a new life for an old underpass turning it into a park to help green the capital city. In America, Boston’s most notorious jail is saved from demolition and recycled into a glamorous new hotel with an unusual prison theme … In Amsterdam a crumbling concrete symbol of the past is miraculously rebuilt into a modern workspace. ibid.
At any given moment roughly 10,000 Boeing aircraft are in service in more than 150 countries. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, 2022
2018: And then two planes drop out of the sky. ibid.
Boeing Withheld Information on 737 Model, According to Safety Experts & Others. ibid. The Wall Street Journal
Boeing would not publicly consider that something was wrong with the design of the aeroplane. ibid.
‘We are going to be issuing an emergency order of prohibition to ground all fights of 737Max8 and the 737Max9.’ ibid. Trump
‘Expecting more with less … We saw the company change before our eyes.’ ibid. ex-employee
‘Over time the lazer focus on safety that had been traditional was compromised.’ ibid.
‘Boeing whistleblowers have said that anybody who reported a problem at the South Carolina plant was either fired or let go or moved on.’ ibid.
‘Widespread pattern inside Boeing of deceitful behaviour.’ ibid.