Having worked as an engineer at an oil refinery, I appreciated Rachel Walla's article ("Contractors and Engineers") about the ways in which engineering plans must sometimes be modified in order to "git 'er done" on the actual job.
That said, there are serious dangers in modifying engineering plans in practical ways. Rachel, in her article, did caution that contractors should only make changes after consulting with engineers and obtaining proper authorization. But this ideal stage of consultation and compromise is sometimes neglected.
In 1981, a suspended walkway at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in St. Louis collapsed killing 114 people and injuring more than 200 others. The original design had been modified by the contractor that fabricated the suspension rods. The contractor changed the design as a practical matter to avoid damaging threads on the walkway suspension rods during construction. It seemed like a practical and safe change—a change based on real-life experience. It was a fatal mistake.
The original design engineers failed to perform due diligence in overseeing the changes made by the contractor and as a result the engineers lost their PE licenses. In the lawsuits that followed, victims and their families were awarded more than $140 million in damages. It was an expensive mistake.
Whenever contractors consider modifying engineering plans, they should consider the Hyatt tragedy. It stands as a good moral lesson in the consequences of poor communication and a "git 'er done" approach to work.
Pat Munday, PhD
Professor of Science & Technology Studies
Technical Communication Program
Montana Tech
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