Group 1 – Ethics Presentation

1. Group 1 – Ethics Presentation HYATT WALKWAY COLLAPSE

2. The disaster • Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, MO • July 17th, 1981 • Two walkways suspended over the lobby collapsed during an event • Dance competition, approx. 1600 attendees • 114 deaths, 216 injuries

3. The walkways • Two walkways, 2nd floor and 4th floor • Approx. 37m long, 29,000kg weight • Vertically aligned • Flawed design meant it could not handle the dead weight • Original design: “three pairs of rods from 2nd floor to ceiling” to support 60% of minimum regulation load • Actual construction: 2 sets of rods, one set between 4th floor and ceiling, the other between 4th and 2nd floor walkways

4. Flawed design • Design was already flawed but the new design was even worse • J. D. Gillum & Associates sent preliminary plans to Havens Steel Co. • These were changed because it required the rod below 4th floor walkway needed to be screwthreaded (rods would have been damaged) • After changes, the second floor walkway now has to support the fourth floor walkway as well • Weakest point in the beams were C-channels, which were connected by a welded joint. New design specified to bolt through C-channels, compromising the structure even further **Graphic image coming up**

5. Collapse • 4th floor walkway had between 16 to 20 people • 2nd floor walkway ~ 40 people • 4th floor walkway fell onto the 2nd floor walkway, bringing the entire mass down to the ground floor lobby onto the spectators

6. Ethical principles • Public safety is always top priority • Constructers needed to make sure the bridges were able to support at least 100% of the minimum regulated load but the initial design only supported 60% • Comes down to charges: gross negligence, incompetence, misconduct, unprofessional conduct • Big miscommunication between the two firms. Preliminary designs were interpreted as final designs • No double-checking, no thoroughness

7. Could it have been avoided? • Engineers responsible for final design would be highly incompetent if they didn’t consider load changes on the 2nd floor walkway • Earlier structural flaws before walkways were built: atrium roof structurally week • Should have double-checked all load data after the changes to the design • Cross-section shows poor material choice in combination with the design

8. Ethical issues with our own project • 5 mW, red 620 – 740 nm, green 540 – 560 nm • American National Safety Institute: general public may only purchase laser pointers in Class III (maximum of 5mW power) • 2.5 mW/cm-squared requires a “danger” sticker and not a “caution” sticker • Health risks: damage to the retina when exposed to laser beam for over 2 minutes • Pointing laser towards aircraft or airways is illegal • Packaging must include ample documentation clearly stating the warnings and health risks when using this device

9. Eavesdropping • Use of this device falls under the “wiretapping” category and all wiretapping laws apply • State: WV implemented the “Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act” that requires only one of the two parties involved to consent to the wiretapping. This makes WV a “one-way state” • This is similar most states. Two-way states: CA, CT, FL, HI, MD, MA, MT, NV, NH, PA, WA – some definitions within laws can cause confusion between notification and consent • FCC uses the word “notification” instead of “consent”

10. Safety measures • This kind of product can only realistically be targeted towards law enforcement and military • Our goal is to provide a safer means to extract audio that might help with criminal prosecutions, hindering possible terrorist plots, etc. • End-user will be notified of all warnings and health risks in documentation included in the product packaging, as well as the safest ways of operating the device • End-user will also be aware of their full responsibility in abiding by local, state and federal laws

11. Questions?