Public Safety and Social Experimentation

1. Public Safety and Social Experimentation GE 449 March 29,2005 Group F4 Robert Hay Jillian Benzing Amanda D’Cruz Jag Gohil Rachael Adie Heli Eunike

2. Outline • Background • Case Studies • Sampoong Department Store Collapse • Channel Tunnel • NY State Thruway bridge • Social Experiment • Current engineering experimentation • Burj al Arab • Light transmitting concrete • Questions

3. “Engineering, more than ANY other profession, involves social experimentation. Often one engineer's decision affects the safety of countless lives. It is, therefore, important that engineers constantly remember that their FIRST OBLIGATION is to ensure the public's safety. This is a difficult assignment, for engineers are not typically autonomous professionals. Most of them work for salaries within a structured environment where budgets, schedules and multiple projects are important factors in the decision-making process.”

4. Social Experimentation • Engineering: • Is a risky activity which has the potential to present some danger! • Can be regarded as an experiment not conducted under lab controls • Is based on uncertainties and assumptions with unknown outcomes • Must learn from past mistakes and monitor over long periods of time • If possible, safe exits MUST be provided when human life is at risk • Public MUST be informed of any risk –> respect for life “Engineers who accept engineering as a social experiment will find that they cannot divorce themselves from the personal responsibility for their work.”

5. How Safe is Safe Enough??? • There is no single, simple answer. • Often choosing between unpleasant alternatives • There will always be some level of risk associated with engineering and innovation. • Any risk analysis should involve the following five steps: • 1. Define all the possible alternatives • 2. Specify the objectives and measure the effects • 3. Identify the consequences of the actions taken • 4. Quantify the alternatives based on the best available information • 5. Analyze the alternatives to arrive at the best choice for cost/risk

6. The Issue of Public Risk and Informed Consent • As technology advances, risks are unavoidable • Risk and decision making confront all engineering professionals • There will always be some measure of risk associated with engineering design • How do we as engineers know when those risks outweigh the possible benefits gained from our work? • Cost Vs. Benefit Analysis, Safety vs. Risk Analysis • How do engineers make informed decisions? • Training, personal experience, experience of others, past occurences

7. Responsible Experimenters • Protect the safety of humans • Respect the right of informed consent • Forecast possible side effects • Monitor effects • Accountable for the results • Have autonomous personal involvement in all aspects of the project • Show a high level of competency • Provide a “Safe Exit”

8. Case Study #1 Sampoong Department Store Collapse

9. Sampoong Department Store Collapse • Built in a high-class area of Seoul • 40,000 people shopped in the store every day. • An engineering firm had begun construction on the building when the owner decided to add an extra floor • Contractors/engineers complained that this new design was unsafe – they were fired! • New engineering firm carried out the project - fifth floor was added against the suggestion of the original firm • The new engineering firm was a subsidiary of the department store

10. Sampoong Department Store Collapse • 5th floor was added with no reinforcement of the original foundation • Stood for 6 years despite the numerous structural problems of the building • On the day of the collapse, fifth floor ceiling had been crumbling all day • Expensive merchandise moved from the top floor to the basement. • Later in the day the owner allowed some of the executives and workers to leave but refused to evacuate the building.

12. Sampoong Department Store Collapse • Ceiling collapsed causing all five floors to fold in • Fires broke out and burned for two days causing many of the bodies to be unidentifiable or even found. • Rescue workers tried to reach those trapped beneath the rubble, but the remains of the building that stood ready to collapse any time. • Survivors were found up to sixteen days after the accident. • Death toll and missing persons count changed daily in what some say was an attempt by the government to cover up the extent of the disaster. • The final estimations were 501 dead and 900 injured!

14. Sampoong Department Store Collapse • Inferior concrete mixes were used by the construction company and an insufficient amount of reinforced steel rods were placed in the ceilings and walls to provide structural support • Officials accepted bribes and chose to turn a blind eye to the illegal design changes and poor construction work being done • Twelve city officials found guilty of accepting bribery • Sentences ranged from suspended prison terms to three years in jail to fines of up to $1,280 • Lee Joon was the most hated person in the country. Some wanted to give him the death penalty, instead he got 7 1/2 years in prison for negligence.

15. Case Study #2Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) • Connects England and France • Travels underwater • 32 miles long • Train travels at 100 miles/hr • Takes 20 min • Took 7 years and 13,000 engineers to complete • Cost $21 billion

16. Chunnel Safety Aspects of the Design • 45-75m of rock above the tunnel • In tunnel and on board heat, smoke, and flame detectors • Safety service tunnel • Security checks • Fire resistant passenger trains (30 minute resistance) • Inflammable and hazardous cargoes are banned in the tunnel • Fire hydrants every 125m

17. Fire in the Chunnel (1996) • Fire started on a truck just before it entered the tunnel • Five of the first six in-tunnel fire detectors only gave unconfirmed alarms, • On-board fire detectors on the rear didn’t give an early alarm • Took firefighters nine hours to put out the fire • 34 people injured, caused 85 million dollars damage to the Chunnel

18. Changes Made-Chunnel • Increase the number of firefighters • Emergency training exercises • Incase of fire the train now stops to evacuate, instead of continuing to the other side • Better communication system implemented

19. Case Study #3NY State Thruway Bridge Collapse • submerged pier foundation had been scoured out by the flood waters • The soil beneath the pier had washed away and the concrete foundation had settled and cracked • bridge structure slid off of its supports and collapsed • 8 people killed

20. Social Experimentation Video

21. Light transmitting concrete • allegedly has the strength of traditional concrete • Contains an imbedded array of glass fibers

22. Burj al Arab • Built on an artificial island 280 meters (1000 feet) away from the beach • World’s tallest hotel, at 1,053feet • A massive steel exoskeleton steadies the tower against seismic loads and the wind

23. Questions ???

24. Questions • Do you think about public safety when you enter lower Place Riel, a mall? • Safe exits • Engineering design • Have you ever been stuck in an elevator? • Do you follow fire escape procedures? • Any personal examples of social experimentations, or potential risks? • Do you feel satisfied with the information provided about the risk associated with engineered products? • Do you read safety/liability waivers before signing them?

25. Sampoong Collapse References • Negligence, Risk and the Professional Debate Over Responsibility for Design http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/essays/negligen.htm • The Korea Times http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200410/kt2004101418510554130.htm • The Story of the Collapse http://cems.alfred.edu/students/hanrahje/story.html • Sampoong Department Store Collapse http://esl.fis.edu/students/projects/disaster/sampoong.htm