Aircraft Hangar Doors
Aircraft hangar doors design and manufacture
Home Icon Email Icon print this page

+44 (0)1202 483333

Skip to content
  • Hangar Doors
    • Bottom Rolling, Slab Sliding Doors
    • Guide to Hangar Door Replacement
    • Guide to Hangar Extensions
    • Hangar Door Case Studies
      • Doors Within the Hangar Width
      • Doors with Outriggers
      • Replacement Doors & Extensions
      • Unusual Doors or Special Features
    • Doors for Small Hangars
    • Personnel and Vehicle Doors
    • REIDsteel Corporate Site
  • About Us
  • Media
  • News & Blog
  • Contact Us

Tragedy Highlights Perils of Overloading Buildings

Posted on May 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Tragedy Highlights Perils of Overloading Buildings

By Technical Director, Rollo Reid

Dhaka_Savar_Building_CollapseLatest reports about the Bangladesh building collapse announce that 800 people are now believed to have been killed by this terrible event.

The scale of this tragedy is enormous and my heart goes out to the families and friends of all those who lost their lives.

I feel particular sadness because building safe, strong structures is something I’m passionate about. It seems to me there are two main reasons why this tragedy occurred.

The first is because it appears that extra floors were added on top of the original and industrial companies were allowed to set up factory equipment in a structure that was only ever designed for commercial use, housing office workers and light equipment.

The extra weight of the additional floors, the heavy factory machines and power generators that were positioned on the roof all proved too much for the fabric of the building to bear, resulting in a catastrophic collapse.

The second reason this collapse was so disastrous is, I believe, because buildings in this part of the world tend to be constructed without a strong core framework made of either steel or concrete.

If this building had a strong framework there may have been damage due to the over-loading in some areas but the entire structure would not have collapsed and many people would have survived.

Economic pressures and, let’s face it, sometimes just pure greed, can make cutting corners and ignoring safety issues tempting for unscrupulous people. But the authorities must also take some of the blame it seems.

According to newspaper reports the building didn’t have an ‘occupation certificate’, something all buildings built in Bangladesh since 2008 should have. Inspectors are supposed to check that the buildings have been constructed to meet the original plans and that they are being used as they should be.

It seems this didn’t happen for the collapsed building and it appears that it’s not happening for many of the buildings in the region. If this is true it just isn’t good enough.

People rightly expect buildings to be a place of protection and safety. Once the integrity of structures is compromised it’s not just buildings that are at risk of collapse, it’s the very fabric of society.

This entry was posted in Factory Buildings and tagged Bangladesh, Opinion Piece. Bookmark the permalink.
Hangar Door Details

Previous Case Study:
←
New production facility for TAG Energy Solutions
Next Case Study:
REIDsteel and Zulal →
For more information, contact sales:
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 483333 • Email: sales@reidsteel.co.uk
or fill in our Hangar Door Enquiry Form
John Reid & Sons BCSA Logo RQSC Logo SCI Logo CHAS Logo Construction Line Logo Builders Profile Logo Window Logo DHF Logo
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Media
  • News & Blog
  • Cookies
  • Sitemap
John REID & Sons Ltd | Registered in England & Wales with Company No. 617773
Registred Address: Strucsteel House, 3 Reid St, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 2BT, England
VAT Registration No. 186 2184 48 | Tel:+44 (0)1202 48 33 33 Fax:+44 (0) 1202 470 103