Big Dig

[Dick Margulis]

So the Big Dig is reopening today after the documented inspection and 
repair of over 3,000 ceiling hangers. Meanwhile an investigation 
continues into where the blame lies for the improper installation of 
two-thirds of them.

We've had threads in the past about the role of poor documentation in 
significant engineering failures. What I'm wondering is whether that's 
going to turn out to be a factor here. Apparently, the ceiling system 
was an innovative design. So there would not be a pool of workers 
experienced with installing these bolts. Was there training? What 
documents were used in the training? Who was responsible for writing, 
designing, testing, and approving the training documents? What documents 
were provided with the bolts? Who was responsible for writing, 
designing, testing, and approving the installation instructions?

Anyone in Massachusetts want to volunteer to stay on top of this story 
and report here? It might prove interesting and instructive.

Dick
http://ampersandvirgule.blogspot.com/