Monday, December 10, 2012

High Rise Buildings

Many years ago I was working on a building putting in machinery. I was having a problem in the installation as every day the problem was the same even though the job was done correctly. I had to find out why the problem existed. The overall job was overseen by a carpenter and this was the problem.This was a building of ten stories of steel construction. Working for the same company several years earlier the building fell down at the Berrima cement works and I believe the problem was the same as the one I detected. What was the problem you might ask.
The building was erected with 1" bolts holding the building together.
Due to the work being rushed to keep the job on time the bolts were put in finger tight and never tightened. The northeasterly winds came in in the afternoon and the work I performed was done in the morning when southerly breezes were in affect. With the change in wind direction the building shifted on the loose bolts and the machinery was then not in line. I was balled out. The next day I went looking for the problem bingo finger tight bolts. I never got a pat on the back just a balling out.
It appears the same type of thing happened in Christchurch in New Zealand. Supervisors with little or no qualifications. The problem still remains to this day and with computers the problem will get worse. I have spoken before about inspectors with little or no qualifications.

No comments: