Communications Failure in Hyatt Regency Disaster

Banset, Elizabeth; Parsons, Gerald M.

doi:10.1061/(asce)1052-3928(1989)115:3(273)

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Although the approach used in this study could be applied to any discipline of engineering, civil engineering is especially appropriate for several reasons. The general importance of communication in civil engineering is well established: studies have found that communication is the single most important factor in the success of infrastructure projects (Thomas, Tucker, & Kelly, 1998) and poor communication has contributed to costly legal battles, structural failures, injuries, and deaths (Banset & Parsons, 1989;Parfitt, 2008;Parfitt & Parfitt, 2007). However, the specific writing practices of civil engineers have not been covered in major studies of communication in engineering workplaces (Sales, 2006;Tenopir & King, 2004;Winsor, 2003).…”

Section: Study Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Practitioner and Student Writing in Civil Engineering

Conrad

2017

J of Engineering Edu

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Background Numerous studies have identified a gap between the writing skills of engineering program graduates and the demands of writing in the workplace; however, few studies have analyzed the writing of practitioners and students to better understand that gap and inform teaching materials.Purpose This study sought to compare word-level, sentence-level, and organizational differences in writing by practitioners and students and to identify differences that are important for engineering practice. I also sought to demonstrate the untapped potential for linguistic analyses to contribute to understanding engineering writing.Design/Method I used techniques from applied linguistics -corpus linguistics and rhetorical move analysis -supplemented with interviews of practitioners and students. The analysis investigated the interaction of language features, their functions, and writers' motivations.Results Student writing had more complicated sentence structures, less accurate word choice, more errors in grammar and punctuation, and less linear organization. These characteristics decreased effectiveness in areas that practitioners considered important: accurate and unambiguous content; fast, predicable reading; liability management; and attention to detail. Underlying the student writing problems were misconceptions about effective writing, ignorance of genre expectations, weak language skills, and a failure to appreciate that written words, not just calculations, express engineering content. ConclusionsThe findings better define the gap between student and practitioner writing, and are a basis for instructional materials that target important student writing weaknesses. Journal of Engineering EducationV C 2017 ASEE.

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Section: Study Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Practitioner and Student Writing in Civil Engineering

Conrad

2017

J of Engineering Edu

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“…As mentioned earlier, designers are available from two sources: external recruitment, and the induction of existing designers from other projects currently being undertaken by the design firm. The number of new designers decreases as they gain experience through the training/familiarization process (7). For externally recruited/internally transferred designers, there is a time period for recruiting/inducting (8) d/dt(New Designers) = Desnrs Recr − New Dgnrs Gng Exp New Designers = 0 (initial value is 0)…”

Section: Appendix Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of more importance is that design errors, if undetected, may lead to civil, geotechnical, or structural failures, which can have catastrophic consequences including severe injuries and even fatalities [11], [12], [14], [24], [52], [68]. "High-profile" construction and engineering failures that have led to fatalities include the Tay Bridge, Teton Dam, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, West Gate Bridge, Kansas Hyatt Regency, and more recently, the Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport [7], [29], [38], [59], [62], [68].…”

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confidence: 99%

Forensic Project Management: An Exploratory Examination of the Causal Behavior of Design-Induced Rework

Love

Edwards

Irani

2008

IEEE Trans. Eng. Manage.

114

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The determination as to why projects fail to meet planned schedule, cost, and quality parameters is a leitmotiv within the construction, engineering, and project management literature. Yet, the interrelatedness and behavior of key factors that influence these project performance indicators, particularly regarding design-error-induced rework, have received limited academic examination. Design-induced rework has been reported to contribute more than 70% of the total amount of rework experienced in construction and engineering projects. To address this situation, a forensic management approach to determining how and why rework occurred in a commercial construction project is undertaken. Using findings from this case study along with knowledge from the literature, a systemic causal model for design-error-induced rework is developed. Underlying behavioral dynamics that contributed to design errors (principally related to the management of the design documentation process) were modeled and simulated using system dynamics. The results of such an analysis yield insights about architectural and engineering professionals' decisionmaking and work practices that can influence the occurrence of design errors. The mitigation of design-induced errors would significantly reduce the amount of rework that architectural and engineering firms experience. This would bring with it greater profitability for such firms and improved project performance parameters (schedule, cost, and quality).

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“…In Kansas City, Missouri, the United States, the walkways of the Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed, killing about 114 people and injuring 200 (Banset & Parsons, 1989). The walkways collapsed due to a modification in design.…”

Section: Empirical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Policy Framework on Mitigating Building Failures in Kenya

BUCHA,

JUMA (Ph.D),

ONYANGO (Ph.D)

2020

strategicjournals.com

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This study focused on establishing the influence of policy framework on mitigating building failures in Kenya. The study population was drawn from institutions in both the National and County Governments involved in Policy and Legal formulation, planning and enforcement as well as regulatory professional bodies in the building sector. The total target population was eight hundred and seventy-seven (877) respondents, within the two levels of government. The study used stratified random sampling technique in selecting the sample. The sample size was 275 respondents. Primary data which was largely quantitative and descriptive in nature was collected by use of structured questionnaires. The questionnaire was pilot-tested to test whether the instruments were reliable and valid before administering in the actual study. In analyzing the data, regression analysis was carried out to identify the significance of each study variable. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, the mean, standard deviation and standard errors were used in describing the data. From the findings, it was clear that not all of the building professionals were aware of the building policies that were in place and being used and recommended that the institutions charged with the formulation and implementation of the building sector policies should involve the building sector professionals and stakeholders in the formulation, implementation and review of Sector Policies. The Study found out the existance of many policies in sector and recommended harmonization to a comprehensive and adequate policy that addresses all aspects of building process. The study suggested a further research to be conducted on the influence of governance framework on mitigating infrastructural project failures in Kenya.

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Communications Failure in Hyatt Regency Disaster

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

A Comparison of Practitioner and Student Writing in Civil Engineering

A Comparison of Practitioner and Student Writing in Civil Engineering

Forensic Project Management: An Exploratory Examination of the Causal Behavior of Design-Induced Rework

Influence of Policy Framework on Mitigating Building Failures in Kenya

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