Rana Plaza Collapse
What Happened?
On the 24th Apri 2013, Rana Plaza collapled killing 1134 people and injuring over 2400 people (Department for International Development and Foreign & Commonwealth Office 2014).
The structure originally housed a bank, shopping mall and office spaces, however Bangladesh was seen to be a growing figure in the ready made garment sector and the owner set out to capalitise on this and construct an additional two floors, that would be dedicated to textile factories (Mustafa & Islam 2013).
The structure was built upon swampy land which Rana aquired illegally by abusing his political powers (Mustafa & Islam 2013).
Rana Plaza was a six story building buitt for Sohel Rana in 2006 in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Tanvir 2019)
Why It Happened
The increased stress on the building as a result of the additional two floors. (Associated Press, 2013)
The top floors also housed 2 diesel generators as well as large textile machinery, placing additional weight on the structure (BBC News 2013; Our World 2013).
The selection of sub standard building materials that were used to construct the additional two floors. (Associated Press, 2013)
The vibrations caused by the generators and the textile machinery that were in use at the time of the collapse
Disreguard for local construction codes (Ethics Unwrapped ,2019)
Poor or lack of engineering design (Ethics Unwrapped ,2019) in reguards to the additional floors
Rana Plazas foundation was built on swampy land (Mustafa & Islam 2013).
Concerned workers had reported numerous issues with the structure from the sighting of large cracks to loud noises in the days leading up to the disaster (Hoskins 2015).
Rana failed to recognise the concerns of the general public and workers, and local authorities were forced to take action by evacuating the building until a certified engineer inspected the premises (Hoskins 2015).
When the building was inspected by an engineer, he concluded that a large supporting structure was weakened and therefore deemed the building unsafe and a risk to the public (Hoskins, 2015)
Rana ordered the workers back into the building, threatening them with the loss of saleries as well as their jobs if they were to refuse (Doherty 2013).
Illegally obtained permits for the construction of the two additional floors (Associated Press, 2013)
Nature of the System and System Parts
Design Failures and System Life Cycle
Nature of the System
Rana Plaza was originally built to house shops, office spaces and a bank
System Parts
System Life Cycle
Desgn Failures
Issue and findings relating to People, Workplace and Management
Workplace
Management
People
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Rana Plaza was built upon once swampy land. There was inadequate and substandard fill used to build up the site for the preperarion of the construction of the complex
Although the construction of the building was adequate when it was the original six stories, the additions of the extra two levels on the structure weakened the supporting pillars of the building.
The original building was only designed to bear the weight of six stories as well as the contents of shops, office furniture, and a financial instiution.
The addition of the two generators and heavy textile machinery was placed on the top floors, the original building was never designed to cope with the vibrations that the machines produced.
Concept
Construction
Maintenance
Decommissioning
Commissioning
The original purpose on Rana Plaza was to offer a building that included shops, a financial institution as well as office spaces for various Bangladesh buisnesses
The Concrtuction of the original building consisted on a steel reinforced concrete structure.
Concept Failure:
The owners of the complex illegally built an additional two stories on top of the original structure and dedicated them to textile manufacturing facilities.
Construction Failure
Management/ Organisational Failure: In order to cut construction costs, Rana insisted in using low quality construction materials, which included the iron rods which were used to reinforce the structure (Associated Press, 2013). 🚩
Once construction was finished there was no commissioing process of the building,
Commissioning Faliure
Because there was no documented commsioning process or final approval of the building, there was no safeguard to raise or fix any issues with the building that may have been present.
There was no documented maintenance process for Rana Plaza.
Maintenance Failure
Because of the lack or non existant maintenance on the building, vital signs that the building may have been showing weaknesses in the supporting structure may have been missed
Rana Plaza never made it to the decommissioning stage. However if the owners had identified that the original structure was unsuitable to cope with the increased load on the additional floors and heavy machinery, then the oriinal Plaza could have been decommissioned and a new structure built that could cope with the additional weight and vibrations that were emotted form the heavy machinery
Selection of sub standard building materials used for the construction of the supporting structure
Individual Factors
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Sohel Rana monetarily bribed a political contact into approving the additional two stories illegally
The owner, Sohel Rana used his political influences to obtain the land where Rana Plaza was to be built
The political party in power at the time, the then ruling Awami League. It was evident that there was a great deal of corruption within the political scene in Bangladesh at the time of the collapse. The political party accepted bribes from Rana so that he coud construct the additional two stories ontop of the existing building
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure: Lack of action taken from the Rana. When large cracks were reported in the building, Rana should have taken the engineers and authoriies warnings that the building was unsafe.
Complacency
There were reports that Rana tryed to play down the largecracks in the supporting pillar, saying that only the gyprock had cracked and needed replacing.
🚩Latent Failure: Complacency by Rana by not thinking he knew better that the inspecting engineer and authorities, he ultimatly over ruled their decision to close the building, and forced workers back inside by threatening them with their jobs and loss of wages
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure: The workers within the textile factories were forced to re-enter the crippled building as they were threatened with loss of wages and job loss. Even though most workers were aware of the poor state the buiding was in, they could not afford to lose their job or any income.
Work Environment
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Site Design
🚩Active Failure: The machinery on the top floors also emitted vibrations through the building, which was contributed to weakening the structure
🚩Active Failure: The placement of large machinery, which included generators and textile maunfacturing machinery, on the top floors placed considerable weight on the allready weakened structure.
🚩 Design Failure: The construction of the additonal two stories atop the existing building compromised its structural integrity
The building was originally only constructed to be six stories
🚩 Design Failure: Rana Plaza was constructed on land that was once a swamp.
Cramped working environment for factory workers, impacting on evacation of the building
Large amounts of noise and vibations being omitted by the machiners on the top floors of the building
Management Decisions
Policy and Procedures
Organisational System Failures
🚩Management / Organisational Failure: Managements lack to identify hazards within the building, in this case the cracks that appeared in one of the supporting columns.
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure: Managements decision to disreguard engineers recomendations to close the building in fear of collapse
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure:Managements decision to threaten workers of the textile manufacturing facilities in order to make them re-enter the building and continuing work
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure:Managements decision to over-rule authorities call to evacuate the building after the cacks had been found.
Because Bangladesh is a third-world country, with very little income. Cuts were taken at all levels of management. Because of this, there were no policys or procedures in place at the time, as there wasa bigger push in getting work done, as opposed to getting work done safely
Design Deficencies
There was a huge downfall in the designing of the additional two floors that were constructed atop Rana Plaza. There was not enough concideration in the existing structures load limitations. No planning or tests were carried out to establish that the existing structure could handel the additional weight of the proposed two floors and the weight of the contents within the two floors
Design Failure: Rana Plaza was not designed to withstand the weight of the additional two levels 🚩
Diesel Generators
Texile Machinery
Industrial Sewing Machines
Rana Plaza Structure (Original six stories)
🚩 Design Failure: Additional 2 stories of textile factories on top of the original Rana Plaza
🚩 Design Failure: Land on which Rana Plaza was constructed
Third-world working conditions and the states of the building was seen as normal
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure: Non Structured work environment. The owner of the building basically dictated his orders to the rest of the staff and workers.
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure:No organisational structure
🚩 Management / Organisational Failure: Unable to challenge the owners decision because of fear of loosing their jobs. Thoes working in the textile factories didnt have a voice, or a means to express their concerns to management
The textile companies which operated out of the factories
The Workers within the factories
🚩 Government / Organisational Failure :Auhorities not taking a stronge stance towards Rana, throug fear from his political relationships
Global demand for Ready Made Garments and the low costs to produce them in Bangladesh
🚩 Organisation Faliure: Bangladesh Government. Lack of enforced laws to prohibit illegal building and lack of punishment for thoes who do.
The building then adopted another use when an additional two floors were constructed on the existing structure
Rana Plaza then served as a Textile manufacturing workshop to keep up with the growing global demand for Ready Made Garments
The textile factories were there to increase Ranas return on the property, The more tenants he had, the bigger income he had.
Latent Failure: Rana Plaza was not designed to take the weight of two additional floors. 🚩