A Disaster in the Making at Rana Plaza

In A Disaster in the Making at Rana Plaza, you'll learn ...

• The root cause of a building collapse in Bangladesh that killed 1,134 people
• Application of the NSPE Code of Ethics to this case study
• Unique challenges for U.S. engineers working in a foreign country
• Basic overviews of the concrete, structural, and geotechnical designs of the Rana Plaza

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 2 PDH

Length: 30 pages

As a Professional Engineer, you may be tasked with working on international projects. This comes with a host of potential complications and additional concerns. Although PEs in the United States are held to an array of standards, whether ethical or technical, foreign companies, contractors, and clients will likely be held to a different set of standards. It is necessary to ensure that you are familiar with these standards and the companies with whom you are working with to protect yourself and your firm. The collapse of the Dhaka garment factory in 2013 highlights what can go wrong when political interests and foreign influence can affect the quality and ultimate outcome of a project.

On April 24th, 2013, the Dhaka garment factory in the Rana Plaza collapsed. Hairline cracks were discovered in the structure about six weeks before major cracks were seen, and the major cracks were severe enough that the lower floors, which contained a bank and several shops, were closed on April 23rd. Despite pressure from the media and the advice of a structural inspector and engineer, Sohel Rana, the building’s owner, declared the structure safe and ordered factory workers to return to work the next day. Some workers were threatened with the loss of income or employment if they did not return.

The Dhaka garment factory collapse is considered the deadliest non-deliberate structural failure accident in modern history. Around 4,000 people were inside the building at the time of the collapse, and 1,134 died, while over 2,500 were injured.

In this course, you will learn the root cause of the Dhaka garment factory collapse. as well as the mistakes, oversights and missed opportunities that contributed to the disaster. Although there were no U.S. engineers involved in the design or construction of the building, there are lessons to be learned from this tragedy. This course will explore the unique challenges that U.S. engineers face when working on foreign projects, as well as how the tenets of the NSPE Code of Ethics apply to this case study. One of the best ways that we can honor the memory of victims of engineering disasters is by learning from them so that future tragedies can be avoided. You’ll take away from this course valuable lessons learned from the Dhaka garment factory collapse that you can apply to your own professional practice.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• The causes of the Rana Plaza collapse
• Ethical codes that are relevant to the case study
• Basic guidelines of providing engineering services abroad
• Basic concrete and geotechnical issues that can arise when less than adequate exploration is performed
• How this disaster captured the world stage for a brief moment and turned the fashion industry upside down

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 12 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.