Structural-Safety industry advice issued following steel frame building collapse

Do you work with structural steel frame buildings? If so, read on...

A new Alert guidance document published by Structural-Safety* incorporating CROSS (Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety) and SCOSS (Standing Committee on Structural Safety) and the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) provides an insight into problems encountered on-site including post failure analysis that identifies what went wrong. 

Who is the alert aimed at?

It is aimed at designers, steelwork fabricators, main contractors, and building control.

What type of building does it apply to?

It applies to permanent and temporary buildings, particularly those with unusual features (such as elements supported by hangers), where partial or local failure could lead to more widespread catastrophic collapse.

What are the issues and conclusions?

Connections are vitally important and failure has often been attributed to deficiencies in the design or fabrication of connections. Welding processes must therefore be strictly adhered to in terms of design, preparation, implementation, inspection and testing, and approval.

The difficulties you may find with site welding mustn’t be underestimated. Should bolted connections on site not fit, then consult the designer before any alterations are made.

The guidance document makes a number of recommendations both prior to and during construction.

*Structural-Safety works with the professions, industry and government on safety matters concerned with the design, construction and use of building and civil engineering structures.

Further information

Before and after images courtesy of the Ilford Recorder showing the steel frame of the City Gates Christian Centre which collapsed in Janary 2012.

Read: http://www.structural-safety.org/media/397083/scoss-alert-structural-stability-integrity-of-steel-frame-buildings-in-their-temporary-and-permanent-condition-final-31-jan-2017-.pdf