Failures - Rana Plaza Building Collapse

5/8/2015 FailuresRanaPlazaBuildingCollapse

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TableofContentsIntroductionBuildingDescriptionSummaryofEventsInvestigation&CauseofFailureRescueEfforts

AftermathConclusionPhotoCreditsBibliography

RanaPlazaBuildingCollapseSavar,BangladeshApril24,2013GarrettSchwier,ArchitecturalEngineering,BAE/MAE

IntroductionOnApril24,2013,thestructureoftheRanaPlazabuildingcatastrophicallycollapsed, bringing down the entire 8story reinforced concrete structure.ThePlazawasoriginallydesignedasafourstorybuildingprimarilyforretailstoreuse,butwasinsteadoccupiedbygarmentfactories.Withadeathtollof 1,129 people, it is the deadliest accidental building collapse in history.(Dietz)Multiplefactorsledtotheinadequacyofthedesignofthebuilding'sstructure, including illegal construction, poor regulation of codes andinspections, and dangerous ignorance by themanagerial staff. ThePlazawasownedbySohelRana,whousedhisaggressive tenacityandpoliticalconnections to acquire illegal permits and bribe government officials toapprove construction. On the day prior to the collapse, warning signs ofnumerous cracks throughout structure and caution expressed by localengineers were ignored by the garment factory owner and managers,leadingtounsafeoccupationofthebuildingandthetragicdeathsofoverathousand workers. In the aftermath of the collapse, changes are beingmade in the Bangladesh building codes, inspection procedures, and safety standards of factories.Pressured by the Bangladeshi public's outrage and encouraged by foreign governments, worldorganizations, and retail companies, three major initiatives have been enacted to improve factoryconditions and enforcement of regulations. The initiatives are all designed to encourage saferconstruction practices and working conditions, to empower industry inspectors, and to requireincreased involvement from the corporations who contract work to the factories. With theseimperatives in place and through continued emphasis from the public and theworld, the systems inplaceinBangladeshcanbeimprovedandmadebothsaferandmoreefficient.

BuildingDescription
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Figure1:CrossSectionoftheRanaPlazaStructure(PhotocourtesyofJeanaRippleandBarbaraPorada.PendingApproval.)

RanaPlazawasaneightstory reinforcedconcretestructure,withaninthstoryunderconstructionatthe time of the collapse. The buildingwas rectangular in shapewith a glass facade entrance at thefront end. Two stair towers near the rear of the building were the main escape routes in times ofemergency.Thislayoutwasnotadequateforsafeevacuationduringtimesofemergency,aclearcodeviolation, which was one of many. The first and second floors of the Plaza were rented by offices,shops, and a bank, and the third through eighth floors of the building were rented by garmentmanufacturers.Thestructureof thebuildingwascastinplaceconcretewithsteel reinforcement.Thedesignwassimpleinnaturewithflatslabssupportedbytypicalbeamsandcolumns.Theinteriorofthebuilding was dimly lit and does not have dedicated air conditioning technologies. Fans wereoccasionally used to induce air flow and to disperse the heat that gathered in the building.Workingconditionswerenotpleasant,astapleof thegarment industry.Fourdieselgenerators locatedon theroofofthebuildingwereinstalledasameansofemergencypowerduringfrequentpoweroutagesthatthe city experiences. They were known to activate over a dozen times per day in order to restoreelectricityandclothingproduction.(Motlagh2014)

Rana Plaza was opened in August 2009 and by 2011, the third through eighth floors were fullyoccupied by garment factories. Each floor was rented by a different company, each with their ownmaterials, supplies, equipment, and personnel. Combined across all renters, the building brought inabout1.5millioneurosannually,about1.85millionUSdollars.(Motlagh2014)



SummaryofEventsOnApril23,2013,visiblecrackscouldbeseen throughout thestructureof theRanaPlaza,primarilyontheseventhfloor.Someofthesecrackswereasmuchastwoinchesdeepanddeeplyalarmedtheworkersinsidethebuilding.BecauseofthesecracksthePlazawasimmediatelyevacuatedandalocalengineerbroughtintoassessthesituation.Afterhisreview,theengineerrecommendedthatitremaincloseduntil itcouldbeinspectedbyprofessionalengineersandtechnicians.Aroundthistime,alocalnews station arrived to report the story, spreading awareness of the situation for hundreds ofmiles.Ignoringtheengineer,SohelRanahadhisowninspectorsandengineersexaminethebuilding.Throughbribesandother influence,hewasabletoconvincethemtoopenRanaPlazaforoperation.(Wheartyet al. 2014) Sohel ignored the warnings from other engineers and the dangers of the building, andthought only of continuing production at any cost. He was fueled by both insatiable greed and thepressure from major corporate clients to deliver merchandise orders on schedule. Delays could becatastrophic to client relations because corporate clients demanded quick turn around on contracts.Thenextday,April24,alargecrowdofseveralhundredhadgatheredoutsideofRanaPlaza,manyofwhomwereirateandconfusedworkers.Theyhadassumedthatthebuildingwouldremainclosebaseduponthewarningfromtheengineer,buttheyhadreceivednoticetoshowforwork.Regardless,manyof the crowdwere extremely hesitant to enter the dangerously unstable complex and return towork.Sohel, recognizing their hesitation,went to factorymanagersandsupervisorsand told them to forcepeople inside. They threatened to retain overtime pay or to fire workers if they did not enter thebuilding.(Motlagh2014)

Faced with no other option the workers entered Rana Plaza and returned to work at approximately8:45am.At9:00am, thepowercutout,averycommonoccurrence inBangladesh.Thegeneratorsonthe roof activated, restoring power and sending vibrations through the building, as typical. Thisvibrationwas noticeably stronger than typical and caused the building to shake violently. Panicked,workersbegantorunforexits,butbeforetheycouldcouldescapethestructure,therewasaloudclapandthebuildingbegantoprogressivelyfailfromthetopdown,eachfloorcollapsingontopoftheotherinapancakefashion.Inunderaminutetheentirebuildinghadcollapsed,asseeninFigure2below.Itisbelieved that thecollapsepropagatedon the7th flooratasouthwestcornercolumn,most likelyacolumnunderneathoneormoreof theelectricalgenerators.As this floorcollapsed, itoverloaded thefloorbelow leading to furthercollapse, trappingseveral thousandpeople insideanetworkofconcreteandsteel.(Motlagh2014)



Figure2:RanaPlazashortlyaftercollapse.(PhotoCourtesyofWikimediaCommons.)

Investigation&CauseofFailureShortlyafterthecollapse,theBangladeshigovernmentorganizedanddirectedahighlevelcommitteeto investigate the disaster site and determine the causes of the failure. Through their investigation,they discovered several contributing causes, many developing from the beginning moments of itsconstruction.Thesecauseswere:

Unsuitablelandformultistoryconstruction.Useofpoorqualityconstructionmaterials.Loadsplacedonthebuildingthatwerenotwithindesigncriteria.Poorregulationandenforcementofbuildingcodes.Highdemandwithinthegarmentmarket.

The land underneath the Rana Plaza was unsuitable for construction. In their report, thecommittee stated that "the ground theRanaPlazawas built onwas unfit for amultistory building".(Wheartyetal.2014)Beforeconstruction,amarshyswamp landwithasmallpondcouldbeseenatthe site of thePlaza.The soil compositionof the landwasunstableandhad inadequate strength tosupporttheweightofthebuilding.(Dietz)However,insteadofremovingtheunstablesoilandreplacingitwithbetter,strongersoilwiththestrengthneededtosupportthebuilding,rubbishandtrashwasusedto fill in the swamp. Sohel was able to bribe officials to grant him the permits necessary for



construction,despite thepoorsoilstrength.Also,hebribedseveralengineersand the localmayor tosignoffontheprojectandallowconstructiontoproceed.Thesepoorgroundconditionswerenotabletosupporttheloadsofthebuildinganditisbelievedtheyleadtodifferentialsettlement,weakeningthestructure.(Wheartyetal.2014)

Thecommitteefoundthatconstruction"usedextremelypoorquality ironrodsandcement". ItwascommonforcheapermaterialstobeusedinconstructioninBangladesh.Someofthiscamefromaneffort tocut costson theproject,andsomeof it came from inexperienceof thebuilders.For thePlaza,cementusedtomaketheconcreteincludedtoomuchsand,makingitmorebrittleandweak.Inaddition, thesubfloorswerecast toothinanddidnothavethenecessarydepthandstrengthneededtodisperseandsupporttheloadsofthebuilding.Thereinforcingsteelusedintheconcretealsohaditsshare of issues. Due to unavailability and high cost, it was a difficultmaterial to obtain. In order todecreasethebudget,lesssteelwasembeddedintheconcretethanwascalledforinthedesign.Thisdrastically decreased the overall strength of the concrete and made it much more susceptible totension loads. The committee postulated that had the proper amount of steel been used within theconcrete, the collapse may have been localized rather than progressive. Furthermore, smooth barswereusedasreinforcing,ratherthanthetypicaltexturedbarsusedtoday.(Dietz)Smoothbarsdonotform as strong of a bond with concrete because the smooth surface does not facilitate a strongconnectionwith theaggregate.Texturedbarsprovideanundulating surface that gives theaggregatesomething to "grip"onto,providingmore tensilesupportwithin theconcrete.Withbothan inadequateamountofsteelandauseofsmoothbarsovertexturedbars,thestructurewasweakerthandesignedandwassusceptibletotensionloads.(Wheartyet.al2014)

Loadswereaddedtothebuildingthatwerenotintheoriginaldesign.ThePlazawasplannedtobe a fourstory building that would house primarily retail and office space. However, four additionalfloors were illegally added to the structure, with a ninth under construction.at the time of collapse.Throughbribesandextortion,SohelRanahadtheseextrafloorsbuiltwithoutgettingtheproperpermitsorapproval fromthe localgovernment. (Motlagh2014)The illegalconstructionmore thandoubled theheight of the building and put tremendous stress on the structure. Furthermore, the building wasdesigned tohandle the loadsofofficeand retail space,butwas insteadusedmostly inan industrialcapacity.The first andsecond floorswereoccupiedbybanksand retail space,but the third througheighthfloorswereoccupiedbygarmentfactories.Thesefactoriesmeantmuchlargerloadscreatedbyheavy sewing equipment, hundreds of employees, and large stockpiles of garments and fabrics.(Wheartyetal.2014)Thedesignloadsforoffice,retail,andmanufacturingoccupancytypesfromtheBangladeshNationalBuildingCodearebrokendowninTable1below.

Table1:UniformDesignLoadsinBangladeshDesignandConstruction(CourtesyoftheBangladeshNationalBuildingCode)



AscanbeseeninTable1, theuniformloadsforofficeandretailoccupancytypesareverysimilar inscale.Ontheotherhand,theuniformloadsformanufacturingoccupancytypewereconsiderablylargerandcouldbeup to twiceas large.Dependingon theactualweightcreatedby the factories,which ispresumablyintherangeof125to250psf,theloadplacedonthebuildingcouldbenearlytwicewhatitwasactuallydesignedfor.Evenwiththefactorsofsafetybuiltintocalculationsandintotheseuniformloads,thisisanaddedweightthatcouldnotbesafelywithstoodbythestructure.Inaddition,fourlargediesel generators were installed on the roof of the Plaza in order to backup the electricity of thebuilding,whichwent out frequently. The roofwas certainly not built towithstand theweight of thesegenerators, each weighing several metric tons. (Motlagh 2014) Furthermore, when activated, thegeneratorscausednoticeableshakingofthestructure, jeopardizingit further.Itwasthisvibrationthatultimately unsettled the building and set off the progressive collapse. (Whearty et al. 2014) Thelocationwherethesegeneratorswereplacedontheroofisnotexactlydocumented.However,itcanbetheorizedthatoneormorewas locatedover thefailingsouthwestcolumn,sincethegeneratorswerethecauseofthecollapsethatbeganinthatlocation.

RegulationsandbuildingcodesinBangladeshwererarelyfullyenforced.CorruptionandpoliticsplayamajorrolethroughouttheconstructionindustryinBangladesh.Buildingownersareabletoexerttheirinfluenceinordertogetaroundthelawortoconvinceofficialstoallowwhattheywant.TherearenumerousinstanceswhereconstructionoftheRanaPlazashouldhavebeenstoppedorcorrected,butit wasn't. Sohel Rana was able to take advantage of the deficiencies in the system through hisconnections topoliticalalliesandhiswealth.Notonlydidhemakesure that inspectionswere rarelyperformed, but Sohelwas able to bribe officials to build on a rejected plot of land, to add additionalfloors to thebuilding, and to convinceworkers toenter thebuildingdespite the cracksandwarningsfromengineers.(Motlagh2014)Heusedhispoliticalconnectionstoobtainpermitsandpermissionstobuild. Unfortunately, thePlaza isn't the only buildingwhere these immoral and illegal practiceswerefollowed.According to theBangladeshbuildingcode,allnewconstructionmustapply forandreceiveanoccupancycertificatefromagovernmentorganization.However,onlysixhavebeenproperlyissuedsince 2008, despite estimates of over 4,000 buildings built each year. (Whearty et al. 2014) Thisstatistic clearly shows that there is a significant level of corruption throughout the Bangladeshconstructionindustry,allowingbuildingownerstoeasilyabusethesystem.



Figure3:Localsandotherrescueworkersscanthedebrisforsurvivors.(PhotocourtesyofWikimediaCommons.)

Thereisaveryhighworldwidedemandforcheapgarments.Consumersthroughouttheworldenjoypurchasingmassquantitiesofclothingandothermerchandiseatthelowestpossiblecost.Theydemandtheabilitytobuycheapshirts,jeans,dresses,andotherclothing,withlittlethoughtofhowtheproductsaremade.Corporationsrespondtothisdemandbyplacingpressureontheirinternationalfactoriestoproduceclothesquicklyandatlowcost.Theyrespondpoorlytodelaysorissuesintheprocess,oftenlayingdownharshpenaltiesinresponse.Thiscorporatepressurethenleadsfactoryownersandmanagerstoworktheirlaborerstirelessly,requiringlonghoursoflaborforlittlepay.Itisthishighlevelofdemandthatleadtothepoorworkingconditionsthatplaguegarmentfactoriesthroughouttheworld,particularlyinBangladesh.ThepressuresthatSohelfacedfromthisindustryleadhimtomakemanypoordecisions,thatsadlyleadtothedeathsofoverathousandworkers.(Motlagh2014)

RescueEfforts

Immediatelyfollowingthecollapse,policeandfirebrigadeweredispatchedtoRanaPlaza,buttheydidnotarrivefor10to15minutes.Thefirstresponderstothescenewereseveralhundredlocalresidentswhohadheardthecollapseorheardofthecollapseandcametoassistthosetrappedinsidetherubble.Manypeoplevoluntarilyenteredthedebrisfield,riskingtheirownlives,inordertosaveasmanyofthevictimsaspossible,ascanbeseeninFigure3and4totheright.Theyalsobroughtsuppliessuchaswater,medicine,andbandagestohelpanyoneinneed.Iftheywererunninglowonanyvaluablematerials,theyutilizedsocialmediatocommunicatewitheachotherandaskforadditionalsupplies.Asemergencypersonnelarrivedandrescueeffortsintensified,somesurvivorshadtobephysicallycutfromtherubbletheyweretrappedunder.Inmanyunfortunateinstances,theyhadtobeamputatedinthefieldinordertobesafelyfreed.FromthePlaza,allwoundedweretransportedtoEnamMedicalCollege&Hospital,locatedlessthanamileaway.Thehospitalwasonlysetuptotreat750patientsandwasquicklyovercapacity.Makeshiftbedsweresetuptoholdmorepatientsandfirstyearmedicalstudentswerecalledintoassistthestaffofthehospital.Nearbymedicalfacilitiessentsuppliestorestockthehospital'sreservesastheyweredepletedtotreatallofthe

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Figure4:Rescuerspreparetoscanthewreckageforsurvivors.(PhotocourtesyofWikimediaCommons)

wounded.

Rescuersworkedquicklyagainsttheclock.Trappedvictimsfaceddeathfromdehydration.exposuretohightemperatures,oxygendepletion,andtheirinjuries.OnMay13,after20days,rescueeffortswereconcludedwithover2,500survivorspulledfromthedebris.Thegovernmenthadbeenillpreparedtodealwiththescopeofthedisasteranditwasprimarilytheheroiceffortsofthelocalresidentswhosavedthelivesofsomanypeople.

AftermathIntheaftermathofthecollapse,changehasbeenusheredintoBangladesh'sgovernmentandit'sbuildingindustry.Internationalorganizations,foreignallies,localinstitutions,andlargeretailershavebeenstrongpromotersofimprovingtheworkingsituationsforgarmentfactoryworkers.Inaddition,theBangladeshpublichasbeeninoutragesincethedisasterandhasprominentlyvoicedtheirdesireforchangetotheindustryandtheirworkingconditions.ThecatalystofthismovementcomesfromthecollapseofRanaPlaza.Intheweeksfollowingthetragedy,publicprotestsofthegarmentindustrywerecommonplace.OnMay1,oneofthelargestprotestsoccurredwithseveralthousandworkersmarchingthroughDhakatoprotestpoorworkingconditions.InJune2013,alargeprotestnearthesiteofthePlazawasbrokenupbypoliceusingteargasandbatons.Theunrestcontinuedasworkersdemandedanincreaseinminimumwagefrom$37permonthto$104permonth.Facingpressurefromupsetworkersandthegovernment,inNovember2013,theBangladeshGarmentManufacturersandExportsAssociation(BGMEA)raisedtheminimumwageto$68permonth,ahugevictoryfortheworkers.



AnothervictoryforthepeopleofBangladeshwasthefirstsuccessfultrialagainstamemberofthegarmentfactoryindustryinDecember2013.DelwarHossain,hiswife,and11factorymanagerswerechargedwithculpablehomicideafterTazreenFashionsburneddownkilling117people.Flammablechemicalswereimproperlystoredinthefactoryandtheexitpathswerenotclearforescape.Thehighlevelstateinvestigationaccusedthemof"unpardonablenegligence".AnumberofpeoplewerealsoarrestedduringthemonthsfollowingtheRanaPlazacollapse,includingengineers,managers,andpoliticians.Oneofthechiefengineersoftheproject,themayorofSavar,andmostofthemanagersofthebuildingfacechargesforthedeathsoftheworkers.Sohelisstillinprisonawaitingpoliceprosecution.

Sincethecollapse,threemajorinitiativeshavebeenenactedtoimproveconditionsinBangladesh:theAccordonFireandBuildingSafety,theAllianceforBangladeshWorkerSafety,andajointstrategybetweentheUnitedNationsandBangladesh.Allthreeinitiativesaredesignedtoencouragesafeconstructionandworkpractices,empowertheindustrytohavemoreregularinspectionsbyhiringadditionalinspectors,andincreasecorporationinvolvementbyrequiringthemtopayforupgradestotheirfactorybuildingsinordertoreachappropriatesafetystandards.TheAccordisalegallybindingdocumentlastingfiveyearsforthecompanieswhosignitandprimarilyinvolvescountriesfromtheEuropeanUnion.Itrequirescorporationstohireathirdpartytoconductinspectionsoftheirfactoriesandprotectsworkersbygivingthemthefreedomtovoicetheirconcernswithoutthefearofbeingfiredandguaranteesworkerssalaryeveniftheycannotworkduetofactoryrenovationsorstoppages.TheAllianceinvolvesmainlyUScompaniesandretailers,andaimstobringthemtogethertoinspect100%oftheirfactorieswithin5yearsandsetthemtosafetystandards.ThebiggestdifferencebetweentheAllianceandtheAccordistheAlliancerelievescorporationsofmostoftheliabilitytheywouldfaceifaccidentsweretooccur.

ConclusionThereweremanydifferentfactorsthatleduptothecollapseoftheRanaPlazaonApril24,2013,makingitdifficulttopinpointoneissueasthedecidingfault.Thebuildingitselfhadstructuralintegrityissuesduetototheweaksoilfoundationbeneath,theuseofpoorqualitymaterialsduringconstruction,increasedloadsduetoadditionalfloorsandachangeinoccupancytypefromthedesign,andfourrooftopgeneratorsthatshookthebuildingduringoperation.Thesephysicalissuescombinedwithainspectionandregulationsystemthatfailedtocheckthebuilding,noticetheapparentissues,andceaseconstructionoroperationduetotheunsafenatureofthebuilding,createdaverydangeroussituationthatsadlyresultedinthecollapseofthePlazaandthedeathsandinjuriestothousandsofworkers.SohelRana,likemanybuildingownersinBangladesh,usedhispower,money,andpoliticalconnectionstocheatthesystem,acquireillegalpermits,andignoreprofessionalopinion,leadingtoimmoraldecisionsthatputthousandsinharmsway.

Ifthereisasilverliningtothishorrificevent,itisthattheterriblenatureofthetragedyhasshockedtheworldandtheBangladeshgovernmentandpeopleintoaction.ThroughtheinactionoftheAccord,theAlliance,andtheUN/Bangladeshagreement,changewillbeseeninthegarmentindustryinBangladeshandthroughouttheworld.Overthenextseveralyears,workingconditionswillbemadesaferasunsafegarmentfactoriesareshutdownandthecorporationswhousethempaytohavethemrenovatedintosafeoperation.

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Failures - Rana Plaza Building Collapse