FIU Bridge Collapse
The Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapsed in March of 2018 and killed 6 people while 8 other sustained injuries (Zhou, Di & Tu, 2019). The companies mandated for the construction of the project were FIGG Bridge Engineers and Munilla Construction Management. The design of the project was under the oversight of the Florida Department of Transportation rather than under the National Transportation Safety Board. However, the National Transportation Safety Board later realized that Florida International University did not have professional engineers, and thus it hired contractors to provide expertise during the design of the project. Cracks were noticed at the north end of the project by the leading engineer of the project, and he voice mailed an employee of the Florida Department of Transportation. The engineer believed that the cracks were not safety issues that needed immediate attention, and it could be repaired at later dates. One of the university staff heard sounds of cracks from the bridge and immediately the design team assembled at the project to probe the cracks.
Engineers from the FIGG Company concluded that there was no compromise with the structural integrity of the project, and thus the cracks presented no safety concerns. FIGG engineers added that there would be no repairs on the cracks. Pokharel (2019), states that on the 15th, March of 2018, the north part of the bridge span sunk and collapsed. A United States senator and professor of the Florida International University wrote on his tweeter account that the engineers used tightened cables that were supposed to be loose, workers added extra tension to the steel rods. The National Transportation Safety Board launched investigations on the collapse of the bridge. The findings of the National Transportation Safety Board were that the structural design of the bridge had defaults, engineers ignored the cracks and the Florida Department of Transportation construction requirements were violated.
ASCE Canon of Ethics
During the construction of the Florida International University pedestrian bridge, several canons of ethics of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)were violated. When an employee of the university noticed some cracks on the bridge and notified the relevant authorities, there was a meeting at the project by the design team, and afterwards, the engineers from the FIGG Company concluded that there was no compromise with the structural integrity of the project and thus the cracks presented no safety concerns. FIGG engineers added that there would be no repairs on the cracks, and this was unethical because the engineers were threatening the safety of the public. Consequently, the engineers broke the first canon of the ASCE canon of ethics, which states that Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and wealth of the public (Hoke, 2019). The unethical behavior of the engineers claimed the lives of 6 people, 8 were injured, and 8 vehicles were crushed. The engineers should have notified the public of the cracks and crossed the roadway passing near the bridge.
The structural engineers developed a default design of the project, they assumed the cracks in the bridge, and they also tightened cables that were supposed to be loosened, and through such behaviors, the engineers acted irresponsibly and unethically. By acting unethically and irresponsibly, the engineers were tainting the reputation of the engineering profession. Therefore the engineers broke the sixth canon of the ASCE code of ethics which holds that “Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation and usefulness of the profession” (Tang & Nieusma, 2017). To uphold the ethics of the ASCE engineering canons, the engineers should have developed a perfect design of the bridge, and they should have also taken into consideration the identified cracks to prevent severe consequences.
References
Hoke, T. (2019). Does ASCE’s Code of ethics Apply to Personal Behavior?. Civil Engineering Magazine Archive, 89(6), 42-43.
Zhou, X., Di, J., & Tu, X. (2019). Investigation of the collapse of Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge. Engineering Structures, 200, 109733.
Pokharel, H. P. (2019, April). Tracing load path in a concrete truss bridge and developing a design for a typical node: reference to the FIU Pedestrian Bridge that collapsed in March 2018. In Australian Small Bridges Conference, 9th, 2019, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
Tang, X., & Nieusma, D. (2017). Contextualizing the Code: Ethical Support and Professional Interests in the Creation and Institutionalization of the 1974 IEEE Code of Ethics. Engineering Studies, 9(3), 166-194.a