Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Did A lack of Waterproofing on Elevated Concrete Walkway Cause the Failure That Killed a Firefighter?

I have to wonder after reading this article at D&D Durability & Design

"Significant deterioration, weathering and corrosion caused a walkway collapse that killed a firefighter last month at the University of Missouri, engineers have found.

A "concrete shear failure" was responsible for the collapse of an elevated exterior walkway Feb. 22 at the University Village housing complex in Columbia, MO, according to a recent report by structural engineers, authorities and local news outlets.

A 23-year veteran of the Columbia Fire Department died while working the accident scene."

A copy of the "Cause of Failure Report" is available here.

“In general, the walkway support beams, metal deck and concrete slab were all found to be significantly deteriorated,” structural engineer Patrick Earney, PE, wrote in the report.



That sounds like a lack of waterproofing to me, even without reading the report completely. 

What do you think? Can your Association or Apartment Community risk failure of a walkway and the death of someone simply from poor or a lack of waterproofing? 


Bill Leys-The Deck Expert
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