Rana Plaza building collapse - Essay Example

Every structure is design specific observing the building codes and laws accurately. Rana Plaza buildings failure to observe building codes rendered it a failure. Gomes reports on an article open security published on 9 May 2013 that in Bangladesh, any permission for constructing high-rise building is obtainable through bribes, and the building built without procuring suitable materials. Unsuitable materials in most cases comprise substandard materials lacking the desired strength to withstand the forces and pressures exerted and imposed by the structure.

That automatically leads to an eventual failure and collapse of the structure. In addition to the substandard materials used, the load bearing columns were found to have been erected haphazardly. Live loads in a structure exerts pressure it as well as the dead loads. The workers form part of the live loads exerting a weight on the structure. The overcrowded workers at Rana Plaza building exerted more loading than the structure could bear. That could lead to an eventual collapse. An early assessment conducted by NGO Asian Disaster Preparedness Center reveals the building was built primarily and purely for retail purposes.

However, the building hosted three garment factories with electrical generators. The generators together shook and vibrated the poorly constructed building exerting a weight estimated to be six times more than the intended weight bearing capacity of the building. The excess loading on the structure led to its eventual collapse. Industrial police asked the garment factory owners at Rana Plaza to keep the factories shut and only proceed further procedures after consulting with expert structural engineer.

The bosses failed to respond to the directives and forced the workers in threatening them of pay cut. The presence of the workers in the already weak building exerted more pressure on it thereby causing the collapse. The bosses ignored calls by the employees who saw cracks on the