Beyond Silo Failures: Legal Implications and Lessons Learned
Publication: Forensic Engineering 2022
ABSTRACT
While engineers are devastated when they first learn of a failure of a structure that they have designed, modified, or participated in its construction, this is just the beginning of an often years-long litigation journey if, eventually, there are legal claims as a consequence of that failure. Failures of silos in industrial facilities bring another level of complexity due to the number of parties involved (e.g., contractors, subcontractors, equipment suppliers, raw material suppliers, owners, plant operators, and maintenance personnel), the level of complexity in these industrial systems, and the cost of the equipment damaged as well as downtime, and potentially, serious injuries or loss of life. There are many causes of silo failures including design, construction, usage, and maintenance. During the long process of designing and constructing a silo, many omissions or oversights can occur. Many of these are due to the lack of training in this specialized field and the paucity of reliable, useful information in the literature, including relevant codes available for engineers in charge of the design of silo structures. Engineers in charge of the design and construction of silos as well as similar industrial facilities used to store and/or process bulk solids will benefit from this paper as they will be able to better understand the legal implications beyond silo failures. Engineers involved in forensic engineering and insurance claims will be able to gather information on the engineering as well as the legal side of failures in industrial storage facilities for bulk solids.
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Forensic Engineering 2022
Pages: 922 - 931
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Published online: Nov 2, 2022
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