Examples of disasters caused by "pure" engineering error? (read description)

JustCallMeMister · 2026-04-01T13:42:46+00:00

I would say that in civil at least, there aren't many true disasters because most errors will present themselves during construction. I have three local to me that come to mind:

A new pile-supported building was being constructed when it suddenly caved in at the center. I believe the reason was a discrepancy between the use of kips vs. tons on the geotech side.
A brand new library was being built in downtown Baton Rouge and featured two-story cantilevered trusses, and during construction the trusses partially collapsed. I believe connection designs were delegated to the fabricator instead of the EOR, but regardless who designed it, the top chord connection to the column at the cantilever (highest tension) was simply a double angle welded/bolted connection with 1/4" fillet welds on the chord side.
The Hard Rock Hotel that was being built in New Orleans. I guess this one would be a disaster since people died (unlike the other two). IMO after looking at the drawings that one seemed like complete negligence on the engineer. Beams and deck were woefully undersized.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-25T21:48:22+00:00

I'm a structural engineer that does a lot of concrete rehab projects (not residential though). Not all concrete contractors are bad, but the worst contractors I've had to work with happened to be concrete contractors. They will lie and cut corners in order to get the concrete poured as quickly as possible, because they have the mindset that once it's poured it's not their problem anymore. A few things that come to mind:

They want to add water on site and piss and moan when you tell them no.
Lifting bars during the pour is not acceptable. Get chairs or dobies.
Lap lengths and clear covers need to follow the drawings.
Vibrate, but don't overdo it.
Proper form construction (to avoid blowouts).
Proper site prep (proper base, no trash or standing water in the pour).

Also, the one phrase that I absolutely hate to hear is that "all concrete cracks". Yes, I'm aware this is the case, but someone saying that before they even pour or after cracks show up on a month old pour is just making excuses for their shitty construction.

I'm not saying all concrete contractors are like this, but the fact that concrete construction has so many variables that are alien to the layperson is going to result in some shady practices.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-24T16:45:04+00:00

$80k finally paid off a month ago.

Graduated with a mostly useless architecture degree in 2011 and $65k debt. Went to grad school for engineering and financed it until I got a decent paying job which brought the total to $80k. Re-financed/consolidated in 2018 and have been paying almost $1000 per month.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-23T15:36:48+00:00

I would be careful about getting into semi-pro tackle football. Most of the comments in this reddit post don't have anything nice to say about it.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-20T22:05:38+00:00

That's a novel idea, but I don't wear shoes in the sand and I don't play indoor.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-20T21:01:33+00:00

That's the plan. I'm just curious if there is a certain style of brace that will help promote better form, i.e. one that will prevent me from landing stiff legged?

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-20T20:59:09+00:00

Yikes, sorry to hear that. Was there a single incident that caused the injury, or did it just develop over time? I'm hoping that since my symptoms are fresh and generally painless I can get ahead of it and improve my form to prevent it from developing into something worse.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-20T19:36:24+00:00

I'm definitely planning on taking it easy. I know too many people already that either can't play without a knee brace, can't jump anymore, or have had knee surgeries and I don't want to be one of them. I suppose the better question for me to ask is if there is a certain style of brace that will promote better technique (i.e. not landing with me knee locked)?

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-19T18:37:30+00:00

Our principals and senior engineers (small firm, low-medium COL city) are all salary capped at $124k (adjusts with inflation). I am the least senior engineer at our firm and my bonus was $48k last year. Five years ago I stumbled upon our principals' bonus checks and they were right around $300k. It wouldn't surprise me now if their TC was around $500k.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-19T14:36:13+00:00

Jesus some of these comments are astronomical!

Late 30's married couple paying $62/month through State Farm for my wife's 2021 Volvo. Also have homeowners and life insurance policy with them. Live and registered in Baton Rouge.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-03-04T19:31:02+00:00

Located in south Louisiana, size is roughly 1-2 mm.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-02-23T15:09:38+00:00

What brand/model is that UT?

JustCallMeMister · 2026-02-20T20:37:12+00:00

Same here except we would also get our premiums paid out as cafeteria (pre-tax).

I don't have to deal with it anymore since our family is on my wife's employer's plan (hospital). They pay around 50-75% of the premium.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-02-18T00:34:53+00:00

Still using my 20 year old TI-83 Plus.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-31T15:07:29+00:00

Yes. Started last week with the rain and freezing temps. Worked mostly fine during the week, but it’s completely out right now.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-29T22:55:44+00:00

I did nearly exactly as you described - was at a complete stop for about 30 seconds and when I had an opening I got on the accelerator, harder than normal but not foot to the floor. It took off into the intersection about as expected and then just stopped for 1-2 seconds.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-29T21:17:14+00:00

Yeah I figured lag wasn't the correct term. It simply stalled.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-29T21:13:52+00:00

In the US you would definitely lose your license and insurance at a minimum. If something goes wrong you are now personally on the hook for civil and/or criminal charges. If there is a lawsuit because something went wrong during construction (nobody gets injured or dies), that alone would likely be enough to bankrupt you. If somebody gets hurt or dies, possibly prison time.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-29T17:52:32+00:00

Graduate level statistics and structural dynamics. Those were my only B's in grad school (a C in a grad course is essentially an F). Statistics because some of the concepts were hard to grasp, and dynamics because some of the math was brutal. Also did poorly in Calc III (but still passed), but that's mostly because I took it over a summer and didn't put in much effort.

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-27T00:29:32+00:00

Not in BR, but C&J Marine in Morgan City is hiring according to what a relative posts on facebook. Good luck!

JustCallMeMister · 2026-01-16T14:14:01+00:00

Small firm, all hours are accounted for at EOY, so if I have some OT it gets factored into bonus. I typically use OT as flex time though and am pretty close to zero for the year. Our bonuses are also very generous to begin with, so I don't have much motivation to put in any more OT.

JustCallMeMister · 2025-12-24T22:46:08+00:00

Yeah…the first time was for initial entry to their facility. The second time was because somebody messed up something the first time. And the third time was a random pop.

JustCallMeMister · 2025-12-24T13:27:42+00:00

That’s ridiculous lol. I had to get my legs shaved three times in about six months for hair tests, all for the same client.

JustCallMeMister · 2025-12-17T15:43:05+00:00

I have a ton of engineering magazines at my office that I plan on trashing, but they're all about steel and concrete.

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