Rana Plaza, Structural and Ethical Failure
Following is a review of an article by Mandy Gavin and Tae Hong Lin titled "Rana Plaza
Structural and Ethical Failure." This well-researched article is about the Rana Plaza tragedy on
April 24, 2013. Firstly, it explains the response of a structure due to loading. Then it covers the
reasons behind the failure of the structure, the course of action for the structural failure, and the
greediness and ignorance of government agencies, professionals, and the owner of the building.
This review will mainly cover the primary reasons behind the collapse of Rana Plaza and the
unethical behavior/practice of the owner, designer/engineer, architect, and project approval
authority.
Primary reasons behind the fall:
• The soil condition was not ideal. The structure was built over mushy land as the site was
a filled-up-pond
• Poor quality material (steel rebar and cement) used
• Initially created for shopping malls and offices, but it has been used to occupy several
garment factories on its top four floors.
• There were not enough rebars to support the extra vibrations from the machinery and
generator as they needed to start and stop the generator often for electricity outages.
• The last blow was when they started the machinery and the generator even after spotting
a two-inch deep crack and warnings from the engineer.
Unethical behavior of the individual and institutions involved:
• The owner, Sohel Rana, was a corrupt businessman with political ties who wanted to earn
money, even at the cost of risking thousands of lives. He Dominated the engineers and
the architect and wrongfully gained approval using his strong political ties with the
municipality and other authorities. Then he used the worst quality cheap materials
available to obtain further profit. He rented the top floors to garment factories, but it was
designed to occupy only shops and offices. Furthermore, he ignored it when the
inspection engineer warned him about the safety of the building.
• When asked after the incident, Massood Reza, the architect, said that it was never
intended to be used for factories; instead, it was designed to be a shopping mall with
offices. He should have spoken up when they were not following his occupancy
instructions.
• The engineer in charge had the opportunity to take the initiative against the owner and
expose him in the construction phase when the building was wrongfully occupied and
finally when he inspected the crack and assumed it could be fatal. Still, he did not take
any decisive actions.
• The mayor's office approved the multistory commercial building knowing that the
proposed facility would be built on a filled-in-pond site where the soil condition was
inappropriate.
• According to the Ethical Trading Initiative, under Bangladesh building law, every new
building must have an occupancy certificate from a government agency. This rule is often
ignored; in Rana Plaza's case, it was definitely ignored.
• The managers of the factories threatened the workers to work on the day of the incident
risking their lives even after knowing about the crack, while other offices and shops were
declared closed.
Though the architect and engineer could have exposed Sohel Rana, it is easier said than done.
The contagion of corruption was evident in the Rana Plaza tragedy, where the government
officials and business people's unethical practices influenced the engineers to make substandard
decisions. The engineers felt powerless to voice their concerns as they lacked confidence that the
authorities would take them seriously. Engineers should have the skill to stand by their ethical
ground no matter how intimidating the client is.
