Fast tracked failure: Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, 1981

This video describes the events leading up to the failure and the subsequent investigation.

Paul Spinden on design responsibility

Listen to the judge who evaluated the ultimate responsibility for the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse.

Volkswagen emissions cheat device: 60 Minutes

Watch this 60 Minutes documentary about the events leading to the detection of the emissions cheat devices.

Flixborough disaster (1974): Where did it go so wrong

This video provides one person’s story about this chemical plant disaster in Britain that led to major major safety improvements in chemical plants world-wide.

Temporary bypass pipe failure: Flixborough 1974

A second video providing a different account of the Flixborough plant explosion.

Technical explanation for Callide generator failure

A video featuring extensive computer animation which was released by the plant owners after the investigation of the plant failure. The video points to technical explanations for the plant failure, possibly in an attempt to divert attention away from the organizational, engineering practice failures that led to the decision to replace the battery charger with the plant online.

60 Minutes documentary on Opal Towers failure

This video illustrates how popular media will treat an engineering failure when people have the risk of suffering large financial losses. In this instance, the owners subsequently rectified the structural weaknesses. However, several other similar failures in apartment buildings prompted the New South Wales state government to require engineers to be registered for the first time. The forecast finanal losses have not occurred so far. To the author’s knowledge, there has not so far been any loss of life as predicted by one of the people interviewed for the documentary.