Miami Beach building collapse 4

[hpaircraft]

Not a good year for engineering in Miami:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/23/us/miami-beach-building-collapse/index.html

From the CNN article:

The building that collapsed at 5775 Collins Ave. was the 12-story Marlborough House, which was scheduled for demolition to make way for a new condo building, according to The Next Miami, a news site focusing on real estate.
Police said there was a demolition permit on file for the site, but not an implosion permit. Demolition refers to the general process of tearing down a building, while implosion is specific to the use of explosives to quickly bring down a structure.

 

[jhardy1]

I can't help thinking that they were only planning some of the pre-drop work, and weren't expecting the whole building to come down - judging by the number of people allowed to stand within the drop zone, and the lack of any meaningful screens to retain the debris. Maybe they thought they were pulling out a non-load-bearing element, but it turned out to be a critical primary member?

It's pretty remarkable that there was only one significant injury - hope the foreman recovers.

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[JAE]

hpaircraft - that video suggests there were two others who narrowly missed getting dinged by flying concrete.

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[MacGyverS2000]

I sure as hell wouldn't want to be in a bulldozer so close to a collapsing building of more than one story. I could be wrong, but those cages can't be built to withstand much more than flying debris hits and the like. Had that building collapsed on top, I imagine that dozer would be significantly shorter right now...

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[waross]

A ROPS (RollOver Protective Structure) canopy will support the weight of an overturned machine.
Not sure when these were mandated for construction equipment but agricultural equipment has had them for 40 years.

ROPS legislation was passed in 1975, with OSHA requiring that all tractors manufactured from 25 October 1976 onwards be equipped with ROPS Link

They will take much more than flying debris, but I agree that a tall building may shorten them somewhat.
ps. I have been unable to open any of the videos, but in the pictures that looks like a Tractor-Loader-Backhoe, not a dozer. Confirmation?

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[dik]

or, maybe make them more compact.

Dik

 

[RickyTickyTavi]

Regarding the guy not running, I sympathize with the guy. I had a project in 2008 where one of the largest cranes in he world collapse on site. I pretty much stood there slack-jawed staring at it until it was well on its way to the ground. It was as though my brain didn't comprehend what was occurring.

 

[JohnRBaker]

My father was a heavy equipment operator who worked with large Caterpillar tractors clearing trees and brush when he worked for the Michigan DNR (Department of Natural Resources) in the 60's and 70's. The Caterpillar tractors had the normal roll-cage primarily to protect the operator from falling limbs and trees and they worked fine. However, one day, while clearing some dead-falls during the winter, due to snow on the ground an unseen section of a tree trunk was being pushed ahead of the tractor blade when it got jammed up against a standing tree and as a result, when the pressure reached a certain point, the log splintered and a three-foot long section of the tree trunk shot up out of the snow and hit my father in the face as there was no frontal guard on the roll-cage. My father had his hard-hat on, but that didn't protect his face. Luckily his injures were limited to facial lacerations and a wrenched neck and shoulder. Anyway, when the accident was investigated by the state they had Caterpillar look at what happened and asked them to suggest modifications. They came up with an add-on shield, made from heavy expanded-metal, that mounted between the frontal braces that tied the top of the roll-cage to the front of engine compartment. Caterpillar added this to their catalogue of options and for awhile at least, they referred to it as a 'Baker Guard'. They even sent a photographer out to one his job-sites after the prototype had been added to his tractor and took a series of photos intended for use by Caterpillar in their brochures. Unfortunately the State of Michigan nixed the idea since the state had a strict policy of non-endorsement of any commercial product or relationship. While Caterpillar never used any of the photos or my father's testimonial, they did give him a set of the pictures which I've got somewhere and if I find them I'll try and post one of them here.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
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[EdStainless]

I am sure that the foreman was focused on his machine operator.
But seeing basketball sized pieces of concrete flying across the road sure does give a view of how many people could have been hurt.

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[LionelHutz]

Bill, I can't tell if it has tracks or not, but it appears to have a loader on the front but no backhoe on the back. So, tracked loader or payloader.

Where did the dozer or loader end up after the collapse?

In one video a red first responder vehicle pulled up on the street within seconds of the collapse. It looked like a rescue or first response truck, similar to an ambulance. Coincidence?

 

[Spartan5]

The building was being intentionally collapsed. An off-duty police officer closed the street moments before it happened even though there were no permits to do so. The project manager who was hit by debris has since lost his leg and remains in extremely grave condition.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article215579645.html