Yeah, what he said

reprinted from
http://www.startribune.com/commentary/story/1352036.html

Tom G. Peterson: Maybe mistakes were made -- but maybe not
The bridge failed. That doesn't necessarily mean that those who engineered it did.

Tom G. Peterson

Published: August 09, 2007

The litigators are lining up to file their lawsuits. The politicians are posturing for public opinion. The media is maneuvering to manufacture ratings. And the case-study writers are commencing their background work.
Yes, the world of self-interest is alive and well. These are the people who will judge those most closely involved with the Interstate 35W bridge.

Yet no one in these professions faces the daunting task of securing and maintaining the well-being of your family and mine. That burden falls on the civil and structural engineers of our communities. These are the men and women who take most seriously the need for their decisions and judgment to be flawless, because they realize that the safety of structures designed for use by the public can never be in doubt.

The bridge collapse was a tragic event. Lives were lost. People were injured. No one would suggest that this was acceptable occurence, least of all the engineering community. But those who surmise that this "just can't happen" do not comprehend the complexity of the situation.

Those quick to assign blame will assume that structural engineering is a perfect science in which all is understood. It is not. Those anxious to litigate will assume that all is known about loading conditions, the strengths and behavior of construction materials, and the effects of environmental conditions. It is not.

Mistakes may have been made, but one possibility is that they were not. One possibility is that every engineering professional associated with the design, construction, maintenance, evaluation, inspection, analysis and remediation of this bridge over the past 40 years may have performed his or her job responsibilities with competence and integrity. And the accident still happened.

It has been suggested that cost was an issue in decisionmaking. Of course it was. The public demands that it be so. Economy is an integral part of engineering, as with most professions. But the suggestion that safety was or is ever compromised by engineers for the sake of cost is ludicrous.

Engineering is a profession characterized by high standards for ethics and integrity. Witness the collapse of the twin towers. No one blames the structural engineer of those buildings, yet that engineer questioned his own judgment in not fully considering the possibility of a jetliner crashing into the side of the building. How's that for high standards and integrity?

There will be monetary settlements. That is the nature of our litigious society. But if any good is to come of this tragedy, it will not be because of the efforts of the lawyers, the politicians, the media or the case-study writers. It will be because of the hard work of professional engineers, who will implement the lessons learned.

Once the investigation is complete, we will rewrite design manuals, update code requirements, reissue material property information, modernize inspection techniques and alter product and construction specifications. Most importantly, we will teach the next generation of engineers. We will share our experience and our expertise, because that is how we strive to improve our profession and safeguard the welfare of the public.


Tom G. Peterson is an engineer in Eden Prairie.