And another high school pit cover failure

[BrianWolfe]

OSHA does not inspect like that. They come in after a complaint most times. The true failure is at the level of who gave permission to the students and the oversight of their work or lack there of.

 

[venuetech]

It's something the local building inspector should catch. However it is very likely that a building permit was never applied for, so the inspector had no way of knowing that a modification had been made and needed inspection.
As Brian says

The true failure is at the level of who gave permission to the students and the oversight of their work or lack there of.

 

[robartsd]

I didn't see enough detail in the photos to reach a conclusion but there did appear to be a sub floor and a top layer and I wondered if the top layer was maybe mdf or or something other than hardboard.

It shouldn't matter what the top layer was as the sub floor is supposed to be designed to provide all the structural support needed.

 

[Les]

People just don't seem to realize how much liability you assume by building an extension like this -- and they think it can be built like a set or other temporary scenic element.

Just be glad no one tried to roll that B-sized grand piano over it.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

It shouldn't matter what the top layer was as the sub floor is supposed to be designed to provide all the structural support needed.

I didn't intend otherwise - it was in response to posts that suggested the structural layer was mdf or other, and I only commented I could not tell what was sub floor and what was surface or sacrificial flooring.

 

[StradivariusBone]

People just don't seem to realize how much liability you assume by building an extension like this -- and they think it can be built like a set or other temporary scenic element.

The sad/crazy/unfortunate part is that you really don't know what you don't know. I see it happen frequently in the church atmosphere where you acquire really good-natured volunteers with their heart in the right place who have a knack for some aspect of building or wiring or whatever. They have tinkered enough in their garage to do some aspect of a project to give themselves enough courage to attempt something more, but you gotta always watch that line between residential and commercial (including schools and houses of worship). I really doubt anyone goes into this thinking, "Yeah, it'll last for a while and then 15 kids will fall through."

Just because you know how to do something, doesn't always mean you're the right person at a particular time and place.

 

[Les]

The sad/crazy/unfortunate part is that you really don't know what you don't know. I see it happen frequently in the church atmosphere where you acquire really good-natured volunteers with their heart in the right place who have a knack for some aspect of building or wiring or whatever. They have tinkered enough in their garage to do some aspect of a project to give themselves enough courage to attempt something more, but you gotta always watch that line between residential and commercial (including schools and houses of worship). I really doubt anyone goes into this thinking, "Yeah, it'll last for a while and then 15 kids will fall through."

Just because you know how to do something, doesn't always mean you're the right person at a particular time and place.

Ah yes. The art of knowing "just enough to be dangerous". The same reason why any rigging/pyro discussion was banned on CB for several years. It's a little more lax now, but still heavily moderated (justifiably).

 

[StradivariusBone]

I hear ya. I feel like I've graduated to the level of "knows enough to be dangerous and is now self-aware of a personal capacity to be dangerous to self and others with the use of aforementioned knowledge".

Bertrand Russel said it well- "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."