Monumental work cockups
Discussion
omgus said:
A falsified maintenance log lead to a colleague getting severe burns when a boiler exploded.
I understand that in the age of steam, steam tractor drivers realised that they could plough a field faster if the boiler pressure was higher. That led to some of them sitting their kids on a piece of wood across the top of the boiler safety valve, with predictably tragic results in some cases[/tenuous link]
amancalledrob said:
omgus said:
A falsified maintenance log lead to a colleague getting severe burns when a boiler exploded.
I understand that in the age of steam, steam tractor drivers realised that they could plough a field faster if the boiler pressure was higher. That led to some of them sitting their kids on a piece of wood across the top of the boiler safety valve, with predictably tragic results in some cases[/tenuous link]
But pretty much matches my opinion of people trying to cut corners.
bucksmanuk said:
1992- A lecturer of mine at uni was called out to an oil rig to solve a novel sea water injection pump vibration problem. It was vibrating so much all the other rotating machinery vibration alarms were going off as well, shutting the rig down. He said he would need to go on the rig and take his own measurements. The pump manufacturer’s engineers on the rig had proven themselves not capable of this task. He was informed he would need to do the offshore survival training etc. to go on the rig… which the major oil company hadn’t got time for. A figure of £3m/day loss was quoted.
The point was made to him that the oil company (and HM Treasury) were losing so much revenue, they would ask the Navy to sail him there or fly him out on a Sea King from the mainland- which they did. All to get round the offshore survival training requirement issue.
I don’t think he impressed the pump manufacturer or the engineers on the rig by telling them any one of his machine design students could have solved the problem for them.
You can go offshore for one day without doing the survival training, I'd be surprised if they could get the Navy involved even if they were loosing 10m a day. The point was made to him that the oil company (and HM Treasury) were losing so much revenue, they would ask the Navy to sail him there or fly him out on a Sea King from the mainland- which they did. All to get round the offshore survival training requirement issue.
I don’t think he impressed the pump manufacturer or the engineers on the rig by telling them any one of his machine design students could have solved the problem for them.
The only way we see them is if someone is injured and needs medivac.
Vyse said:
Have any of you experienced or was the cause of a big cockup at work? Did you fess up about it or kept quiet or did you tell the boss and it turned out ok in the end?
e.g. Either the wrong equipment was ordered worth thousands of pounds, excel formulas were found to be wrong and only noticed months down the line or a decision was made and things subsequently went tits up.
At the place I work, someone had ordered £50k worth of equipment but after running validation tests it was revealed the wrong machinery was bought. Its set our project back big time.
This didn't involve me in any way, it's just a case I was told about by a firm I used to work with:e.g. Either the wrong equipment was ordered worth thousands of pounds, excel formulas were found to be wrong and only noticed months down the line or a decision was made and things subsequently went tits up.
At the place I work, someone had ordered £50k worth of equipment but after running validation tests it was revealed the wrong machinery was bought. Its set our project back big time.
A large tonnage of structural steelwork was being loaded onto a ship for transport to an overseas contract, when somebody just happened to say, "Oh, by the way, it is all made in grade 50 steel as specified isn't it?" It wasn't: they had fabricated the entire structure in the normal grade 43 steel.
RizzoTheRat said:
amancalledrob said:
RizzoTheRat said:
- Whoever signed off on a communication system that could only be used when the radar was off
I was also told by someone about a relatively new bit of kit that had a state of the art remote control system on it, worked fine until the counter measures were turned on and the remote no longer worked resulting in a hastily upgraded emergency wired connection upgraded to the everyday solution which regularly failed!
Shakermaker said:
Yeah, tell us!
The machine (about a 1MW) was installed almost vertically, with the motor being higher up on the rig, and part of the pump was installed on a rig leg. Joining the 2 was a drive shaft, many metres long. Quite why it was this design – I don’t know. The designer of the machine had not done any rotor dynamics at all (!) and the shaft speed was bang on a 4th harmonic. The fluid film plain journal bearings used were located at exactly the wrong points- the points of shaft inflexion. The shaft displacement at this running speed was therefore zero.
No displacement = no velocity = no damping = huge vibration.
As the machine was almost vertical, there was also very low specific load on the plain journal bearings, so they also had half speed oil whirl. Almost a perfect storm of rotor dynamics cock ups.
Answer
Move the bearing positions away a bit from where they were – to get some damping back in the system.
Install tilt pad bearings to help minimise the half speed oil whirl.
Send all the pump manufacturers engineers on the rotor dynamics short course…
(engineer mode off)
Yes he was taken out on a Navy Sea King and he was there for a week. We had to catch up on the lecture hours that we missed at the weekend.
A lot more serious than someone ordering excessive drivers seats…
In Norway on business quite a few years ago- I once met one of the guys who was sort of involved in the structural integrity sign-off of this:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_L._Kiellan...
He was not the person most accountable - but still - he was a genuinely broken man….
In Norway on business quite a few years ago- I once met one of the guys who was sort of involved in the structural integrity sign-off of this:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_L._Kiellan...
He was not the person most accountable - but still - he was a genuinely broken man….
Used to know someone in the Police Armed Response, who told me a story - They had a couple of guys testing a new BMW for suitability and another pair testing new holster belts. Both passed testing and enough of each were purchased to kit out the whole department.
Unfortunately, once in use together, it was found that the new holster lined up exactly with the seatbelt release in the new BMW.
Unfortunately, once in use together, it was found that the new holster lined up exactly with the seatbelt release in the new BMW.
R11ysf said:
Nimby said:
This is urban myth and totally not possible in the real world. He could not have accidentally ordered cash instead of futures because futures are standadised products which are margined and have cash settle. Cash products are highly specialised and encompass things such as delivery date, type of vessel and delivery location. You couldn't accidentally order 28,000 tonnes of coal to downtown wherever it was no more than you could do to Canary Wharf. Nice story but not even remotely plausible.
wildcat45 said:
Yes I've seen that one but I'm sure I have seen another video where a SK beats its self up on the deck but doesn't fall in the oggin. Might be my mind playing tricks on me or too many wardroom. Beers with 849, 820 et al.
It was on an Italian warship at the time I seem to remember.
I an a but used to spend a lot of time with the RN especially the CVS s.
Ah I see,maybe it does exist then! If you could find it anywhere that would be amazing! 'Twas a Spanish ship, the Reina Sofia. It was on an Italian warship at the time I seem to remember.
I an a but used to spend a lot of time with the RN especially the CVS s.
Edited by wildcat45 on Thursday 20th October 08:46
Are you ex navy helicopter crew yourself?
RJO said:
That's a completely different helicopter.....Similar style of crash though
I worked for a well known British company that used a proprietary software package in the design of the jacket for an offshore installation. The jacket is the structure that is piled onto the sea bed and supports the platform - basically hefty steel tubular legs with tubular cross bracings.
A decimal place error in the inputs resulted in one bracing being woefully under-specified in terms of wall thickness and the QA process and peer review didn't catch the error. The bracing collapsed due to hydrostatic pressure during the installation operation.
Extremely embarrassing and also very costly - a few million as I recall. They saved the jacket with drilling and pressurised grouting (a form of cement injection) of the affected bracing.
It wasn't me I'm pleased to say.....
A decimal place error in the inputs resulted in one bracing being woefully under-specified in terms of wall thickness and the QA process and peer review didn't catch the error. The bracing collapsed due to hydrostatic pressure during the installation operation.
Extremely embarrassing and also very costly - a few million as I recall. They saved the jacket with drilling and pressurised grouting (a form of cement injection) of the affected bracing.
It wasn't me I'm pleased to say.....
worked for animal pharmaceutical company. Had a first order for a big pharmaceutical company, for retail products, where as we usually supplied business.
The first batch of products where released to warehouses in France, after a few days they were found to be leaking. So quality checks and decided to torque tighten the caps.
Second batch sent and same thing, leaking again. It is eventually found the caps were not suitable for the bottles.
Cost about 250k to fix plus loss of confidence customer.
The first batch of products where released to warehouses in France, after a few days they were found to be leaking. So quality checks and decided to torque tighten the caps.
Second batch sent and same thing, leaking again. It is eventually found the caps were not suitable for the bottles.
Cost about 250k to fix plus loss of confidence customer.
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