Causality

63: Wittenoom

The Engineered Network — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1000

With demand for Asbestos in building products in the 1940s, a discovery in Western Australia's remote Pilbara region of Blue Asbestos led to the creation of a mining town called Wittenoom. Despite the growing list of illnesses and deaths of workers from the mine and milling operation, the company pressed on until it closed for 'financial' reasons. We look at the dangers of dust inhalation and try to determine if we have collectively learned anything from the disaster at Wittenoom.
With John Chidgey.

News Articles:

About Asbestos:

About Engineered Stone:

General Information:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.

With thanks to Christian French for the topic suggestion.

62: OceanGate Titan

The Engineered Network — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1000

A young company pushing to re-invent deep sea exploration with an initial focus on opening up tourism to the wreck of the Titanic, OceanGate garnered the fascination of many around the world. With a different approach to their hull design they forged ahead despite many warnings from experts in the field, concerned about their design decisions and materials choices. When the submersible imploded killing all five aboard including the company CEO, the experts were only surprised about how OceanGate had got as far as they had...before it all went horribly wrong.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Reports:

General Information:

61: West Gate Bridge

The Engineered Network — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1000

Planned for nearly a century, when the time came to build a permanent link across the Lower Yarra River, a relatively new style of bridge, the box-girder, was chosen. Using new computer technology assisting the engineers to design a bridge that was too complex to calculate by hand, and using a unique lifting strategy promised time and cost savings. Ultimately though when the pieces didn't fit together in the air, their attempts to make them fit, didn't work. We dive into what went wrong on Australia's largest ever industrial disaster.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

Victorian Royal Commission Report (PDF)

Milford Haven Incident:

Cleddau Bridge disaster

General Information:

60: Carnival Triumph

The Engineered Network — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +1000

A leaking flexible pipe started a fire in the Engine Room aboard the Carnival Triumph during its return journey from Mexico in early 2013. The fire caused minor damage in one, very important section of the Engine Room leading to a total loss of Mains Power. With only intermittent Emergency Power and over 4,000 people on board the ship drifted with the currents before it was tugged finally to safety. The Netflix Documentary 'Poop Cruise' looked at the human consequences...we dive into the engineering design that was inherently flawed from Day One.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

BMA Investigation Report (PDF)

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:

59: Bayer CropScience

The Engineered Network — Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 +1000

After an extended outage of the Methomyl Unit at the Bayer facility in Institute, West Virginia, the decision was made to commence a restart of the Unit even though the DCS upgrade was still incomplete and the newly replaced Residue Treater hadn't been fully recommissioned. An incident whose root cause was years in the making would ultimately cost two people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Related Episodes:

Causality Episode 26: Bhopal

Formal Reports:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.

58: West Fertilizer Company

The Engineered Network — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:45:00 +1000

In the early hours of the evening on the 17th of April, 2013 in the small city of West, Texas...smoke was seen emanating from the West Fertilizer Company building. In 20 minutes there was a massive explosion that levelled the facility and its surroundings, killing 15 people and injuring hundreds more. How this came to be, represented a failure of regulations, planning and grandfathering on every level.
With John Chidgey.

Related Episodes:

Causality Episode 44: Warehouse 12

Formal Reports:

News Releases and Articles:

Regulations:

Code of Practice: Safe storage of Solid Ammonium Nitrate (PDF)

General Information:

57: Stardust Nightclub

The Engineered Network — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:40:00 +1000

On Valentines Day in 1981 in the North of Dublin, Ireland a fire broke out in a nightclub just following a Disco Dancing competition. We look at how measures taken to prevent illegal entry and poor building material choices cost 48 young people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Related Episodes:

Causality Episode 43: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

Formal Reports:

News Releases and Articles:

Regulations:

General Information:

56: BP Husky Toledo

The Engineered Network — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +1000

On the 20th of September, 2022 at the BP Husky Toledo refinery in Ohio, a level transmitter change out from a month prior triggered a chain of events that would cost two operators their lives. We look at how poor Management of Change, high alarm rates and a resistance to stopping the job, let a plant upset turn into a disaster.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:

55: CrowdStrike

The Engineered Network — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 16:15:00 +1000

On Friday the 19th of July, 2024 millions of CrowdStrike Falcon Agents the world over would lead to a Windows system crash on business machines throwing parts of the world into chaos. We look into exactly what caused it and how complacency and a lack of understanding amplified the effect of this wholly preventable incident.
With John Chidgey.

About Causality (TV):

Formal Report:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:

54: Midland Resource Recovery

The Engineered Network — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +1000

In 2017 during an Odoriser decontamination procedure in West Virginia, two people were killed when it unexpectedly exploded. Barely a month later, a similar procedure at the same site led to a second explosion, killing someone else. We examine how poor hazard analysis and legal interference led to yet another fatality...right in front of the eyes of the investigators on site.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring and Ian Gallagher.

53: Callide C Blackout

The Engineered Network — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 18:45:00 +1000

In 2021 the Callide C Power Station experienced a unit failure that tore the turbine-generator apart, resulted in hundreds of thousands of premises losing power, and cost hundreds of millions to repair. We look at how design errors and ultimately a lack of information led to the incident escalating out of control, when it could have been recovered.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Reports:

News Releases and Articles:

Super-Critical Boilers:

Electrical Engineering References:

Court Action:

General Information:

NOTE: Minor Corrections in audio updated: 31st March, 2024

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Ian Gallagher.

52: Colonial Pipeline

The Engineered Network — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 06:00:00 +1000

In 2021 many of Colonial Pipelines IT systems were locked by malware and out of caution they shutdown the fuel pipelines feeding nearly half of the Eastern US leading to chaos at the gas pump and a state of emergency being declared. We look at how poor off-boarding hygiene led to an easily preventable cyber-attack.
With John Chidgey.

Hearing:

General Information:

51: I35 West

The Engineered Network — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 20:45:00 +1000

The I35W bridge over the Mississippi River carried 140,000 cars every day. Inspections in 1999 and 2003 showed damage to support plates that was dismissed as unimportant at the time. We look into how poor design checking and assumptions led to the bridge collapsing in 2007, costing the lives of 13 people.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Only a Handful of T-Shirts Left!

Reports:

Collapse of I-35W Highway Bridge Minneapolis, Minnesota August 1, 2007 (PDF)

General Information:

Articles:

Videos:

Inside a Catastrophic Minneapolis Bridge Collapse (YouTube)

Litigation:

50: 737 MAX Ethiopian Air

The Engineered Network — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 06:00:00 +1000

Five months after Lion Air 610 crashed, another 737-MAX went down with a similar cause. However the official report was at odds with two other internationally respected investigative organisations. We dig into the detail of how the AOA Sensor was claimed to have failed, and review checklist discrepancies to extract fact from opinion as to what most likely triggered this horrible chain of events.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Celebrating Causality’s 50th Episode!!

Previous Episode:

Causality Episode 33: 737 MAX

Reports:

General Information:

Articles:

Regulations:

Litigation:

49: Carmel Fireworks Explosion

The Engineered Network — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 20:15:00 +1000

A fireworks company in Western Australia that had been in business for nearly a century, were preparing for a fireworks display in their packing shed when one ignited and set off a fire and an explosion. Onlookers were shocked when there was a subsequent explosion that was so big it was heard 30 kilometers away leaving the facility in ruins.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Celebrating Causality’s 50th Episode!!

Reports:

Links of Interest:

News Articles:

About Pyrotechnics:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Dave Jones and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.

With thanks to Heather Shaw for the topic suggestion.

48: Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia

The Engineered Network — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 21:00:00 +1000

When a radiation therapy machine was left behind during a move between buildings in central Brazil, it set in motion a series of events that would lead to one of the worst radiological incidents in history. We look into how bureaucracy and misdiagnosis cost four people their lives and how the actions of a concerned mother with no medical experience, saved the lives of countless more.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Create your own Credited Soundbite

Official Report:

The Radiological Accident in Goiânia (PDF)

Links of Interest:

47: Hyatt Regency Kansas City

The Engineered Network — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +1000

The tallest building in Missouri with a large atrium perfect for big bands and dancing, hosted a regular Tea Dance in the summer of 1981. When two walkways collapsed killing over a hundred people, the investigators found multiple fundamental design errors. We look at how assumptions, redrafting conventions and negligence led to an incident that has become the case study in how not to do civil structural design.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Create your own Credited Soundbite

Links of Interest:

Engineering Analysis:

News Articles:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher, Katharina Will and Dave Jones.

46: Mindbender

The Engineered Network — Tue, 17 May 2022 07:00:00 +1000

The longest, tallest, fastest indoor rollercoaster in the world was only open six months when the last carriage of a train came loose, killing three people and all that the day following an inspection that the ride was safe to operate. We look at how a design choice made maintenance more critical and then how wishing for a ride to be safe, doesn't really help.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Videos:

News Articles:

Coaster Ride’s Mastermind Fired
Roller-coaster goes at full tilt
Mindbender 25 Years Later (Archive.org)
Roller-coaster Derailment Kills Three
Survivor of 1986 mall coaster crash wants memorial
3 Hurled to Death in Canada as Roller Coaster Derails in Mall
Authorities today investigated a weekend triple-loop ‘Mindbender’ roller coaster
3 Killed in RollerCoaster Crash
[Mall Owner Blames Manufacturer’s Defect for Roller Coaster Deaths (Dead Link)](LINK DEFUNCT “Original Link: https://apnews.com/8be3b0f7291c22472aa8c00790de1358")

Rollercoaster Articles:

Legislature Assembly Minutes:

21st Legislature First Session Minutes (PDF)

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher and Katharina Will.

With thanks to Quinton Zaborski for the topic suggestion.

45: Granville

The Engineered Network — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +1000

In 1977, a commuter train from the Blue Mountains, destined for Sydney central station would derail just before Granville Station, causing a bridge to collapse and crush many aboard. It remains Australia's worst ever rail disaster that was predicted by 11 engineering department heads just a year earlier. We look at how management decisions led to a completely avoidable disaster.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Formal Investigation Extracts:

Informal Investigations:

Video:

Granville Train Disaster Documentary (Video)

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher and Katharina Will.

44: Beirut Warehouse 12

The Engineered Network — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 06:00:00 +1000

In Beirut in August of 2020, an explosion at the Port of Beirut destroyed a huge part of the city. We look into how an oxidising agent, improperly handled can become an explosive and attempt to comprehend how something so dangerous was ignored repeatedly by key people, despite many warnings of an imminent disaster.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Reports into the incident:

Video and Images:

Documentary:

Ammonium Nitrate Information:

43: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

The Engineered Network — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +1000

In 1911 in Manhattan, New York, a clothing factory went up in flames just before closing time. We look at how faulty equipment, poor design and a fear of theft contributed to a wholly preventable incident that had such terrible consequences, but would trigger reforms that still impact the United States, a century later.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Cornell University’s Excellent Resource on the Incident:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Shane O'Neill, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill and Joel Maher.

42: Royal Canberra Hospital

The Engineered Network — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +1000

The original Royal Canberra Hospital was flagged to be demolished in 1997 to make way for the new National Museum. A demolition via implosion was selected, but the implosion resulted in an explosion instead, and debris showered the huge crowd of onlookers with fatal consequences.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incident:

Inquest Into The Death of Katie Bender (PDF)

Video Footage of the Demolition:

Video of Interest:

Miami Resort | Building Demolition | BlowDown

Links of Interest:

Explosives Used In Demolition:

41: Florida International University

The Engineered Network — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +1000

The university wanted a bridge for its students over a busy roadway that would appear intriguing from afar. Instead it collapsed before it was even finished. We look into how design errors, poor peer review and denial led to a collapse that claimed six peoples lives.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incidents:

NTSB Final Report (PDF)

Design Criteria and Bid:

Civil Structural References:

Companies Involved:

Links of Potential Interest:

Riverside Expressway:

40: Ocean Ranger

The Engineered Network — Tue, 25 May 2021 06:00:00 +1000

The largest semi-submersible Offshore Drilling Rig of its day, sank in a storm in 1982 whilst two smaller nearby rigs survived with minimal damage. We dive into how not closing a portlight cover, triggered a series of events that cost 84 people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incidents:

Official Report

Links of Potential Interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Chip Salzenberg.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Shane O'Neill and Bill.

With thanks to Gregory Hess for the topic suggestion.

39: Therac-25

The Engineered Network — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +1000

The successor to the Therac-6 and Therac-20 RadioTherapy machines would integrate the powerful DEC PDP-11 mini-computer to control all of the Therac-25s functions, including the safety interlocks, for the first time. In two years the 11 machines in service would overdose six people across two countries, killing three of them before they figured out why.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Reports into the Incidents:

Links of Potential Interest:

38: Thunder River Rapids

The Engineered Network — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 16:00:00 +1000

A popular family-friendly ride at DreamWorld would claim the lives of four people in 2016. In nearly thirty years of operation the ride had several similar but non-fatal incidents with blame placed on the operator every time, when a three thousand dollar modification could have prevented a horrific incident.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

DreamWorld (PDF)

Links of Potential Interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.

37: Variola Birmingham

The Engineered Network — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +1000

In 1978 on the cusp of the eradication of SmallPox a Medical Photographer became infected and would ultimately die from the Variola virus. We look at how admiration, promotion and delegation led to a wholly avoidable outcome.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

The Shooter Report (PDF)

Medical Analyses:

CDC Analysis of the R0 of SmallPox (PDF)

Links of Potential Interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.

36: Big Dig

The Engineered Network — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +1000

A series of concrete ceiling tiles in a tunnel portal collapsed on a moving car killing the passenger in downtown Boston in 2006. The selection of the epoxy used in the ceiling tile anchors was unusual and a failure to heed the warning signs were at odds on a huge project under pressure to deliver when already twice over time and five times over budget.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

NTSB Report (PDF)

Technical Links:

Epoxy
Tunnel

Links of Potential Interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.

With thanks to Sean for the topic suggestion.

35: San Bruno

The Engineered Network — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +1000

A modification made in 1956 to a pipeline built in the 1940s would ultimately fail costing 8 people their lives in 2010. We look at what went wrong with PG&Es gas pipeline in San Bruno, California.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation and Reports:

Technical Links:

Links of Potential Interest:

Legal Links:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele and Shane O'Neill.

With thanks to John for the topic suggestion.

34: Aberfan

The Engineered Network — Fri, 08 May 2020 06:00:00 +1000

One Friday morning in 1966 in a small town in Wales a mining spoils waste tip let go with a river of liquified rubble destroying buildings and a school. Killing 144 people, mostly children in their classrooms. The mechanics of how this happened are simple. The ignorance and economics of why this happened boggles the mind.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Investigation and Reports:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch and Oliver Steele.

33: 737 MAX

The Engineered Network — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +1000

With two crashes in five months of the new 737 4th Generation a design flaw seemed likely. We look at how Boeings focus on cost-avoidance, grandfathering and bending probabilities during design would ultimately cost 346 people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Investigation and Reports:

History of Boeing:

Technical Information:

Standards and Bulletins:

Fallout:

Forum Articles:

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch and Shane O'Neill.

32: Walkerton

The Engineered Network — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 06:00:00 +1000

In 2000 the small township of Walkerton Ontario witnessed the largest outbreak of E.Coli infections in Canada's history. The water utility claimed the town water was safe, but it wasn't and many people paid with their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio and Kevin Koch.

With thanks to Jon Paul for the topic suggestion.

31: Black Energy

The Engineered Network — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 06:00:00 +1000

The evening before Christmas Eve in 2015 saw a widespread blackout of the power grid across the Ukraine. We look at how a cyber-attack on electric utility companies in Europe, changed how cyber-security is regarded in control systems, forever.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio and Kevin Koch.

30: Tim Maia

The Engineered Network — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 06:00:00 +1000

As part of Rio's preparations for the Olympics in 2016 a cycling pathway was built adjacent to a narrow, congested roadway along a picturesque shoreline. When a section collapsed only months before the opening ceremony killing two people, the world looked on with growing concerns about the imminent Olympics.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Photo Gallery Links:

Links of Interest (Portuguese):

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow and Joseph Antonio.

29: Flight 1549

The Engineered Network — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 06:00:00 +1000

In 2009 an AirBus A320 departing LaGuardia Airport in New York suffered a dual engine failure due to a bird strike during takeoff. In a highly improbable event an equally highly improbable landing in the Hudson River shocked and amazed the world. We look at what went right on Flight 1549.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow and Joseph Antonio.

28: Hotel New World

The Engineered Network — Fri, 10 May 2019 06:00:00 +1000

In 1986 an unremarkable building in Singapore collapsed killing dozens of people. We look at how the supervision of the construction and the design itself resulted in a structure that was at best critically stable, and ultimately one that could only ever fail.
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow and Joseph Antonio.

27: Gare De Lyon

The Engineered Network — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 06:00:00 +1000

On the 27th of June, 1988 in central Paris a runaway train collided with a stationary train in Gare De Lyon station, claiming 56 lives and injuring 60 more. Whilst the court found the driver guilty and sent him to jail, was he solely to blame? We look at how poor design decisions made Gare De Lyon inevitable.
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Causality Episode 6: Amagasaki

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

26: Bhopal

The Engineered Network — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 06:00:00 +1000

In December, 1984 in the city of Bhopal in central India, a Union Carbide Pesticide plant would fail and release tonnes of toxic gas into the city, killing thousands of people. It was the worst industrial disaster in human history. We follow the threads and trace back the root causes behind the incident at Bhopal.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

25: Deepwater Horizon

The Engineered Network — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 06:50:00 +1000

In 2010 an Oil Drilling Rig suffered a catastrophic well blowout, killing 11 people, destroying the rig and leading to the worst maritime oil spill in history. It all happened a few hours after the well was declared safe and ready for handover. We look at the human and financial factors that led to the incident at Macondo.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

24: Columbia

The Engineered Network — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 06:00:00 +1000

In 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia launched successfully but after its mission was completed burned up on re-entry with the loss of all onboard. We look at how normalisation of deviation blinded many at NASA to a risk that had existed since 1981.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

23: Kipton

The Engineered Network — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 06:00:00 +1000

When two trains collided head on at Kipton, Ohio in 1891, it was a wake up call for the railroad industry in North America whose impacts would be far-reaching and would lead to a new timekeeping standard that was unprecedented.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

With thanks to Clinton Philips for the topic suggestion.

22: Chernobyl

The Engineered Network — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +1000

The largest nuclear incident in human history released an estimated 400 times the radioactive material compared to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It all happened because of a test that was delayed by one shift, or was it the ultimate inevitability of a flawed reactor design?
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Technical References:

Timelines:

Essays, Regulations and Miscellaneous:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

21: Milford Haven

The Engineered Network — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 06:00:00 +1000

A turning point in control systems user interface design and alarm management happened in an unlikely place that few have ever heard of. We look at what went wrong at Milford Haven.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Carsten Hansen.

20: Stava Dam

The Engineered Network — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 06:00:00 +1000

On the 19th of July, 1985 in Tesero, Northern Italy, a tailings dam gave way and killed 268 people. With the most common tailings dam design in the world, what went wrong and how widespread are the risks?
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone, Eivind Hjertnes and Carsten Hansen.

19: Smiler

The Engineered Network — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +1000

In 2015 at Alton Towers in the UK, The Smiler Rollercoaster experienced a major incident leading to severe injuries for multiple riders. We look at how pressure to get the ride running again and mis-communication defeated the system designed to protect the riders.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.

18: The Fog

The Engineered Network — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 06:00:00 +1000

In 1952 a fog in London left 4,000 dead in just 4 days but many more would die before the causes could be rectified. Worse than that, it had happened before and it’s happening again right now, somewhere else.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.

17: Three Mile Island

The Engineered Network — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 06:00:00 +1000

On March 28, 1979 Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in the United States of America an incident would lead to a partial reactor core meltdown. Many blamed the operators for stopping the reactor cooling system but the real root causes showed a known flaw in the design and alarm flooding had blinded the operators to what was actually happening.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Causality Episode 3: Fukushima

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, Eivind Hjertnes and Daniel Dudley.

16: Tenerife

The Engineered Network — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 07:30:00 +1000

In 1977 on the small island of Tenerife two 747 Jumbo Jets collided on the runway in poor visibility. A miscommunication clearly occurred, but even today, the same elements still exist and it could happen again.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone, Eivind Hjertnes and Daniel Dudley.

15: Sampoong Department Store

The Engineered Network — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 06:00:00 +1000

The Sampoong Department Store in South Korea collapsed in 1995 killing over 500 people. The investigators were shocked to find just how many rules had been broken but the true root cause might have been something more innocuous.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

14: Concorde

The Engineered Network — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 06:00:00 +1000

The Concorde was the first commercially successful supersonic aeroplane that flew for nearly 25 years without a fatality and was considered the safest aeroplane in the world at the time until it crashed. The incident ended the lives of 113 people and it ultimately ended the Concorde itself.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

13: Costa Concordia

The Engineered Network — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 17:10:00 +1000

A near-new modern cruise liner with all the navigational aids and maps struck rocks and sank killing over 30 people and the man most responsible still walks free today.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

12: Mont Blanc Tunnel

The Engineered Network — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 06:00:00 +1000

The Mont Blanc tunnel cut hours off the journey between Italy and France and in 1999 in a fire emergency services were unable to save 38 lives. We look at why.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

11: Flint Michigan

The Engineered Network — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 19:30:00 +1000

For decades Flint Michigan derived safe drinking water from Detroit. When the supply was switched to save money a series of events unfolded and their supply became undrinkable. How could this happen?
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

10: The Comet

The Engineered Network — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 22:00:00 +1000

The Comet was the worlds first commercial jet aeroplane and those that flew aboard it formed the so-called JetSet. When they started to crash, the world of aviation changed forever.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

9: Hindenburg

The Engineered Network — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 20:57:00 +1000

The largest airship ever constructed burst into flames when trying to land in 1937 in New Jersey in what has become one of the most striking disasters of modern times.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and John Whitlow.

8: Challenger

The Engineered Network — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 06:00:00 +1000

The Challenger Space Shuttle was directed to launch on the coldest day on record in Florida and 73 seconds after launch it exploded but the engineers saw it coming.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

7: Piper Alpha

The Engineered Network — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 06:00:00 +1000

The Piper Oil field in the North Sea became the site of one of the worst Offshore Oil Rig disasters in history when Piper Platform Alpha went up in flames.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.

6: Amagasaki

The Engineered Network — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 16:20:00 +1000

The Amagasaki rail crash was entirely caused by human error but was it a fear of punishment by the company that was ultimately the cause.
With John Chidgey.

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5: Maccabiah

The Engineered Network — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 03:15:00 +1000

The 15th Maccabiah Games in 1997 had a temporary bridge for the opening ceremony. The world was shocked when it failed and it did so on every level.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

4: Titanic

The Engineered Network — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 07:15:00 +1000

The Titanic famously sank on her maiden voyage with a huge loss of life. No ship is unsinkable.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

3: Fukushima

The Engineered Network — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 06:15:00 +1000

What went wrong with Fukushima 1 Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

2: Don't Roll On Me

The Engineered Network — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 05:15:00 +1000

Roll cages in cars are supposed to improve safety but do they actually cause the problem they're trying to protect you from?
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.

1: BP Texas City

The Engineered Network — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 22:00:00 +1000

The BP Texas City Oil Refinery disaster in 2005 shocked the world. With many safe-guards in place and lost-time injury rates so low, how could so many people be killed in a wholly preventable disaster?
With John Chidgey.

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Notes:

Original version released: 16th October, 2015
Re-written and Re-recorded: 20th August, 2023

0: Trailer

The Engineered Network — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:00:00 +0000

Chain of Events. Cause and Effect. We analyse what went right and what went wrong as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented.
With John Chidgey.

Chain of Events. Cause and Effect. We analyse what went right and what went wrong as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented. This is Causality and I’m John Chidgey. An electrical engineer by degree, Chartered Professional Engineer in Electrical, Information, Telecommunications and Electronic Engineering, with a passion for fault finding, root cause analysis and above all else, learning lessons from our collective mistakes. Because when we don’t understand our collective history, we’re doomed to make the same mistakes, over and over again.

I’m the creator, writer, researcher, host, editor and producer of Causality. My goal: not only explore what went wrong with major incidents that occurred around the world throughout history, but to explore what people, real people that could have made a difference at the time, what could they have done differently to prevent that from happening. How can we design things better? How can prevent incidents from occurring. From Titanic to Challenger, from Piper Alpha to Flint Michigan, from Bhopal to Deepwater Horizon, there are always things we could have done, to prevent them.

No actors, no sound effects, no re-enactments, no nonsense. If you’re an engineer, an operator, a designer, a developer or a person that’s just curious and cares, I hope you’ll join me as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented. I’m John Chidgey. This is Causality. Thanks in advance for listening.

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