Engineering Ethics: The Collapse of the Willow Island Cooling Tower

Course Number: ET-1069
Credit: 1 PDH
Subject Matter Expert: Edward P. Brunet, Jr., P.E.
Price: $29.95 or enroll free with your NoonPi Unlimited Plan
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Overview

In Engineering Ethics: The Collapse of the Willow Island Cooling Tower, you'll learn ...

  • Details of the deadliest construction site accident in U.S. history
  • Multiple errors and deficiencies that converged on a single day to cause the accident
  • The decisions and actions of the parties involved in the project from an ethical point of view

Overview

PDHengineer Course Preview

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Credit: 1 PDH

Length: 16 pages

Around 10:00 a.m. on 27 April 1978 in Willow Island, WV, workers engaged in the construction of a concrete cooling tower began hoisting their third load of wet concrete from the ground to the work platform, which was 166 feet in the air. Without warning, the top of the partially constructed tower collapsed into the center of the tower, killing 51 construction workers.

To date, the partial collapse of the Willow Island Cooling Tower is considered the worst construction accident in the United States. In this course, you’ll learn why the tower was being built, the causal factors in its collapse, and the major findings of OSHA’s investigation of the disaster. The course will examine the decisions and actions of the parties involved in the project from an ethical point of view.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  • Why the Willow Island Cooling Tower was built, as well as the unique erection strategy that was used
  • The root causes of the tower’s collapse
  • Warning signs given prior to the accident that were ignored
  • The importance of having a qualified engineer review on-site modifications to the erection plan
  • Major findings contained in the OSHA investigation of the disaster
  • Multiple ethical lapses viewed through the lens of the present day NSPE Code of Ethics

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.

Board Acceptance
This course is applicable to professional engineers in:
Alabama (P.E.) Alaska (P.E.) Arkansas (P.E.)
Delaware (P.E.) District of Columbia (P.E.) Florida (P.E. Other Topics)
Georgia (P.E.) Idaho (P.E.) Illinois (P.E.)
Illinois (S.E.) Indiana (P.E.) Iowa (P.E.)
Kansas (P.E.) Kentucky (P.E.) Louisiana (P.E.)
Maine (P.E.) Maryland (P.E.) Michigan (P.E.)
Minnesota (P.E.) Mississippi (P.E.) Missouri (P.E.)
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Pennsylvania (P.E.) South Carolina (P.E.) South Dakota (P.E.)
Tennessee (P.E.) Texas (P.E.) Utah (P.E.)
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More Details

PDHengineer Course Preview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 1 PDH

Length: 16 pages

Add to Cart

Purchase using credit card or debit card
Or Enroll now

Enroll for free using my NoonPi Unlimited Plan

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