On February 25th, 2005, an article appeared in the New York Times highlighting the unprecedented collapse of one of the terminals at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The quality issue arising in this article is design and construction standards observation. In a precise attempt to point towards the events leading to the collapse, the article stated that the building had visible cracks before it collapsed that left 4 people dead (Tagliabue, 2005).
Quality management tools to be used
- Check sheet: Being more dependent on design and construction standards adherence, a check is no doubt important in ensuring that every challenge is addressed.
- Cause and effect diagram: This quality tool is useful in identifying possible defects the construction may face and linking them up to causes.
- Brainstorming: This will allow the identification of a range of possibilities irrespective of their effects.
3 steps to take in solving the problem
Gather as much physical evidence as possible. This will involve investigation of the crack directions, trends, and the impact of the fall as well as any unusual effects recorded after the fall.
Review the standards guiding both design and construction of the wall and identify possible non-compliance.
Undertake investigations to find the possible causes of the defects recorded in the collected physical evidence and also take into consideration the findings of step 2.
References
Tagliabue, J. (2005). France: Terminal Cracked Before Collapse. New York Times, p. 6.