August 11, 2015
Ridiculous Manufacturing Mistakes That You Won't Believe
Throughout time, engineers and manufacturers have tackled some of the most complicated construction tasks, often battling against Mother Nature to test the limits of what humans can achieve. Great feats of engineering have been achieved, such as the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite their best efforts, however, master builders still make blunders, sometimes small but often quite spectacular.
We have all been there: You wake up in the morning, bleary-eyed and sleepy from a restless night. You reach for the bedroom doorknob to reluctantly open it so you can begin your day, but your hand misses its mark: The person who installed the door put it on the wrong way, and your door handle is not where it should be. How could such a simple task have gone so wrong? After all, every other door in the house was installed correctly.
Construction mistakes occur all the time. While the degree of these mishaps can vary, the fact is that even the best builders are error-prone. All it takes is one bad building plan, one-minute distraction, and that simple project can turn into a nightmare.
Some of these construction mistakes are hilarious, while others can be quite serious or even deadly. One mind-boggling building error we see a lot is the mysterious "door to nowhere" or "door of doom." These are doors that are installed in a building that lead to nowhere or, worse, to a precipitous drop off the side of a structure.
Then there are the well-intentioned construction bloopers that make us scratch our heads and guffaw with laughter at the sheer absurdity. We have seen such silliness as side-by-side toilets with no wall between them and urinals that are on two walls of the same corner as if going to the restroom was a special bonding moment. It makes you wonder if the installer noticed the mistake and then tossed their hands into the air with an "oh well" or if they looked at their handiwork and thought, "perfect."
Perhaps the most famous construction mistake is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy. While the topic of why the tower leans is hotly debated, most builders agree that it was, in fact, not an intentional feature. The most likely cause is a poorly laid foundation and the addition of loose substrate. These two conditions are the probable culprit and cause of the bell tower"s infamous lean.
While mistakes happen despite our best intentions, there are ways to prevent them. Proper planning and a detail-oriented work ethic are key to completing any construction or manufacturing project. Working within a good budget, both financial and time-wise, also helps to avoid cost-cutting tactics and rushed work. These are two big culprits that lead to issues in construction that should be avoided at all costs.
Employing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is also a great idea. These handy tools help you track budgets, issue work orders, store documentation, and create reports so that you can monitor employee workflow and keep an eye on the overall performance of projects. Furthermore, when issues such as those I"ve highlighted occur, maintenance management software lets you document issues and provide accountability so that you can avoid such incidents in the future. Who knows: If the builders of the Leaning Tower of Pisa had owned a CMMS, we may not know the name of Pisa, Italy, at all!