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Homicideware: Deadly Engineering Disasters and the Future of Technology Safety

Andrea M. Matwyshyn

 


Safety Failures Sample:

 

Civil:

  1. Skyline Towers, Bailey’s Crossroads building collapse, VA (1973)

  2. New York City 303 E. 51st St. crane collapse (2008)

  3. Florida International University bridge collapse (2018)

  4. Minnesota I-35 collapse (2007)

  5. Indianapolis State Fair grandstand collapse

  6. Hard Rock Hotel collapse (2019)

  7. Hurricane Katrina levies (2005)

  8. Ashtabula River railway bridge collapse (1876)

  9. South Fork Dam, Johnstown Flood, PA (1889)

  10. St. Francis Dam collapse (1928)

  11. Hyatt Regency walkway, MO (1981)

  12. Surfside Condos, FL (2021)

  13. Pemberton Mill factory collapse, MA (1860)

  14. Grover Shoe factory collapse, MA (1905)

  15. Chicago Crib Disaster (1909)

  16. Great Flood of 1913 levies (1913)

  17. Iroquois Theater fire, Chicago, IL (1903)

  18. Great Chicago Fire, IL (1871)

  19. Rhythm Club fire, MS (1940)

  20. Collinswood School Fire, OH (1908)

  21. Rhoads Opera House fire, PA (1908)

  22. Hartford Circus fire, CT (1944)

  23. Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, KY (1977)

  24. Buffalo Creek flood and dam failure, WV (1972)

  25. Cleveland Clinic fire, OH (1929)

  26. Winecoff Hotel fire, GA (1946)

  27. Shiloh Baptist Church stampede, AL (1902)

  28. Station nightclub fire, RI (2003)

  29. Knickerbocker Theater, DC (1922)

  30. Big Dig Ceiling Collapse, MA (2006)

  31. Philadelphia Market Street building collapse (2013)

  32. Cincinnati Who concert (1980?)

  33. Malbone street wreck, station incident response, Brooklyn, NY  (1918)

  34. Charlotte construction site scaffolding collapse (2023)

  35. NYC parking garage collapse (2023)

  36. Philadelphia I-95 bridge collapse (2023)

  37. Davenport , IA apartment building collapse (2023)

  38. Francis Scott Key Bridge, DE (2023)

  39. Miami Dade College parking structure collapse (2012)

  40. Pier 34 Club Heat, Philadelphia, PA (2000)

  41. 1601 Park Ave. apartment building, Los Angeles, CA (2000)

  42. I-40 bridge, Webbers Falls, OK (2002)

  43. Chicago, IL balcony collapse (2003)

  44. Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial bridge crane collapse, CT (2004)

  45. Interstate 88, NY bridge collapse (2006)

  46. Charleston Super Sofa fire, SC (2007)

  47. Harbor Cay Condominium collapse, FL (1981)

  48. Lawn Lake Dam, CO (1982)

  49. Senior Tower Road collapse, Missouri City, TX (1982)

  50. Mianus River Bridge, CT (1983)

  51. L’Ambiance Plaza, CT (1987)

  52. Schoharie Creek Bridge, Hunter, NY (1987)

  53. Tennessee Hatchie River bridge, TN (1989)

  54. Cypress Street Viaduct, Oakland, CA (1989)

  55. University of Virginia lawn pavilion balcony collapse, VA (1997)

  56. WLBT Tower, Raymond, MS (1997)

  57. Aggie bonfire collapse, College Station, TX (1999)

  58. Big Blue Crane collapse, Milwaukee, WI (1999)

  59. WSM-TV Tower, Nashville, TN (1957)

  60. Baldwin Hills Reservoir, Los Angeles, CA (1963)

  61. Silver Bridge, Point Pleasant, WV/OH (1967)

  62. 2000 Commonwealth collapse, Boston, MA (1971)

  63. Broadway Central Hotel, Mercer Arts Center, NY (1973)

  64. Miami DEA building, FL (1974)

  65. Teton Dam, Idaho (1976)

  66. Kelly Barnes Dam, GA (1977)

  67. Willow Island cooling tower, WV (1978)

  68. Connor Hotel, Joplin, MO (1978)

  69. New London school, New London, TX (1937)

  70. Eden railroad bridge, Eden, CO (1904)

  71. Pickwick Club, Boston, MA (1925)

  72. 1900 Big Game factory disaster, San Francisco, CA (1900)

  73. Molasses Flood, Boston, MA (1919)

  74. Amsden Building, Framington, MA (1906)

  75. Division St. Bridge, Spokane, WA (1915)

  76. Ireland Building, NYC, NY (1895)

  77. Big Four Bridge, KY (1888)

  78. Bussey bridge collapse, Boston, MA (1887)

  79. Dixon Bridge, Dixon, IL (1873)

  80. Walnut Grove Dam, Wickenburg, AZ (1890)

81. Truesdell Bridge, Dixon, IL (1873)

82. Sunshine Skyway Bridge, St. Petersburg, FL (1980)

83. Big Bayou Canot bridge, Mobile, AL (1993)

84. Cline Avenue highway project, East Chicago, IN (1982)

​

Transportation:

  1. Philadelphia Amtrak derailment (2015)

  2. Bogrom airbase 747 crash (2013)

  3. Challenger Space Shuttle (1986)

  4. Columbia Space Shuttle (2003)

  5. Pan Am Flight 103 (1988)

  6. Reno Air Show (2011)

  7. Steamboat Sultana, Mississippi River (1865)

  8. Titan Submersible (2023)

  9. Texas City ship explosion (1947)

  10. PS General Slocum, NY (1904)

  11. SS Eastland, IL (1915)

  12. Pacific Shipwreck, Flattery, WA (1875)

  13. American Airlines Flight 587 (2001)

  14. American Airlines Flight 191 (1979)

  15. Pennsylvania steamboat, Mississippi River, TN (1858)

  16. SS G.P. Griffith, Lake Erie (1850)

  17. RMS Titanic (1912)

  18. TWA Flight 800

  19. Brother Jonathan steamer (1865)

  20. EgyptAir Flight 990, MA (1999)

  21. Powhattan shipwreck, NJ (1854)

  22. The Portland shipwreck, MA (1898)

  23. Faithful Steward, DE (1785)

  24. SS Phoenix, Lake Michigan (1847)

  25. Ben Sherrod ship fire, MS (1837)

  26. Moselle riverboat, OH (18380

  27. Northwest Airlines Flight 255, MI (1987)

  28. Armistice Day blizzard shipwrecks, Lake Michigan (1940)

  29. Pan Am Flight 759, LA (1982)

  30. Louisiana steamboat, LA (1849)

  31. New Era shipwreck, NJ (1854)

  32. PSA Flight 192, CA (1978)

  33. Lexington shipwreck (1840)

  34. USS Turner, NY (1944)

  35. SS Morro Castle, NJ (1934)

  36. Delta Air Lines Flight 191, TX (1985)

  37. Mid air collision NY (1960)

  38. USS Forrestal fire (1967)

  39. USAir Flight 427, PA (1994)

  40. Atlantic shipwreck, Lake Erie (1852)

  41. Orville Wright flight test (1908)

  42. USS Thresher submarine (1963)

  43. Steamship Pulaski, NC (1838)

  44. SS City of Rio de Janeiro, CA (1901)

  45. Grand Canyon mid air collision (1956)

  46. Bus fire during cyclone evacuations, TX (2005)

  47. Malbone Street Wreck train accident, Brooklyn, NY (1918)

  48. Metro-North train crash, Valhalla, NY (2015)

  49. Metro-North train derailment, Bronx, NY (2013)

  50. Fort Totten Station Metrorail crash, Washington DC (2009)

  51. Metrolink train collision with Union Pacific train, Chatworth, CA (2008)

  52. Metrolink crash and derailment, Glendale, CA (2005)

  53. Amtrak Auto Train derailment, Crescent City, FL (2002)

  54. Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) train collision with Amtrak train, Silver Spring, MD (1996)

  55. New Jersey transit trains crashed into each other, Secaucus, NJ (1996)

  56. Amtrak derailment into a swamp, Mobile, AL (1993)

  57. Eden railroad bridge train derailment, Eden, CO (1904)

  58. Hindenberg docking, NJ (1937)

  59. Big Bayou Canot Amtrak derailment, Mobile, AL (1993)

  60. Sydney Lanier Bridge freighter collision, Brunswick, GA (1972)

 

Food:

  1. New York Swill milk scandal (1858) – 5000 infants

  2. Botulism in olives, CA (1919)

  3. Elks National Home pesticide apple cider, VA (1923)

  4. S.E. Massengill Elixir Sulfanilamide (1937)

  5. Oregon State Hospital scrambled eggs with insecticide (1942 or 1947)

  6. Washington Packing Corp. Tuna fish with botulism (1963)

  7. Bon Vivant soup with botulism (1971)

  8. Colonial Park Country Club botulism, NM (1978)

  9. Skewer Inn onion botulism, IL (1983)

  10. Jalisco cheese listeriosis, CA (1985)

  11. Hillfarm Dairy salmonella milk, IL (1985)

  12. Jack in the Box E.coli, four states (1993)

  13. Odwalla E.coli  (1996)

  14. Bil Mar cold cuts listeriosis (1998)

  15. Sun Orchard salmonella in orange juice (1999)

  16. Water with E.coli, Washington County Fair, NY (1999)

  17. Sizzler E.coli, WI (2000)

  18. Pilgrim’s Pride chicken listeriosis (2002)

  19. Green Onion Hepatitis A (2003)

  20. Dole Food spinach, E.coli (2006)

  21. Whittier Farms milk, MA (2007)

  22. Peanut Corporation of America, salmonellosis in peanuts (2008)

  23. Jensen Farms cantaloupes with listeriosis (2011)

  24. Blue Bell Creameries listeria (2015)

  25. Medical cannabis with bacteria and fungi (2017)

  26. Frugals milk shakes with listeria (2023)

  27. PCA peanut butter (2009)

  28. Cargill ground turkey (2011)

  29. Mexico cucumbers (2015)

  30. Home canned potatoes at a church potluck, OH (2015)

  31. Sara Lee hotdogs (1998)

  32. Chi-Chi’s salsa and chili con queso, PA (2003)

  33. Diamond Shruumz Chocolate (2024)

  34. Many brands Queso Fresco and Cotija cheese with listeriosis (2024)

  35. Sofia Produce cantaloupes salmonella (2023)

  36. HMC Farms peaches, nectarines, and plum with listeriosis (2023)

  37. Gill’s Onions with salmonella (2023)

  38. Foraged morel mushrooms in Montana (2023)

  39. Big Olaf Ice Cream listeria (2022)

  40.  Dole salad with listeria monocytogenes (2021)

 

Chemical/industrial:

  1. Indy car racing materials (1960s)

  2. Deep Water Horizon oil rig explosion (2010)

  3. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911)

  4. Thiokol-Woodbine explosion, GA (1971)

  5. Henderson Rocket explosion, NV (1988)

  6. Phillips explosion, TX (1989)

  7. Allegheny arsenal, PA (1862)

  8. Washington arsenal, DC (1864)

  9. Stowmarket guncotton explosion (1871)

  10. T.A. Gillespie Company Shell loading plant explosion, NJ (1918)

  11. Nixon Nitration explosion, NJ (1924)

  12. Picatinny arsenal explosion, NJ (1924)

  13. Port Chicago explosion, CA (1944)

  14. Searcy Missile Silo fire, AR (1965)

  15. Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion (1944)

  16. West Loch explosion, HI (1944)

  17. Newark explosion, NJ (1983)

  18. Romeoville, IL oil refinery (1984)

  19. Shell oil refinery, Norco, LA (1988)

  20. ARCO Channelview, TX chemical plant (1990)

  21. BP refinery, Texas City, TX (2005)

  22. T2 Laboratories explosion and fire, FL (2007)

  23. Kingston Fossil Plant, coal fly ash slurry spill TN (2008)

  24. Kleen Energy Systems explosion, CT (2010)

  25. Washburn A Mill explosion, MN (1878)

  26. Great Molasses Flood, Boston, MA (1919)

  27. Hamlet chicken plant explosion, NC (1991)

  28. Grain elevator explosion, Hyattsville, KS (1998)

  29. Imperial Sugar Refinery, GA (2008)

  30. Con Agra Slim Jim explosion, NC (2009)

  31. Foundation Food Group liquid nitrogen leak (2021)

  32. Standard Steel Car Company, PA molten steel ladle accident (1907)

  33. O’Connor Plating Works explosion, CA (1947)

  34. Benton Fireworks, TN (1983)

  35. Aerlex Fireworks Plant explosion (1985)

  36. PEPCON explosion, NV (1988)

  37. West Pharmaceutical Services syringe plant explosion (2003)

  38. Falk Corporation, WI gas leak and explosion (2006)

  39. Diamond Mine disaster, Diamond, IL (1883)

  40. Monongah mining disaster, WV (1907) – 362 dead

  41. Upper Big Branch mine explosion, WV (2010)

  42. Hawk’s Nest Tunnel, WV (1927-1932)

  43. Dioxin release, Times Beach, MO (1972-1976)

  44. Fertilizer plant explosion, West Texas (2013)

  45. Bastian Plating Company,  chemical mixing, IN (1988)

  46. IMC explosion, LA (1991)

  47. Cherry Mine, IL (1909)

  48. Darr Mine, PA (1907)

  49. Scofield Mine, UT (1900)

  50. Mather Mine, PA (1928)

  51. Harwick Mine, PA (1904)

  52. Eccles Mine, WV (1914)

  53. Castle Gate Mine, UT (1924)

  54. Hanna Mine, WY (1903)

  55. Speculator Mine, MT (1917)

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