The Dam That Failed on Its First Filling On June 5, 1976, the newly completed Teton Dam in southeastern Idaho failed while its reservoir was being filled for the first time. The collapse sent a massive flood through Wilford, Sugar City, Rexburg, and other downstream communities. Eleven people died, and losses were estimated at approximately […]

When Critical Controls Fail On April 5, 2010, an explosion tore through the Upper Big Branch Mine-South near Montcoal, West Virginia. Twenty-nine miners were killed, and two others were injured. The disaster was the deadliest U.S. coal-mine accident in nearly four decades. It was also preventable. The Mine Safety and Health Administration found that the […]

Piper Alpha: The Pump That Should Not Have Been Started At about 10 p.m. on July 6, 1988, operators on the Piper Alpha platform in the North Sea started a standby condensate pump. They did not know that its pressure safety valve had been removed for maintenance. Condensate escaped, ignited, and set off the first […]