Monitoring systems: Effective implementation for risk reduction

Monitoring systems have not traditionally been given the importance that they deserve in construction projects. This paper undertakes a retrospective analysis of three well-known catastrophic failures at the Nicoll Highway, the Heathrow Tunnels collapse and the São Paulo collapse, through the findings of authoritative reports that studied their causes. These reports suggest that the failures could have been avoided, or at least their consequences diminished, had the monitoring system been designed, implemented and operated appropriately.

Despite the findings on these collapses, the construction industry has not yet taken advantage of the full benefits that monitoring systems can have in the prevention of these events. Integrating monitoring systems into the risk management of projects would improve safety and reduce risks considerably. Doing so would bring additional benefits to the construction industry as a whole.

Finally, the paper presents a Systems Engineering approach to providing a comprehensive step-by-step guidance that would ensure completeness in the solutions adopted for monitoring systems. The framework presented can also be used by less experienced engineers during the design, implementation and operation of monitoring systems.