Many people and the oversight process itself are to blame. That is a start. It should not take the death of a young student to force the correction of an obvious hazard. The message also should not be lost on contractors, design firms and everyone associated with any project. If a safety hazard is detected, instant action must be taken.
Lives are at risk.
The construction industry periodically goes through expansion and consolidation according to the demands of the economy and clients. Roll-ups and other merger and acquisition activity are providing some companies with the opportunity to bulk up to go after bigger, multilocation clients and projects and give owners what they want. But that also tends to stamp out the personality that makes smaller firms distinctive and create harder to manage giants that may not be as close to the marketplace or clients. Alliances between independent companies are a management concept that the industry has not yet fully exploited. But the secret to making an alliance successful is to have specific objectives and procedures, as well as a clear definition of how the opportunities, risks and rewards will be divided up.