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Causality

Causality

The Engineered Network 65 Episodes May 31, 2026

Causality explores the chain of events and cause-and-effect relationships that shape outcomes. The podcast analyzes what went right and what went wrong, revealing how many results can be predicted, planned for, and even prevented. It delves into various scenarios to understand the underlying mechanisms of success and failure.

Episodes

64: Verrückt Waterslide May 31, 2026 00:34:39 Spurred on to build the tallest and fastest Waterslide in the world by a Travel Channel show about Waterparks, the owners of the Kansas City Schlitterbahn Waterpark designed and built the Verrückt Waterslide in record time. A net enclosed the ride and on its third Summer Season a 10 Year Old boy died on impact with that netting mid-ride. We look at how design decisions, subsequent modifications an
63: Wittenoom Mar 8, 2026 00:31:19 With demand for Asbestos in building products in the 1940s, a discovery in Western Australia's remote Pilbara region of Blue Asbestos led to the creation of a mining town called Wittenoom. Despite the growing list of illnesses and deaths of workers from the mine and milling operation, the company pressed on until it closed for 'financial' reasons. We look at the dangers of dust inhalat
62: OceanGate Titan Feb 3, 2026 00:39:06 A young company pushing to re-invent deep sea exploration with an initial focus on opening up tourism to the wreck of the Titanic, OceanGate garnered the fascination of many around the world. With a different approach to their hull design they forged ahead despite many warnings from experts in the field, concerned about their design decisions and materials choices. When the submersible imploded ki
61: West Gate Bridge Nov 30, 2025 00:38:50 Planned for nearly a century, when the time came to build a permanent link across the Lower Yarra River, a relatively new style of bridge, the box-girder, was chosen. Using new computer technology assisting the engineers to design a bridge that was too complex to calculate by hand, and using a unique lifting strategy promised time and cost savings. Ultimately though when the pieces didn't fit
60: Carnival Triumph Aug 27, 2025 00:24:44 A leaking flexible pipe started a fire in the Engine Room aboard the Carnival Triumph during its return journey from Mexico in early 2013. The fire caused minor damage in one, very important section of the Engine Room leading to a total loss of Mains Power. With only intermittent Emergency Power and over 4,000 people on board the ship drifted with the currents before it was tugged finally to safet
59: Bayer CropScience May 1, 2025 00:50:22 After an extended outage of the Methomyl Unit at the Bayer facility in Institute, West Virginia, the decision was made to commence a restart of the Unit even though the DCS upgrade was still incomplete and the newly replaced Residue Treater hadn't been fully recommissioned. An incident whose root cause was years in the making would ultimately cost two people their lives.With John Chidgey.Relat
58: West Fertilizer Company Mar 31, 2025 00:30:43 In the early hours of the evening on the 17th of April, 2013 in the small city of West, Texas...smoke was seen emanating from the West Fertilizer Company building. In 20 minutes there was a massive explosion that levelled the facility and its surroundings, killing 15 people and injuring hundreds more. How this came to be, represented a failure of regulations, planning and grandfathering on every l
57: Stardust Nightclub Jan 8, 2025 00:27:40 On Valentines Day in 1981 in the North of Dublin, Ireland a fire broke out in a nightclub just following a Disco Dancing competition. We look at how measures taken to prevent illegal entry and poor building material choices cost 48 young people their lives.With John Chidgey.Related Episodes: Causality Episode 43: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Formal Reports: Report of the Stardust Victims’
56: BP Husky Toledo Dec 18, 2024 00:40:08 On the 20th of September, 2022 at the BP Husky Toledo refinery in Ohio, a level transmitter change out from a month prior triggered a chain of events that would cost two operators their lives. We look at how poor Management of Change, high alarm rates and a resistance to stopping the job, let a plant upset turn into a disaster.With John Chidgey.Formal Report: U.S. Chemical Safety Board Issues Fin
55: CrowdStrike Oct 19, 2024 00:29:04 On Friday the 19th of July, 2024 millions of CrowdStrike Falcon Agents the world over would lead to a Windows system crash on business machines throwing parts of the world into chaos. We look into exactly what caused it and how complacency and a lack of understanding amplified the effect of this wholly preventable incident.With John Chidgey.About Causality (TV): Introducing Causality TV Causality
54: Midland Resource Recovery Jun 25, 2024 00:28:01 In 2017 during an Odoriser decontamination procedure in West Virginia, two people were killed when it unexpectedly exploded. Barely a month later, a similar procedure at the same site led to a second explosion, killing someone else. We examine how poor hazard analysis and legal interference led to yet another fatality...right in front of the eyes of the investigators on site.With John Chidgey.Form
53: Callide C Blackout Mar 30, 2024 00:50:52 In 2021 the Callide C Power Station experienced a unit failure that tore the turbine-generator apart, resulted in hundreds of thousands of premises losing power, and cost hundreds of millions to repair. We look at how design errors and ultimately a lack of information led to the incident escalating out of control, when it could have been recovered.With John Chidgey.Formal Reports: Callide Unit C4

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