Safety of vertical cantilever structures. Part 2: Common defects and causes of failure

Part 1 of this article aims to highlight safety concerns for various types of cantilever structure in their design, construction, use and maintenance stages. It provides general guidance for designers, contractors and maintenance teams, and clients to avoid failure during these stages.

This article aims to identify gaps in Eurocode and IStructE guidance, and make recommendations on additional considerations that engineers should take into account when designing or assessing cantilever structures.

This month's CROSS report concerns a post-fixed residential balcony and shows the value of third-party checking, which prevented a potentially dangerous structure.