Verulam

The paper describes various imporiani aspecis of the design and construction of the new Ibrox Siadium. S. Thorburn and K.C.W. Van der Lee

1. Conspectus The Standing Committee on Structural Safety was formed in the Spring of 1976. Four Reports have been issued and this is the fifth. The Committee always regarded its early years as experimental, since it was not possible, without operating experience, to predict the best way to use the time and effort available. Experience has now shown that there are at least two useful functions which such a committee could perform in the future. The first is to continue with the kind of work which has engaged the attention of the Committee since it began. The second is, when specifically called upon by the Institutions, to advise them on appropriate actions which they might take when a serious deficiency in the safety of a particular type of structure, or of a certain type of material used in structural construction, has appeared or is considered likely to appear. As far as the Committee is at present aware, there is only a small chance that such a fault will appear in the near future, but the probability can never be mathematically zero and the cost, if it should occur, could be very great, both in financial terms and in reputation.

All members, when applying for admission to the Institution, sign a declaration that they will be bound by the provision of the Charter and Bye-Laws and by the Rules of Conduct. For the majority, the latter simply strengthen the duty that they in any case owe to themselves as professional engineers. For some members in their day-to-day work, however, the Rules call for the observance of long-standing conventions, ignorance or disregard of which places the professional reputation of a member at risk as well as reflecting adversely on the Institution itself.