A tragic incident occurred in May 2023 at Fort Gibraltar in Winnipeg, where an elevated wooden walkway collapsed and injured 18 people, mostly children, during a school field trip.
According to city documents, the walkway had several structural issues, such as a rotten support beam, insect damage, wood rot, and wear and tear. The last documented inspection of Fort Gibraltar was in 2006, which is clearly inadequate for a facility that receives thousands of visitors every year.
This incident highlights the importance of having an inspection program in place. Inspection frequency should be based on risk assessments, and the fact that Fort Gibraltar needed constant repairs should have prompted a better and more formal inspection program. Moreover, a preventative maintenance program could have also helped to identify and address the problems before they became critical and caused harm.
If you're seeking expert guidance in establishing a robust inspection program, we'd love to help.
