Yesterday a building collapsed near Mumbai, India that killed at at least 41 people with dozens more missing or injured. The photo shows the rescuers searching for survivors.

Four of the floors were completed and occupied, while another three floors were completed and a fourth was being built. The problem, though, is that the building was designed for only four floors and the others were being added without permits or oversight.

The article states:

Building collapses are common in India as builders try to cut corners by using poor-quality materials and multi-storey structures are built with inadequate supervision.

A local resident, who did not give his name, said the site was only meant to hold a smaller structure and said officials turned a blind eye to the problem.

“They made an eight-storey building of what was supposed to be a four-storey building. People from the municipality used to visit the building but the builder still continued to add floors,” he said.

Police will arrest the builders, but think of all those that died (11 of them were children) and take a moment to be thankful that you work in an environment with plan reviews, permits and building inspectors. Tell your building inspector this story and thank him for the work he does. It helps keep competition fair…and keeps us out of jail.