7. Safety Precautions
7.1 Tests of this type can be dangerous. Equipment and facilities must be designed with ample safety factors to assure that it is the specimen that fails and not the test apparatus or facilities. Observers and sensitive instrumentation must be kept away from beams when loading to failure or in a range where performance is unknown. Gravity loading with concrete blocks, metal bars, sand, or similar materials can be very hazardous at failure as collapse may be sudden and complete.