A $30 Payday. A $500,000 Lawsuit. In Philadelphia, 2,500 manhole covers disappeared in a single year. The cost to the city: at least $300,000 in replacement alone—not counting the liability exposure from every open hole left behind. Across the country in Chicago, the situation was even more brazen: 200 covers...

You're pricing out manhole covers for a utility project. Two quotes land on your desk: one for cast iron, one for composite. The cast iron is familiar — your municipality has spec'd it for decades. The composite is lighter, cheaper to ship, and the manufacturer claims a 50-year service life...