Ethics in engineering profession

Ethics in Engineering profession and Some case study

Prepared by: Kamal ShahiRoll no: 25

EthicsStudy of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person

Set of standard or codes derived from human reasons and experience by which human actions are determined as right or wrong/ good or evil

Generally Ethics Is:

a. The science of customs or habitsb. The science of character or conductsc. The science of rightness or wrongnessd. The science of moralitye. A normative science

Shakespeare -- "When in Rome, do as theRomans do" Kant -- "Do not do unto others as youwould not have them do unto you" the Bible -- "he that dig a pit shall fallinto it confront

Engineering Ethicsfield of applied ethics and system of moral principles that apply to the practice of engineeringexamines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to their clients, and to the profession

6

Why ETHICS in Engineering???

Engineers responsibility to society in not only bringing new technology, discoveries, and designs to the worldbut also in protecting the public interest

On the beginning of 20th century there had been significant structural failures like Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster (1876), Tay Bridge Disaster (1879), and the Quebec Bridge collapse (1907), Boston molasses disaster etc

Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster (1876)

Quebec Bridge(before)

Quebec Bridge(After)

Tay Bridge(Before)Tay Bridge(after)

CITICORP BUILDING(case study explained later)

These disasters forced the engineering profession to confront shortcomings in technical and construction practice, as well as ethical standardsengineers are reminded of their responsibilities starting in early-college coursework and progressing throughout their careers in continuing education courses.

It is not for preaching virtue rather, its objective is to increase your ability as engineers to responsibly tackle the moral issues raised by technological activity.

SCOPE OF ENGINEERING ETHICS

EngineeringEthicsEngineering asSocial ExperimentationThe EngineersResponsibility For SafetyMoral ValuesTechnological DevelopmentEthical DilemmasPromoting Responsible ConductMicro & Macro IssuesResponsibility to employeesRights of engineers

Code of Ethics for EngineersEngineering is an important and learned profession. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people so services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfareFundamental principles: Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Perform services only in areas of their competence. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees. Avoid deceptive acts. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, andlawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession

National Society of Professional Engineers has provided the set of codes of ethics for engineers includingFundamental canonsRules of practice Professional obligations(detail on report)

The professional Code of Conduct to be followed by the registered Engineers of the Council, subject to theprovision of the Nepal Engineering Council (NEC) Act, 2055 (1998) and the Nepal Engineering Council Regulation,2057(2000), has been published as follows :Discipline and honestyPoliteness and confidentialityNon-discriminationProfessional WorkDeeds which may cause harm to the engineering profession Personal responsibilityState name, designation and registration noNo publicity or advertisement must be made which may cause unnecessary effect

Nepal Engineers Association adopted code of ethics for its fellow members in Chaitra 6, 2065.According to NEAFundamental Principles of Professional Engineering EthicsUpholding and advancing engineering professionKeeping high standards of Ethical conductQuality of Engineers to adhere with above principlesEngineerWill be honest and fair and serve employer, clients and publicWill declare to the advancement of competence of engineering profession and to disseminate engineering knowledgeWill use his knowledge and skill in the service of humanityCode also directs the relationship of Nepalese Engineer with Relation with PublicRelation with Employers and ClientsRelation with Engineers

Some case studies OFENGINEERING ETHICS

1. THE CASE OF THE KILLERROBOT Randy Samuels employed as a programmer at the Silicon Techtronic's Inc. The charge involves the death of Bart Matthews, who was killed by an assembly line robot . Victim worked as robot operator at Cybernetics Inc. in Silicon Heights. He was crushed to death when the robot he was operating malfunctioned and started to wave its hands violently.written formula ,provided by the project physicist, which Samuels was supposed to program. But he negligently misinterpreted the formula leading to this huge gruesome death. Society must protect itself against programmers who make careless mistakesFor more http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/Cases/killerrobot/article-6.aspx#abstract

2. DC 10 JUMBO JET

The cargo door of DC 10 Jumbo jet was developed by Convair, a sub contractor for McDonnell Douglas.So he reported to his senior engineer that the Cargo door could burst open, leading to crash of the plane. Hence the door has to be redesigned and the cabin floor has to strengthenedTop Management at Convair neither disputed the technical facts or the predictions made by Applegate. The liabilities and the cost of redesign were to high.

20

Two years went by and In 1974 the cargo door of DC 10 Jumbo burst open and the jet crashed near Paris killing 346

Detail info @ http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-thy981.shtml

3. CITICORP BUILDING

Structural Engineer Bill LeMessurier faced a big design problem when he worked on the Citicorp Centre, N.Y fifth highest skyscraper in New York.

The 900 feet bank would rise from 9-storey (114)

This was because of acorner of the plot belonged toa church and the church had to be accommodated there.The building was completed in 1977. An engineeringstudent like you questioned: what will happen when thewind loading is oblique?

While LeMessurier designed welded joints, the contractor, Bethlehem Steel changed them to bolted joints. Recalculation was not done to check what the construction change would do.

Wind Tunnel Tests proved that the diagonal wind loading (with a return period of 16 years) can lead to the failure of the critical bolted joints and therefore the building.LeMessurier was deeply troubled. He considered his options

Silence SuicideHe explained the problem to his client Citicorp.

The building was strengthened by welding two-inch thick steel plates over each of the 200 bolted joints. With only welding half the number of bolts hurricane Ella was threatening to strike the building. Luckily Ellas directionchanged.NOTHING WAS HAPPENED LATER BUT THIS WAS HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC FOR ALMOST 20 YEARSFor more info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOYVaYZvg2Q

4. THE CHALLENGER CASECHALLENGERS 8th flight was set up for 28th Jan 1986Allan McDonald of Morton Thiokol who designed the solidrocket booster knew the problems with the field joints on previous cold weather joints. And 28th Jan was expected to be cold.But no one gave response on that and finally count down ended at 11.38 AM. The temperature was 36 degrees. The rocket broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members

WHISTLE BLOWINGWhistle blowing is alerting relevant personsto some moral or legal corruption, where Relevant persons are those in a position to act in responseperson who exposes misconduct, alleged dishonest or illegal activity occurring in an organizationNo topic in Engineering ethics is more controversial thanwhistle blowing.

conclusionWhen you leave this Lecture Hall today you must leave with the knowledge and conviction that you have a professional and moral responsibility to yourselves and to your fellow human beings to defend the truth and expose any questionable practice that will lead to an unsafe product or process

Referenceshttp://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmpe080e/Spring10/Week%2001/Engineering%20Ethics%20&%20cases.pdfhttp://www.nec.gov.np/img/downloads/Code%20of%20Conduct.pdfhttp://eeiccourses.engineering.osu.edu/sites/eeiccourses.engineering.osu.edu/files/uploads/au2013/1181/Class/Class03_Ethics/Ethics_Assigned_Cases_Schedule6.pdfhttp://www.bookspar.com/wp-content/uploads/vtu/notes/1st-2nd-sem/cipe/Professional-ethics.pdfwww.nec.gov.np http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-thy981.shtml

THANK YOU