Ethics in Engineering

Engineering is a field in which our decisions will directly affect EVERYONE. Considering engineering is almost anything, if not everything, our decisions are very important. In every new invention or innovation, engineers are developing something to be used by others. The most important aspect of ethics, I believe, is the real world impact of the decisions of engineers.

Engineers must better understand the implications of their actions to the real world. When creating a skyscraper, engineers need to analyze the cost, structure, materials, appearance, possibly the aerodynamics, regulations, and many, many other aspects. Clearly, engineers have quite a bit of things on their plate. When trying to decide among different aspects of a project, engineers can overlook the social implications of their plan. Public safety is the biggest application of the social effect. Disasters can be caused due to a flaw in design.

An example of a disaster caused from a design failure was the Minnesota bridge collapse. The bridge had design failures that led to its collapse. But the main concern was the effects it had on society. Over 80 people were injured along with 4 deaths. This could have been avoided with proper maintenance and inspection of the bridge on a regular basis. The bridge was a part of a highly commuted highway. The bridge was a catastrophic disaster that should not have occurred with modern engineering.

As a result of this accident, the engineering firm hired to inspect the bridge is in a world of hurt financially in dues to the victim’s families along with state and national sanctions. The ethics behind this was the fact that it was inspected two years before and was categorized as “structurally deficient” and had visible fatigue cracks. Where did the engineering firm go wrong? There was not a strong enough of a response. The repairs should have been made immediately. Why they were not is beyond me, but my best bet would be financial reasons.

To sum up my thoughts on engineering ethics, I think that engineers need to take on a lot of responsibilities while making these important decisions. When things go wrong, people are inclined to point the finger at somebody. When disasters come about due to design failures in instances such as the Challenger, Gulf oil spill, and this Minnesota bridges, it will almost result in a finger pointed at an engineer. And I believe that is appropriate and necessary. So basically, think about what you’re doin’ folks. Peace. Thanksgiving break, Let’s go!