Engineering Ethics Essay

Engineering Ethics EssayEngineers list to practice their affair as members of teams, led and managed by senior engineers who ar employees, even though they also assume the role of employers in many aspects of their relationships with their juniorsThe more senior engineers prevail to be concerned with the leadership and management of large resources of men, materials and finance over which they put on controlIt is the juniors who ar more involved in the detailed skilful practice of the profession and technical direction comes from middle trains of the organizational structureManagement implies responsibility and in engineering management, the nonrecreational engineer is responsible in a very direct sense for control over the resources of the communityEngineering therefore, is a unique profession in which all of the marks of the captain man have crucial importancehe moldiness have high-level skills and he must develop different skills as his c beer advanceshe must have a str ong motivation for service because everything he does impinges on the community in somewhat way or otherThe upstanding community is the ultimate lymph gland rather than the individual clients as in the case with other professions2.2 Ethics and ProfessionalismEngineering is closely involved in piece relations and in business and commerceA gigantic many of the special problems in personal conduct met by engineers ar likely to come from this factEthics means something more than law and deterrent examples , it carries an provideitional con nonation of dependablenessThe Code is a statement of the principles of rightness, of broad scope and with teeming detail to enable an intelligent man to deduce for himself the course of his own professional conductThe essence of all professional codes is that the professional man must be worthy, through his conduct, of the trust placed in him by the community and his colleaguesTo act every situation in a manner that will add to the confiden ce and esteem in which his profession is held by the communityA profession is no better than its individual members. If they do not have the professional attitude and live by the rules of the profession, they have no professionMost professional engineers adopt an institutional view of the organizations of the professiondeserving, even requiring, the loyalty of separately engineer as an expression of his identity as a professional engineerorganizations be the manifestation of the professional entity and they require the giving of effort, loyalty and pecuniary hold out without thought to direct personal gainInstrumental view of the professional organizations support is given, some clocks grudgingly, on the basis of an expected return in some tangible formThe instrumental view should have no place in the value system of the man who aspires to true professional placement2.3 Engineers and SocietyWe are responsible for our own imageIf we want the public to appreciate our work then w e must first do an excellent craftWe must be aware of technological advancements, be designers instead of users and get involved in research and developmentWe have the brains, the engineering and the expertise, we just privation effort and commitment from ourselvesEngineers provide not only the prerequisite human being resources for the infrastructure development of a outlandish but also important devices necessary for the welfare of the publicEngineers yield a degree of influence over formulators of policies and termination makers. If this influence is based on the self- engrosss of individuals or a minority in which case the interests and welfare of the wider community becomes of endorsementary importance. Corruption is an extreme example of thisBecause of the significance and influence of professionals in society, the value systems which govern their lives and attitudes are needless to say, of great importanceBy professional ethics or professionalism, one is referring to a philosophy of work that values and emphasizes the positive qualities in a job or occupationOne would also need to consider the wider implications of ones occupation in social and clean-living contexts2.4 Code of EthicsIn every profession, there are various organizes of positive qualities. One, a universal set of qualities which pertain to any job or occupation like dedication, diligence and honestyA second set of positive qualities are those which are particular to the job or occupation at handThe third folk is professional ethics and this is the category of social and moral awareness of the implication or effects of ones job on the wider community and environmentEthicsEthics is the study of morality. It studies which actions, goals, principles, policies, and laws are morally justifiedIt refers to moral values that are sound, actions that are morally required (right) or morally permissible (all right), policies and laws that are lovableAccordingly, engineering ethics consists o f the responsibilities and rights that ought to be endorsed by those engaged in engineering, and also of suitable ideals and personal commitments in engineeringEngineering ethics is the study of the decisions, policies, and values that are morally desirable in engineering practice and researchMorality concerns respect for persons, both others and ourselvesIt involves being fair and just, meeting obligations and respecting rights, and not causing unnecessary harm by treason and crueltyIn addition, it involves ideals of character, such as integrity, gratitude, and willingness to help people in severe distressAnd it implies minimizing suffering to animals and damage to the environmentAs relate to engineering ethics, these skills complicate the followingMoral awareness proficiency in recognizing moral problems and issues in engineeringCogent moral reasoning Comprehending, clarifying, and assessing arguments on oppose sides of moral issuesMoral coherence Forming consistent and comp rehensive viewpoints based upon a consideration of relevant factsMoral imagination Discerning alternative responses to moral issues and openness to creative solutions for practical difficultiesMoral communication Precision in the use of a common ethical language, a skill needed to express and support ones moral views adequately to othersMoral reasonableness The willingness and ability to be morally reasonableRespect for persons Genuine concern for the well-being of others as well as oneselfTolerance of diversity Within a broad range, respect for ethnic and religious differences, and acceptance of reasonable differences in moral perspectivesMoral hope Enriched penchant of the possibilities of using rational dialogue in resolving moral conflictsIntegrity Maintaining moral integrity, and integrating ones professional life and personal convictions.2.4.2 Meanings of ResponsibilityObligations.Responsibilities are obligations-types of actions that are morally mandatory. Some obligation s are incumbent on severally of us, such as to be honest, fair, and decentOther obligations are role responsibilities, acquired when we take on special roles such as parents, employees, or professionalsAccountableBeing responsible means accountable. This means having the prevalent capacities for moral agency, including the capacity to understand and act on moral reasonsIt also means being answerable for meeting particular obligations, that is, liable to be held to account by other people in general or by special(prenominal) individuals in positions of authorityWe can be called upon to explain why we acted as we did, perhaps providing a justification or perhaps offering reasonable excusesWrongdoing takes two primary formsvoluntary computer error and negligenceVoluntary actions occur when we knew what we were doing was wrong and we were not coercedSome voluntary computer error is recklessness, that is, flagrant disregard of known risks and responsibilitiesOther voluntary wrongdo ing is due to weakness of will, whereby we give in to temptation or fail to try voteless enoughNegligence occurs when we unintentionally fail to exercise due care in meeting responsibilities. We might not have known what we were doing, but we should haveConscientiousMorally admirable engineers accept their obligations and are conscientious in meeting them. They diligently try to do the right thing, and they largely succeed in doing so, even under difficult circumstances2.4.3 KEY CONCEPTSEthical dilemmas, or moral dilemmas situations in which reasons, conflict, or in which the application of moral values is problematic, and it is not immediately obvious what should be doneSteps in resolving ethical dilemmas (1) Moral clarity Identify the relevant moral values(2) abstract clarity(3) Informed about the facts. Obtain relevant information(4) Informed about the options Consider all genuine options(5) Well-reasoned Make a reasonable decisionRight-wrong, better-worse Some ethical dilemm as have solution that are either right (obligatory) or wrong (morally forbidden) other dilemmas have more that one permissible solution, some of which are better or worse that others either in some respects or overall2.4.4 Importance of codes of ethicsCodes of ethics state the moral responsibilities of engineers as seen by the profession and as represented by a professional societyBecause they express the professions collective commitment to ethics, codes are important in stressing engineers responsibilities and also the freedom to exercise themThe essential roles of codes of ethics(1) serving and protecting the public(2) providing guidance(3) offering inspiration(4) establishing shared standards(5) contributing to education(6) deterring wrongdoing(7) strengthening a professions image2.5 Regulations on professional conductsAll professional groups have two main characteristics(1) Professionals in the same discipline institutionalize themselves into a professional body with recognized standards of academic and practice qualifications for membership.(2) The professional body has a Code of Ethics to govern the conduct of its members and disciplinary procedures in the resultant role of breach of such Code.When we speak of a Code of Ethics, we are not talking about lawIn the Code of Ethics, our concern is with what is morally right or wrongSituations which require the Professional Engineer to consider the morality of his actions arise under circumstances in which they may exist conflict of interest mingled with the individual professional and any or all of the entities with which he has to interact i.e. Community, Employer, Clients and/or PeersThe professional owes a duty of care towards those he serves in ensuring that their interests are protected, and in this respect, there is a guideline which is what the Code of Ethics is all aboutThe three Professional Engineering bodies in Malaysia have complementary functions in the regulation of professional conductAll th ree bodies have their own Code of Ethics designed to suit their specialized requirements according to the objectives for which each body is constitutedIEM Code of EthicsThe Code of Ethics of IEM, lays down general guidelines for the conduct of members vis--vis his relationships and transactions with(1) The community(2) The Employer(3) Clients(4) PeersThe IEM Regulations on Professional Conduct tend to be general because the IEM comprises a very wide cross-section of engineering disciplines as well as types of professional employment and businessesIEM Code embraces many areas involving moral and philosophical considerations including public safety and health, conservation of resources and environment, upgrading of engine room, assuming responsibility within ones competenceThe IEM code also includes the dos and donts in the conduct of affairs between Engineer and employee, clients and peersWhile the dos and donts are clear cut and easily understood, the moral and philosophical issue s can be subject to various interpretation climb on of Engineers Code of Professional ConductUnder Section 15 of the Engineers issue 1967, the Board may order the cancellation of the registration of any engineer, if-(1) he is guilty of fraud, dishonesty ormoral turpitude(2) he accepts illicit commission(3) he fails to disclose to his client anyvested financial interest in hisdealings with the clientThis Code of Professional Conduct has the force of law and breach of any of the rules embodied in the BEM code may subject the offender to penalties provided for under the Engineers Act including the ultimate penalty of de-registrationTherefore, in viewing the role of the BEM as a regulating body, its power to act in law must be interpreted into accountBEM code can at best distinguish between what is legal and what is not, and may be regarded as the baseline or minimum level of ethics that ought to be maintainedAll the rules in the Code except two consist of clear cut Dos and DontsThese rules concern what an Engineer shall or shall not do in the course of his employment or private practice and are extremely clear cut and unambiguousAll these rules are concerned with the prevention of situations which may possibly give rise to conflict of interest between the Engineer, his employer or his clientsThe other two, Rule No. 25 and 26, are more abstract and tend towards issues of morality which may have no useful function in law simply because they are subjective and unenforceableAssociation of Consulting Engineers, Malaysia (ACEM)The affairs of the ACE are governed by their memorandum and articles of associationThe Association of Consulting Engineers has prescribed rules in their memorandum and articles of association and these rules are more specific to Engineers who practice as ConsultantsThe ACE Code of Ethics is enunciated under the heading Duties of Members as set out in Articles 16 to 27 of their articles of associationA study of these articles will reveal that whe n it comes to practice matters, the ACE has gone to great lengths to be more specific and detailed than either the BEM or IEM, and have fixed down some clear and strict rulesThis is due to a Consulting Engineers excessive involvement in business or other commercial ventures, especially those which are of a nature link up to his practiceThe ACE Code is designed for areas like, advertising and promotion of works, fees and other remuneration, competition with other members, submission of bids or proposals and related subjects.As for moral and philosophical issues, it is covered by Rule 16 which readsEvery member, in his responsibility to his clients and the profession, shall have full regard to these rules, to the rules of the professional validation or Institutions to which he belongs and to the public interest.Code of ACE places an onerous duty on its members to conform to both the IEM and BEM Codes as well as their own specific rules governing the conduct of Consulting Engineerin g business2.6 Applying global ethics in engineering organizationsGlobalization refers to the increasing integration of nations through trade, investment, transfer of technology, and exchange of ideas and acculturationGlobal interdependency affects engineering and engineers in many ways as in multinational corporations where moral challenges arisesWho loses jobs at home when manufacturing is taken offshore?What does the soldiery country lose in resources, control over its own trade, and political independence?What are the moral responsibilities of corporations and individuals operating in less economically genuine countries?Technology transfer is the process of moving technology to a bracing setting and implementing it thereTechnology includes both hardware(machines and installations) and technique (technical, organizational, and managerial skills and procedures)A novel setting is any situation containing at least one new variable relevant to the success or failure of a given tec hnology example, the setting may be a foreign countryAppropriate technology refers to identification, transfer, and implementation of the most suitable technology for a new set of conditions and it includes social factorsCase study BHOPALUnion Carbide in 1984 operated in 37 host countries in addition to its home country, USAOn Dec.3rd, 1984, the operators of Union Carbides make in Bhopal, India became alarmed by a leak and overheating in a storage storage tankThe tank contained methyl isocyanate (MIC), a toxic ingredients utilise in pesticidesWithin 1 hour, the leak exploded that sent 40 tons of deadly gas into the atmosphereThis is the worst industrial accident in history500,000 persons ex constitute to the gas2500 to 3000 deaths within a few days10,000 permanently disabled100,000 to 200,000 injured10 years later, 12,000 death claims and 870,000 personal spot claims had been submittedonly $90 million of Union Carbides settlement had been distributedWhat went wrong?The disaster was caused by a combination of extremely lax safety procedures, gross sentiment errors by local set up operators, and possible sabotage with unintended consequencesGreater sensitivity to social factors was needed in transferring chemical technology to a country foreign to the supplier of the technologyGovernment of India required the Bhopal plant to be operated entirely by Indian workersUnion Carbide at first trained the plant personnel in its West Virginia plantUS engineers make regular on-site safety inspectionsIn 1982, financial pressures relinquish its supervision of safety at the plant2 years later, safety practices erodedpersonnel problemshigh turnover of employeesfailure to properly train new employeeslow technical cooking of local labour poolworkers handling pesticides learned from personal experience than from safety manualseven after suffering chest pains vomiting, they fail to resist safety gloves and masks due to high temperature a result of lack of air-conditioning Move away from US standards(contrary to Carbides written policies) to lower Indian standardsExtreme hazardsTanks storing the MIC gas were overladen (manual specifies that tanks must not be filled 60%extra space needed in emergencies to dilute the gasStandby tank was not evacuate for use as an emergency dumpTanks were supposed to be refrigerated but refrigeration was shut down to cut cost making the tank temperature 3 to 4 times what they should have beenSabotageA disgruntled employee unscrewed a pressure gauge and inserted a hose into it not realizing that it would cause extensive damageNegligenceA new worker was to flush out some pipes filters. He closed the valves but failed to insert the safety disks to back up the valves in case they leaked. He knew that valves leaked but did not check for leaks It was not my job The safety disks were the responsibility of the maintenance dept., and the position of second-shift supervisor had been eliminatedBy the time they noticed a gauge s howing mounting pressure and began to feel the sting of leaking gas, their emergency procedures were unavailableA venting gas scrubber to contradict the gas was shut down because it was assumed to be unnecessary during times when production was suspendedFlare tower to burn off escaping gas disoriented by the scrubber was inoperable because a section of the pipe connecting it to the tank was being repairedWorkers sprayed water 100 ft to the air but the stack was one hundred twenty ftWithin 2 hours , most of the chemicals had escaped and form a deadly cloud over hundreds of thousands of people in BhopalThere were thousands of squatters in the areas meet the plant with hopes to find employment as well to take advantage of available electricity and waterNone of the squatters had been officially informed of the danger posed by the chemicals produced next door to themNo emergency drillsNo evacuation plansWhat are the moral responsibilities of multinational corporations like Union Carb ide?Ethical relativism the view that actions are morally right within a particular society when they are approved by law, custom etc.This is false because it might excuse moral horrors, ex it would justify low standards if that were all a country requiresEthical absolutism retains precisely the same practices endorsed at home, never making any adjustments to a new cultureThis is also false because it fails to take account of many variable factsEthical relationalism the view that moral judgments are contextual in that they are made in relation to a wide variety of factors including the customs of other cultures2.7 Technology and the work ethicsTechnology Value-neutral or value-laden?Value-neutral says that technology consists of artifacts or devices -machines,tools, structures perhaps together with knowledge about how to make and maintain devicesValue-laden says that technology consists of value-guided organizations and general approaches, in addition to artifacts and knowledgeTec hnological determinism is the view that the primary structures of human society are determined by technology, rather than human beings controlling technologySocial constructionism is the view that emphasizes 2 way causal interactions between technology and society highlights the importance of human perceptions interpretationsAn example automobileIt is a necessity but the effects include the depletion of world oil supplies, pollution and deaths(accidents)If technology dramatically influences us, we also shape the directions of technologyAnother example Tomato harvester- plucks and sorts tomatoes with a single pass. Cost of harvesting tomatoes was reduced. But jobs were lost, small growers forced out of business. financial backing to develop new technology comes from the taxpayersEngineers need to understand how their work affects public lifeAs managers, entrepreneurs, consultants government officials, engineers provide many form of leadership that should include moral leadership in developing and implementing technology within their professions communitiesMoral leadership is the success in moving a group toward morally desirable goals using morally desirable procedures