1. Acting on professional commitments to the public is more effective to serve a company than just following company orders. 2. Loyalty to employers may not mean obeying one’s immediate supervisor. 3. Professional obligations to both an employer and to the public might strengthen rather than contradict each other.
Agency–Loyalty – Engineers are hired to do their duties. – Hence obligated to employers within proper limits Identification-Loyalty Obligatory on two conditions; 1. When some important goals are met by and through a group in which the engineers participate 2. When employees are treated fairly, receiving the share of benefits and burdens. But clearly, identification-loyalty is a virtue and not strictly an obligation.
Agency–Loyalty – Fulfill one’s contractual duties to an employer. – Duties are particular tasks for which one is paid – Co-operating with colleagues – Following legitimate authority within the organization. Identification-Loyalty: – It has to do with attitudes, emotions and a sense of personal identity. – Seeks to meet one’s moral duties with personal attachment and affirmation. – It is against detesting their employers and companies, and do work reluctantly and horribly (this is construed as disloyalty) This means – Avoid conflicts of interest, – Inform employers of any possible conflicts of interest, – Protect confidential information, – Be honest in making estimates, – Admit one’s errors, etc.
It is almost impossible to build a completely safe product or one that will never fail. When there is a failure of the product SAFE EXIT should be provided. Safe exit is to assure that i) when a product fails, it will fail safely, ii) that the product can be abandoned safely and iii) that …
Engineers must weigh chances of defect causing injury against cost of minimizing defects Minimal compliance is insufficient – adhering to accepted practices & standards not enough Standards are mere checklists – use them creatively and judgmentally Engineers can be sued personally even when acting according to guidelines set b y Employers E.g. One county highway…
Magnetic door catch introduced on refrigerators Prevent death by asphyxiation of children accidentally trapped inside The catch now permits the door to opened from inside easily Cheaper than older types of latches Dead-man Handle for Drivers in trains Semaphore signaling Volkswagen’s car safety belt Attachment on the door…
Incomplete knowledge of the engineering subject Refusal to face hard questions caused by lack of knowledge False sense of security e.g. Nuclear waste disposal problem Caution in stating probabilities of rare events Varying understanding of risk based on presentation of facts Risk assessments based on incorrect/unacceptable assumptions/data Only…
Engineers should account publicly for benefits and risks in the following manner: Engineers must remain as objective as humanly possible in their investigations and conclusions. They must also state openly any personal biases that they may have about the project being investigated. Engineers, even if they are acknowledged experts, may not have complete knowledge of…
Risks and benefits to public are more easily determined than to individuals National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)- proposed a value for life based on: Loss of future income Other costs associated with the accident Estimate of quantifiable losses in social welfare resulting from a fatality NOT a proper basis …