Engineering Ethics: Case Analysis CIV402 SEC2 Winter 2017 Cases

This assignment presents a series of case studies related to engineering ethics, covering various scenarios and ethical dilemmas faced by engineers. The first case examines the safety measures of a shredder/chipper machine and the ethical responsibilities of the manufacturing company. The second case discusses a hacker who later uses his skills for internet security, raising questions about trust and transparency. Subsequent cases explore the consequences of negligence in handling chemicals, failures in construction leading to fatalities, and the ethical responsibilities of engineers in ensuring public safety. The final cases touch on the ethical implications of scientific advancements like atomic bombs and the importance of gender balance in engineering. Each case includes a summary, identification of ethical issues, application of ethical principles, and relevant questions for discussion. The assignment highlights the critical role of professional ethics in engineering practice and decision-making.

Running head: CASES 1
ENGINEERING ETHICS
STUDENT’S NAME
COURSE
UNIVERSITY
DAT

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CASE 1
Reference case study (19)
Fred works for super mulcher corporation as mechanical engineer. The company manufactures
the model 1pulverizer a 10 hp chipper/shredder that is used in the grinding of the yard waste into
small particles that can be composted and blended into the soil hence reducing the amount of
garden waste deposited in the landfills. An operator can easily be injured when operating the
machine hence the company has come up with safety measures to reduce accidents.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 The company portrays a good ethical practice through putting warning signs on the
pulverizer informing the operator of the safety measures when operating the machine
(Davis,2018).
LESSONS LEARNED
 According to Han (2015), the firm should be considerate to its customers regarding the
cases where the customers have suffered in the process of consuming the firm’s product
by taking the appropriate action.

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QUESTIONS
According to Fred & Cruz-Cruz (2018), Fred attempts to resolve the problems regarding
the machine in various ways according to the outlined scenarios:
Scenario one
 By providing the suggestion for redesigning the model 1 pulverizer to solve the plugging
problem
 By taking a step to redesign the model 1 pulverizer after reluctance by his colleagues.
 Suggestion of preparation of the redesigning plan and taking it to the management.
Case study 20
John T. Draper discovered how to access the Telephone network by using a toy whistle
in the Cap ‘n Crunch cereal box which enabled him to get free telephone calls in early
1970. He was jailed for his action and while serving his jail term discovered the first
word processing software, the IBM which was an early design for easy writer. He used
his skills to hack into various computer networks which made him rich. He has now
decided to give back to the society by operating an internet security software for
protecting online property of corporations.
ETHICAL ISSUES

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 According to Jonassen & Ch (2011), It is unethical for professionals to misuse their skills
in bad acts like hacking the networks for John Draper.
LESSONS LEARNED
 It is always good when a person reforms after acknowledging where he has gone wrong
in his career but not quiting. John Draper is using his computer skills to do something
useful but not quiting after various hacking scandals
What can convince the doubters that Draper has indeed reformed?
 By comparison of the issues regarding the online property of the corporations such as
theft by hackers before and after Draper was incorporated for the task, and after a
thorough analysis, the results can be shown to those who doubt his services.
Are customers of the consulting firm entitled to know about Draper’s history
and his role at the firm?
According to Little & Fox (2018), they are not supposed to know because this might
instill fear among them which might make some to terminate their services with the firm.
The most important thing is not for them to know the person in charge of protecting their
online property but what matters is the security of their property since Draper’s employer
has trust in him.
CASE TWO (CASE STUDY 1 AND 2)

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CASE STUDY 1
Chemicals are not well taken care of by the Aberdeen three at the Aberdeen proving
Ground which is a US Army facility where chemical weapons are: developed, tested,
stored and disposed. Chemicals had been misplaced every where in the facility and they
were smashed when the part of the roof collapsed. The spilled chemicals were not cleared
for weeks leaking into the ground and later mixed with the sulphuric acid that leaked
from the external tank which was very dangerous to aquatic life. The three mechanical
engineers suffered the consequences because they were the professionals and would have
prevented that from occurring if they had checked the locality.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 Professionals have a direct responsibility of the dangers others can be exposed to as a
result of negligence of duty in their area of specialization like the Aberdeen three
(Walther, Miller, & Sochacka ,2017).
 It is unethical for a professional to be ignorant over some issues which might lead to
serious problems if not addressed on time.
Applied lessons
 Professional ethics requires commitment to the tasks given
 Professional ethics require acceptance of loss suffered as a result of negligence of duty in
your area of expertise like the Aberdeen three who suffered for what they were not aware
of.
CASE STUDY TWO

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Couples were travelling in a tunnel.26 tons of concrete collapsed on their car and the wife
was killed on instantly but the husband sustained injuries. This is because of the nature of
the anchoring materials that had been provided to the engineers by the manufacturing
company. The company was charged with man slaughter because it was aware of the
duration which the material was to last but never indicated on the package. The
knowledge would have called for an immediate action hence the accident would have
been prevented.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 It was unethical for the manufacturing company failing to provide sufficient information
to the tunnel engineers regarding the specific details regarding the nature of the material
that was used in the construction of the tunnel.
 According to Yahaghi & Sorooshian (2018), professional ethics requires a direct moral
responsibility towards others hence the manufacturing company had a direct moral
responsibility towards the Couples who suffered because of their negligence of duty to
provide quality material for sensitive construction like that.
PUBLICATION
All the civil engineers should be very cautious when procuring the anchors for
construction. The engineers should ensure that anchors used in sustained tensile-load
applications are long lasting and also should ensure that they are strong to support heavy
materials.
CASE THREE (CASE STUDY 10 AND 11)
CASE STUDY 10

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According to the engineering codes of ethics, engineer’s first duty is his fidelity to his or
her employer and clients. Furthermore, engineers shall hold paramount the health, safety
and the public welfare. Most of the engineering works are not usually perfect hence not
all the catastophies are engineer related failures hence engineers should be always blamed
for all the accident such as collapsing of building and bridges. Engineering policies
should be adhered to in all the constructions to prevent disasters.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 All the engineers have ethical responsibility towards damages caused to the public as a
result of their engineering failures.
 Attempts by engineers to save money meant to be spend on the project hence poor-
quality work is done resulting to accidents.
APPLIED LESSON
The engineering policy should be implemented by all the civil engineers to reduce
collapses as a result of engineering failures.
In the face of pressure to save money or finalize the project as per the schedule when the
project can delay, engineers must hold on to ethical canons for the sake of the public
safety.
CASE STUDY 11
After the Hyatt Regency Walkway collapsed. The project engineer responsible for the
drawings and review was directly related to the accident and further he had failed to

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monitor the project manager’s work. Engineers are not only responsible for their own
mistakes but they are also responsible for the mistakes of other people they supervise.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 Professional ethics hold engineers responsible for their own drawings and designs used in
construction.
Application
 As a civil engineer, I have to give an accurate analyzed design and drawing to be used for
construction to avoid collapsing of the buildings.
Role of engineering societies
 The engineering societies should approve all the designs and drawings used in
construction to minimize accidents.
CASE 5(case study 27 and 28)
Case study 27

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Atomic bombs should be avoided as they have dangerous effects to the human beings a case that
was experienced at Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan in 1945. Scientists have the responsibility
of determining of the effects of what they make to mankind before application.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 Professional ethics requires concern for mankind by the scientists in their course of duty
APPLICATION
 Engineers should always think about the adverse effects of their engineering activities in
present and future and make necessary changes where possible.
CASE STUDY 28
Women can also be good engineers more so in chemical engineering. There very few in
mechanical and electrical engineering. There very few women in the faculty of
engineering in US.
ETHICAL ISSUES
 Professional ethics requires gender balance
Application
 Women have the potential in engineering and they should be encouraged by career
counsellors to pursue engineering.
References
Davis, M. (2018). Professional ethics in higher education: An engineering perspective.
In Higher Education and Professional Ethics (pp. 59-75). Routledge India.

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Frey, W. J., & Cruz-Cruz, J. A. (2018). Ethics Across the Curriculum at UPRM: A
Roadmap for STEM Integration. In Ethics Across the Curriculum—Pedagogical
Perspectives (pp. 401-419). Springer, Cham.
Han, H. (2015). Virtue ethics, positive psychology, and a new model of science and
engineering ethics education. Science and Engineering Ethics, 21(2), 441-460.
Jonassen, D. H., & Cho, Y. H. (2011). Fostering argumentation while solving engineering
ethics problems. Journal of Engineering Education, 100(4), 680-702.
Little, J. M., & Fox, P. S. (2018). Developing an Engaging Online Engineering Ethics
Course for Future Engineers. In Optimizing Student Engagement in Online
Learning Environments (pp. 241-265). IGI Global.
Walther, J., Miller, S. E., & Sochacka, N. W. (2017). A model of empathy in engineering
as a core skill, practice orientation, and professional way of being. Journal of
Engineering Education, 106(1), 123-148.
Yahaghi, J., & Sorooshian, S. (2018). The role of engineering ethics on concrete fire
safety. Science and engineering ethics, 24(2), 819-820.
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