Safety, Ethics, Sustainability, and Professional Practice
Engineering responsibility
Safety and ethics
Engineers have a duty to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Ethical practice means being honest about limits, risks, data, uncertainty, and conflicts of interest.
Sustainability lenses
Design for failure, then prevent it
Responsible engineers anticipate misuse, overload, human error, and unexpected environments. Safety is designed in, not added at the end.
Risk reduction hierarchy
Engineers reduce risk by eliminating hazards, substituting safer options, adding engineering controls, creating administrative controls, and using personal protective equipment as a last layer.
Ethical design checklist
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Step 1: Identify who may be affected by the design.
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Step 2: Estimate possible harms and benefits.
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Step 3: Consider vulnerable users and misuse cases.
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Step 4: Choose safer alternatives when feasible.
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Step 5: Document assumptions, limits, and residual risks.
Which is the best example of engineering ethics?
Ethics requires honesty and transparency about risks and performance.
Correct answer: Reporting known risks honestly
Name one dimension of sustainability engineers should consider.
Economic and social are also correct.
Correct answer: environmental
Which option is usually the most effective way to reduce a hazard?
Removing the hazard is generally better than controlling exposure to it.
Correct answer: Eliminate the hazard