Chapter 2 (Chapter 5 in 2nd Edn.

)
Responsibility in Engineering
This chapter explores different ways in which
engineers might understand and act on their
responsibilities.

Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Case
Carl Lawrence is alarmed by Kevin Rourke's
urgent, early afternoon message: "All supervisors
immediately check for open caustic valves. Supply
tank is empty. Pump still running--either an open
valve or a leak. Emergency order of caustic supply
on the way.
In only the first year of his work as a supervisor
of one of Emerson Chemicals acid abd caustic
distribution systems, Carl never had to deal with
anything like this before. He knew he should move
quickly to see if his unit was the source of the
problem.
Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Case
Much of his dismay, Carl found that the problem had
originated in his unit. One of his lead operators
discovered that a seldom-used caustic valve was open.
Although the valve was immeadiately closed, Carl
know the cleanup remedy would be costly. Minimally,
several hundred gallons of caustic would have to be
replaced, and as many as thirty drums of hydrocholoric
acid might need to be used to reduce the pH level of
effluent rushing out of the plant toward the local publicly
owned wastewater treatment works.
Beyond this, Carl knew that eventually he would
need to determine who was responsible for the accident.
But, for now, he knew his primary responsibility was to
help get the problem under control.
Concepts of Responsibility

Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Whether they work for clients or corporate employers

engineers have basic job responsibilities.

NSPEs Code of Ethics

Canon 4: engineers shall act in
professional matters for each employer or
client as faithful agents or trustees

This will be discussed in

Chaper 8 Engineers As Employees

Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

In this Chapter we will concentrate on issues of

responsibility concerning possible harm and benefits to
society

Concepts of Responsibility
Obligation-responsibility, blame-responsibility,
role-responsibility
The Minimalist View
Reasonable Care
Good Works
Do Engineers Need Virtue
Impediments to Responsibility
Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Concepts of Responsibility
Legal and Moral Responsibility are distinct but
related to each other.
Responsibility for causing harm can be distinguished
as: (in both law and morality)

Intentionally Causing harm

Negligently Causing Harm
Recklessly Causing Harm
Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Concepts of Responsibility

Intentionally Causing Harm: Knowingly deliberately

causing harm!

Negligently Causing Harm: not knowingly causing harm

but failing to exercise due care

Recklessly Causing Harm: not aiming to cause harm but

acting in conscious awareness that harm is likely to result

Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

From a Moral point of view,

engineers are morally responsible for harms
they intentionally, negligently, or recklessly
cause regardless of whom is held legally
responsible.

those who cause the harms

their supervisors
company itself

Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Engineers have a responsibility to serve their

employers and the public in ways that reduce
the likelihood of harms to others for which
either they, their supervisors, or their
companies can be held legally liable.
Case
Ethics in Engineering Spring'10

Concepts of Responsibility:

Responsibility refers to the obligation of

professionals to use their specialized
knowledge and skill in a way that benefits
clients and the public and does not violate the
trust placed in them. (positive responsibility;
obligation responsibility)

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10

Concepts of Responsibility:
Obligation-responsibilty refers to the positive obligations
of engineers to observe professional standards and
even go beyond them
Blame-responsibility refers to the responsibility for
harmful action.
Role-responsibility refers to being in a role (charged) with
certain responsibilities so that one has obligation
responsibilities and can also be blamed for harm.
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11

Three basic attitudes toward responsibility:

minimalist view (2nd edition)

reasonable care (obligation responsibility)
good works

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12

The Minimalist View

The minimalist view of responsibility holds that engineers have a

duty to conform to the standard operating procedures of their
profession and to fulfill the basic duties of their job as defined by the
terms of their employment. (includes avoiding harm: reasonable
care)

Unexpected problems can arise that standard operating procedures

are not well equipped to handle!

Avoidance of blame or staying out of trouble tends to be the

dominant concern.
This minimalist view also emphasizes a negative approach to
responsibility: eg. its his job, not mine!
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13

Reasonable Care

Engineers have a professional obligation to conform to the standard

operating procedures and regulations that apply to their profession
and to fulfill the basic responsibilities of their job.

The reasonable care view is more directly concerned with the

perspective of those who are at risk of being harmed and trying to
prevent that harm.

From the moral point of view intentionally, negligently or recklessly

causing harm to others is to fail to exercise reasonable care.

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14

Good Works

Sometimes we say that someone has gone above and

beyond the call of duty or the extra mile.

Engineers with good works view take on responsibilities

that no one has a right to expect from them. If they do
not do it no one will fault them.

Instead of hold someone else responsible engineers

assume to be responsible or take on certain
responsibilities.
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15

The Good Works concept can be illustrated with the following

simple example which is outside the engineering context

Ralph wakes up, prepares to go to work, when he looks out the

window he realizes that his long driveway is drifted over with snow.
He has a shovel not a plow, even though he will be late to work he
steps out to shovel, surprised to see his driveway is being cleared
by his neighbor which he never met. Of course he appreciates what
his neighbor is doing. What would he think if his neighbor had done
nothing to help? Would he fault him, think that he has failed to do
his duty, or think that his neighbor has a sort of moral deficiency?

NO. His neighbor has gone above and beyond the call of duty!
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16

Good Works
An example from professional life:

A design engineer devotes a great deal of time after regular

working hours to see if the features of a safety rope for those
who wash windows of high rises can be improved-even though
the current design more than satisfies legal requirements.
Asked why he is not satisfied with the current design, he
comments, you have to do the best you can-and thats usually
inadequate

No one expect this from him. No one would fault him if he didnt
do these things.

Limitations: time, money and other responsibilities

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17

Do Engineers Need Virtues?

(Moral Excellence, goodness)

Virtues reflect the moral character of an

engineer!

one test of (professional) character and virtue

is what a person does when no one else is
watching. A society that rests on expertise
needs more people who can pass this test
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Do Engineers Need Virtues?

Virtues associated with basic duties: honesty, fairmindedness, reliability, integrity.

If we are to go beyond basic duty:

benevolence,
perseverance,
public-spiritless,
compassion,
kindness,
generosity, and
many others character traits and virtues invite us to consider more
than basic duties.
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19

Impediments to Responsibility

Self-interest an exclusive concern to satisfy ones own interest, even at the possible
expense to others.

Fear fear of acknowledging our mistakes, of losing our jobs, or of some sort of punishment or
other bad consequences.

Self-deception Golden Rule reasoning. Resisting the temptations of self-interest to

confront ourselves honestly.

Ignorance of vital information, not realizing the design poses a safety problem.

Egocentric Tendencies tendency to interpret situations from very limited perspective

(subjective viewpoint).

Microscopic Vision inaccurate, limited perspective, failing to understand the

perspective of others.

Uncritical Acceptance of Authority most engineers are not their own bosses, and
they are expected to defer to authority in their organizations.

Groupthink an engineer will often participate in group decision making rather than function
as an individual decision maker.

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