Ethical Values of a Mechanical Design Engineer

Ethical Values of a Mechanical Design Engineer

As a mechanical design engineer, facing ethical dilemmas is part of the job. However, there are ethical responsibilities that must always be put first to dealing with these ethical dilemmas. Following ethical values are used to guide one as a professional to making the right decisions when problems arise.

A mechanical design engineer’s job is to design projects following specifications while ensuring a product is safe to use by the public. Taking this position, one must learn to follow through in learning to solve problems that arise in a design. Thus, leading to deciding on whether to make ethical decisions or ignore ethical values.

Safety

The most important ethical issue of a mechanical engineer is safety. When designing and manufacturing a project, all safety measures must be taken into consideration. This means no cutting corners because the lives of consumers can be at risk.

Columbia cause of explosion.

The incident with the Space shuttle Columbia disaster is an example of why safety concerns must be prioritized by bringing attention and resolution to these concerns. In this incident, the responsible party for the lives of the astronauts were board members who chose to ignore the problem with build up of foam on a wing [1]. The safety of the astronauts should have been the priority. The problem should not have been ignored; even if it meant postponing a launch.

Duty

As an engineer, one must keep their mind open and as objective as possible. Meaning emotions must not cloud judgement. As part of the Mechanical Engineering Code of Ethics states,“Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. [2]”  Remaining objective and truthful is in important in writing reports that express any problems, regardless of outcomes. Analyzing problems in an objective manner is needed in order to ensure things ruin professional and in a right path. For instance, by remaining subjective as an engineer, there runs the risk of ignoring problems that arise. Objectivity ensures that problems that breach product users safety is not ignored.

Part of being a mechanical engineer, is to be able to notify problems or defects in products from the company. If the employer refuses to take action in resolving problems or defects in a product, it is the engineer's responsibility to remain honest. Even if the engineer must whistle blow, it is the right action to take for cases like this.

References:

1. https://www.space.com/19436-columbia-disaster.html
2. https://www.asme.org/getmedia/9eb36017-fa98-477e-8a73-77b04b36d410/p157_ethics.aspx

Freelance Mechanical Engineer (Ethics)

In my future, as a Freelancing Mechanical Engineer, I will be solving problems for various companies. I will have to get accustomed to new coworkers every time I start a new contract. Ethically, it would be my responsibility to stay sharp in order to keep all my calculations from ruining a project. If I were to ever work for opposing companies I would have to respect the secrets of each company, so that the opposing company does not copy anything from the other to get ahead. Freelancing allows me to choose the kind of jobs I wish to take and since I am not sure what it is exactly I want to do, it gives me the opportunity to experience different jobs.

My first priority, when starting a new contract for any company, would be to get to know the people I would be working with. Understanding my team's abilities and their knowledge about the project is only one part of my job. We must trust each others skills to test all possibilities to ensure the project is completed without failure and on time. It is important that all members of the project follow the procedures of the task even if that means the team will not make the deadline.

It is everyone's ethical responsibility to tell the truth about each experiment and calculation that was made. We must avoid any short cuts so that the projects we work on do not end like the Bhopal Disaster. In the Bhopal Disaster there was a Union Carbide pesticide plant that had released a toxic gas into the air.

Bhopal Disaster

The toxic gas immediately killed 2,259 people and about 11,000 more following the disaster with many more left injured. The disaster in Bhopal is the perfect example as to why safety procedures need to be followed and why taking short cuts is an ethical issue.

Another great example of an ethical issue is the Hindenburg disaster, which happened in 1937. There were mistakes made with the electrostatic discharge. The discharge caught fire, leaking hydrogen from the 200 million liters of hydrogen gas. The disaster killed 36 people.

Hindenburg disaster (1937)

 If the engineers had been able to catch the miscalculation with the discharges they could have avoided causing a massive tragedy. This is why it is important for engineers to keep their minds sharp about every project they take on.

One of the biggest ethical issues that can occur, as a freelancing mechanical engineer, is sharing a companies secrets. Not only is it ethically incorrect but it can become a legal issue. Once a person shares the secrets from another company it opens the door to many lawsuits and becomes a big issue for both companies. These legal issues will only hurt the project and interfere with its production.
 
Most ethical issues can be avoided if all members of a company or project are honest. If an employee sees that there is someone who is sharing company secrets or skipping procedures to meet a deadline, it is that employees responsibility to tell the supervisor or higher ups about the incident. All members of a project have the responsibility to help each other understand any issues involving the project. Each member of a project has ethical responsibilities they must abide by. If there are ethical issues in a group it would interfere with the final product, which would be an ethical issue within itself.

Ethics in ME

        A Mechanical Engineer is a person that is able to apply science, math, physics, design to be able to produce something that will help a particular issue or create a specific type of something. A Mechanical Engineer has to be able to design and produce as well as operate machinery. With machinery and everything else in mind, there are safety precautions one must look at in order to ensure the safety of him/herself as well as everyone else. There is various ethical responsibilities when it comes to any field, mine in particular being that of a Mechanical Engineer. Being a Mechanical Engineer and specifying in a certain area requires those responsibilities to be met. From safety to doing the work correctly, the ethics followed by Mechanical Engineers are to be taken into full consideration when becoming said Engineer. 

Safety Precautions

      

     Safety Precautions are one of the more important things that will have to be followed in order to remain safe in the work environment. In this field working with machinery, the standards for remaining safe are almost crucial. On an ethical stance, the person operating on anything mechanical will follow certain protocol in order to fulfill his/her task. That being said a person operating or doing anything for that matter will have to be wearing certain glasses that protect against whats being done. There are various others like, using the right gloves, not using electronics while operating and so on and so forth. These guidelines for safety will at least try to keep people safe, and as a person operating, whether he/she follows the guidelines not only shows the ethics in the work place but it will also show responsibility and understanding. 

Work Environment 

      

     

      The work environment and the gender ratio is another thing to mention in the field of engineering. It is said that the engineering field is male dominated and so with that in mind the ethics of gender equality should be something to be taken seriously and equally. Both men and women  have to follow the ethics that are to treat everyone with respect, equality, etc... in the working environment in order to create a good community among fellow engineers but also simply to be able to feel comfortable in a job without having to worry about discrimination and other factors. 

The Code of an Engineer

      The code on engineering as mentioned is that "Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people..."

https://www.cmu.edu/me/facilities/safety-guidelines.html

http://meche.mit.edu/ethics

Marine Engineer Ethics

http://www.navyk.com/marine-engineering/

Marine Engineering is a specialized field that deals with the production, design, maintenance, and development of equipment used at sea. The equipment is mainly used on board for vessels such as ships, boats, submarines, tankers, etc. A marine engineer is responsible for the technical tasks they must complete. They’re responsible for the maintenance and repair of the engineered equipment such as the power generation, propulsion mechanics, and fuel systems. Most importantly, they are responsible for the welfare and safety of the people aboard.

http://www.dieselduck.info/blog/2011/12/marine-engineers-good-earners-2/

Marine engineers have a lot to be responsible about. They must care for the wellbeing of the vessel, along with the safety of those around them. All engineers must make difficult ethical decisions when put on the spot for a situation like that. The difference between any other engineer and a marine engineer is that a marine engineer is stuck on a ship with limited resources. They must complete certain types of training that includes staying onboard and watching the vessel 24/7 to make sure it’s running accordingly. This is typically done to move up in rank. The issues may vary from small technicalities to an actual disastrous event. The ethical decisions can range from how to lead other's professionally to who's more important to save if this ship sinks. Like any other profession, the code of ethics will determine the kind of person you are based on your decision; either a responsible and admirable leader, or a goof who barely deserves the slightest bit of respect.

A historical event that occurred right during the time of the Civil war, is somewhat of an example to show how ethics played a role in this particular case. On April 27^th 1865, a steamboat named Sultana carried roughly around 2,300 union prisoners of war, along with the ship’s crew members and some civilians. The Sultana was legally registered to carry 376 people, not 6 more times than that. Three out of the four boilers had suddenly exploded around 2am, causing the ship to explode, burn, and sink into the Mississippi River. The reason they had way too many union soldiers on board was because of bribery. The steamboat companies were being paid five to ten dollars per soldier by the government to transport the them to their homes. The steamboat companies would then bribe military officials to carry as many soldiers as possible. For the Sultana, the crew members, including the engineers, had the ethical responsibility to follow the rules and regulations of the capacity limit. The Sultana became overcrowded to the point where the people on board where rubbing elbows, and standing in places they shouldn't be. With too many people, the crew could not perform important inspections to make sure the equipment was working properly. Perhaps the fact that it was overcrowded could have caused some sort of exhaustion on the steamboat, and had resulted in it's devastating disaster. 

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/27/402515205/the-shipwreck-that-led-confederate-veterans-to-risk-all-for-union-lives

The Code of Ethics for Marine Engineers as found on the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), The International Community for Maritime and Ocean Professionals, lists fundamental principles and 12 important code of ethics to follow. The article is summed up to being professional. By being professional, you are honest, impartial, and loyal to the company, the clients, and the public. In this field, the code of ethics is similar to any basic job with a code of ethics. All companies want to represent their company as best as possible. The employer is a representation of the company, the work done for the company, who should strive to increase the competence of their profession.