Professional Ethics in Engineering and its Impact on Our Society
This blog discusses the professional ethics in engineering and the functions of engineers in today’s world and the effects they may have on legislation, commerce, the environment, or society. Many challenges, such as engineering and moral ethics, social equity, or ethical aims to protect our environment, must be addressed by engineers.
An engineer must consider social justice as well as general and engineering ethics. Any scientific or technological advancement has an effect on people. If we reflect on the life-changing inventions that have been developed over time, as well as the tragedies that have claimed many lives, electricity, automobile, airplane, water supply, radio, television, agricultural mechanization, and much more were successful achievements.
Importance of Engineers in our Society:
More precisely, this blog is about the function of engineers in the modern world. Engineers are believed to have created the world we live in; thus, they must meet a number of standards. Technical education is required to become an engineer to build technical equipment or devices, as well as awareness of potential drawbacks or responsibilities.
Therefore, every best engineering college in Coimbatore as well as other cities should educate them properly.
Why There is a Need for Professional Ethics in Engineering?
A doctor’s error might kill an individual at a time, but an engineer’s blunder can kill thousands of people, as seen by previously built structures. Here are a few relatable experiences to understand:
- Consider the St. Francis Dam Failure, which resulted in the deaths of 450 people; the Big Dig Ceiling Collapse, which had communication failure as one of its causes; or the collapse of the I-35W Bridge. Construction mistakes were to blame for this disaster, and no other factors or situations were taken into consideration.
- Both the Chornobyl Nuclear Disaster and the BP oil spill, caused by poorly trained workers and a disregard for safety, had significant negative economic and environmental effects.
- The Titanic disaster’s flaws included a lack of lifeboats and poor communication.
- The Charles de Gaulle roof collapse, the Tropicana parking garage collapse, the Ford Pinot gas tank incident, and the Union Carbide chemical leak were more tragedies with a related causes. The primary cause was that the security element was not provided; they kept it this way to lower expenses and boost profit, which ultimately resulted in the deaths of multiple people.
In my opinion, one’s personal and professional ethics must be compatible. Because engineers have an impact on society, the environment, politics, and the economy in addition to the corporation, certain institutions have established ethical standards that engineers must adhere to.
These codes of technical and personal ethics are an excellent method to demonstrate what is significant and how to act appropriately for oneself as well as for society. So each and every engineering college in Coimbatore should take up the responsibility to indulge the standard certifications.
Conclusion
Social justice, which holds that every person deserves to have equal access to financial, legal, and societal rights and obligations, is another problem that engineers must deal with. Engineers produce technology, as was already established, and this technology affects society.
In order to fulfill their social obligation, engineers must take sustainability, recycling, and life cycle analysis into account. Furthermore, “Sustainable Development Goals” for engineers have been established and are targets that must be met in the subsequent 15 years. such as racial and gender equality, a lack of poverty, access to clean water and sanitary facilities, or sustainable consumption and production. These aims can accomplish when organizations come together and experiment with various strategies.
The purpose of an engineer, in my opinion, should be to address as many ethical and societal concerns as feasible. They have a significant impact on various disciplines and are accountable for the work’s results. We must therefore exercise caution in making decisions and carrying out forthcoming measures.