ENGINEERING ETHICS Professional Ethics in Engineering Part 2

ENGINEERING ETHICS Professional Ethics in Engineering, Part 2: Responsibility Prof. Dr. Abduladhem Abdulkareem Ali, SMIEEE, MACM Department of Computer Engineering, College of Engineering University of Basrah

Are you responsible? You are an engineer at International Programmable Machines (IPM), which makes computers. You are visiting a manufacturing plant of one of IPM’s suppliers , which sells parts to IPM and other companies. You notice that a non. IPM system is not properly grounded, and it could cause an electrical shock. What should you do? For what reasons? 2

• Should you suggest that IPM use this information for marketing purposes, for IPM’s benefit? • In this case, you were not assigned the task of checking the safety of the electrical power system. In fact, you are not even employed by the manufacturer. Nevertheless, as a professional engineer, you will be responsible for safety. 3

Software errors in the Therac-25 resulted in deaths • In the early 1980 s, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)made the Therac-25 cancer radiation treatment machine • Between 1985 and 1987, radiation overdoses by the Therac-25 caused severe burns, which killed three patients and seriously injured three others • Who was responsible? 4

Is it: • The operator who administered the massive radiation overdoses, which produced severe burns? The software developers who wrote and tested the control software, which contained several serious errors? The system engineers who neglected to install the backup hardware safety mechanisms that had been used in previous versions of the machine? The manufacturer, AECL? Government agencies? 5

What are different kinds of personal responsibility? • Causal – Operators’ keyboard entries caused the overdoses • Role: when you are assigned a task, or by virtue of your position – Software engineers developed and tested the control program, but overlooked errors 6

What are different kinds of personal responsibility? • Legal – The manufacturer was liable for damages • Moral – Unlike others, can be shared Many engineers are together morally responsible for safety. Rather than assign blame for past event, moral responsibility focuses on future actions. A virtue: “responsible person” 7

Engineers are morally responsible for safety • “Engineers … shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. ” – Code of Ethics, National Society of Professional Engineers • When you see unsafe objects or practices, you are professionally responsible to act even when you are not assigned that task 8

IMPORTANT • All engineering codes of ethics prioritize safety of the public, as the most important professional responsibility of the engineer. And this obligation is shared among all engineers. • In the scenario, at least you should alert the safety engineer. 9