PE020IU Engineering Ethics and Professional Skills
LECTURE 5: SAFETY AND RISK
Instructor: Dr. Huynh Vo Trung Dung
School of Electrical Engineering
International University, VNU-HCM
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ENGINEER’S CONCERN FOR SAFETY
• We demand safe products ...but we have to pay
for safety (important for the public to know
this)
• What may be safe enough for you, may not be
for others
• Absolute safety in the senses of (a) entirely
risk-free activities and products, or (b) a degree
of safety that satisfies all individuals or groups
under all conditions, is neither attainable nor
affordable
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SAFETY…
• Safety, definitions:
– “A thing is safe if, were its risks fully known, those risks
would be judged acceptable by reasonable persons in light of
their settled value principles.”
– “A thing is safe (to a certain degree) with respect to a given
person or group at a given time if they are fully aware of its
risks and they judge those risks to be acceptable (to a certain
degree).” What is “degree”?
• Relative safety, examples:
– Safety for an engineering prototype vs. a released
product
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RISK…
• Definition: “A risk is the potential that
something unwanted and harmful may occur.”
• “Experimental” risks associated with
introducing new technology (“social
experimentation”) – Example?
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ACCEPTABILITY OF RISK
• Willingness to be subjected to risk:
– People don’t have as much of a problem with
subjecting themselves to risks
• Are risks on-the-job voluntary?– Could quit!
But is this always possible?
– If piece-work-based, will workers behave less
safely?
• Safety complaints from on-the-job should
always be listened to.
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MAGNITUDE AND PROXIMITY OF RISK
• What if personal connections with victims?
• What creates such changed perceptions?
– Proximity/magnitude - direct impact on you!
Example: airplane crash vs. car accident!
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DISCUSSION QUESTION
In some technologically advanced nations, a number of industries that have found
themselves restricted by safety regulations have resorted to dumping their
products on - or moving their production processes to-less-developed countries
where higher risks are tolerated. Examples are the dumping of unsafe or ineffective
drugs on Third World countries by pharmaceutical companies from highly
industrialized countries, and in the past the transfer of asbestos processing from
the United States to Mexico. More recently, toxic wastes—from lead-acid batteries
to nuclear wastes—have been added to the list of “exports.” To what extent do
differences in perception of risk justify the transfer of such merchandise and
production processes to other countries? Is this an activity that can or should be
regulated?
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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS, RISK…
Principles:
– Absolute safety is not attainable
– Improvements in safety often cost $$
– Products that are not safe incur secondary
costs:
• Loss of customer goodwill and/or customers
• Warranty expenses
• Litigation
• Business failure? Loss of your professional
employees? Bad climate/hiring potential?
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DESIGN PRINCIPLE, RISK/TRADE -OFFS
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UNCERTAINTIES IN DESIGN…
• Examples:
– Uncertainties in materials (e.g., what
does the silver or gold band on a resistor
mean?). Supplier’s data based on
statistical averages?
What is the underlying probability density
function?
– Designs that do well under static loads
often do not do well under dynamic loads
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DESIGN PRINCIPLE:
SAFE IF C APABILITY EXCEEDS DUTY
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RISK-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
• Risk-Benefit Analysis
– Is a product worth the risks connected with its use?
– What are the benefits? To whom?
– Do they outweigh the risks? To whom? Environmental impact?
“Under what conditions, if any, is someone in society entitled to impose a risk
on someone else on behalf of a supposed benefit to yet others?”
• How do you place value in $$ on a human life?? Recall cost-benefit analysis.
Human rights/dignity/respect?
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SAFE-EXIT
- When a product fails, (1) it will fail safely, (2) the product can be abandoned safely,
or—at least—(3) the user can safely escape the product.
- Who will recognize the need for a safe exit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI2vBgeOC1A
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DISCUSSION QUESTION
For those of you who have had a job in engineering industry (or
laboratory):
– Have you encountered a moral dilemma or unethical practices with
respect to safety?
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