Roger Boisjoly, Ph.D., PE, is best known as the mechanical engineer who advised delaying the launch of the space shuttle Challenger due to a design flaw that made it dangerous to launch at low temperatures. His recommendations were overridden by the launch management team. The tragic results went down in history as the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its mission and killed all seven of its crew members.
This is one of the most extreme and devastating examples of an engineering ethics case study. Along with others – such as commercial airliner crashes and the 1981 walkway collapse at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, which killed 114 people – it will remain a lasting example of ethical practices gone terribly wrong. There are countless more that occur and while they don’t garner worldwide headlines and thankfully don’t cause widespread disaster, they do serve as powerful examples in engineering ethics education.
Most experts agree that case studies are the most effective tool in engineering ethics teaching. Two approaches are commonly used:
The Drawing the Line Method
Using this approach, instructors ask students where they would draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable actions in hypothetical situations. For instance, accepting a gift of an inexpensive pen from a vendor is acceptable. Accepting a $10,000 check to specify a product that is both inferior and more expensive is not. Then, they center on the grey areas in between and present real-life examples.
The Conflict Resolution Method
With this style of teaching, different issues that create conflicts of interest are presented. For instance, an engineer is required to sign documents certifying that a plant’s discharge into a local sewer meets city regulations, when they suspect it does not. Plant management is against spending any more money to treat the discharge. The engineer feels they could lose their job if they press the issue too far. Their conflict is between their obligation to their employer and their obligation to protect public health.
Testing Principles
Effectively teaching and enforcing engineering ethics is more than simply learning a set of abstract principles codified in standards set by a professional society or adopted by a licensing board.
- Understanding how real-life situations can test your adherence to industry principles and recognizing the costs and rewards of related decisions are critical learning moments. Case studies help meet this need.
- Case studies are catalysts for idea sharing among engineers at all levels of experience. The ethical issues underlying such studies will likely be encountered by most engineering professionals in some form, at some point in their careers.
Codes Guide Enforcement
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics sets standards for ethical engineering practice. The code provides technical guidelines for promoting safety, reliability, productivity and efficiency across all areas of civil engineering. Numerous other specialty engineering organizations such as the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, have similar codes.
As you teach and enforce engineering ethics, these codes and their sponsoring associations serve as a universal and powerful resource.
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