THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

The Engineers Concern for Safety

(Chapter 4, Martin & Schinzinger, Ethics in Engineering)

Contents
Ethical basis for concern for safety Concepts of safety & risk Risk and decision making Variability in attitudes to risk Socially responsible engineering:
Risk management Design for safety Facilitate informed choice by user
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Safety
Safety of one or more human beings:
Absence of harm Relative, not absolute:
To live involves an irreducible level of risk

Assessment of safety by an individual or group:

Requires:
Unbiased interpretation of all relevant information Appropriate skills to develop an informed opinion Sufficient time to reach a (consensus) decision

Outcome: an assessment of relative safety

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Risk
Potential for an unwanted outcome from an action:
e.g. physical injury to one or more people

Two aspects:
Nature of unwanted outcome(s), e.g:
Physical injury Negative impacts on quality of life Environmental damage

Uncertainty surrounding outcomes:

Sometimes this can be quantified Useful test: how much would I regret each possible outcome?
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Some sources of uncertainty

Manufacture:
Design errors, component quality, assembly errors

Installation & operation:

Installation errors & cost over-runs Equipment failure, operator error, volatility in input costs, external factors such as weather

End of life:
Dismantling and disposal costs and impacts
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Two views of uncertainty

Statistical viewpoint:
Events determined by stable probability distributions:
probability distributions may be derived from statistical analysis of past experience in similar situations

Hence risk is an objective issue

Scenario viewpoint:
Past behaviour not a reliable guide to the future:
Technological, social and environmental change Expectations influenced by social & corporate culture

Hence risk is a subjective issue

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Utilitarianism & risk

Cost

Total cost
(direct plus indirect costs) Direct cost
(including safety features)

Indirect cost
(repairs, litigation, damaged reputation)

Risk Minimum total cost

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Risk-response matrix
Likelihood No prior of incident experience Consequence Minimal impact Slight impact e.g. minor injury Considerable impact, e.g major injury Major impact, e.g. fatality National impact, e.g. multiple fatality Has occurred Has occurred Happens occasionally recently annually Happens several times per year

Manage for continuous improvement

Initiate risk reduction measures

Intolerable

ELEC4011 - Lecture 7: The Engineer's Concern for Safety

Practical & moral issues

Complete safety impossible:
How safe is safe enough? Are risks distributed differently from benefits?

Quantification of indirect costs can be difficult:

Value of human life? What indirect costs should be considered?

Minimum total cost might exceed socially acceptable risk:

Who should decide?
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Individual attitudes to risk

Attitudes influenced by a range of factors:
Voluntary versus involuntary Controllable versus uncontrollable Work-related versus recreational Severity of potential harm Extent of relevant knowledge & skills Individual preferences

Attitudes dont always appear rational:

Should this affect our respect for them?
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Societal attitudes to risk

Obscured by the diversity of individual attitudes Must be assessed indirectly:
Expert groups Public interest advocacy bodies Focus groups (random or targeted selection) Judicial determination:
Societal norms develop from a history of litigation

Social attitudes evolve through time:

Continuing need for informed consent
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Safe exits & prudent avoidance

Safe exits (last lines of defence):
Equipment fails safely or can be abandoned safely:
dead-mans handle for train drivers, safety-belts, airbags

User can escape safely

e.g. aircraft parachutes and/or escape slides

Prudent avoidance (a quasi-legal obligation):

Avoid unjustified risk to other people

Both may require coordination between

Designers, managers, users & the public
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Conclusions
Engineers have a concern for safety:
Duty to equipment users and the public

Issues in considering risk & safety:

Subjective, with variations in individual assessment There is often a trade-off between safety & cost

Tools for arriving at a reasonable balance:

Public involvement in decision making Risk management in design Safe exits and prudent avoidance
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