Every engineer will have to make process safety-related decisions when confronted with choices on whether to make a change or not. Often, these decisions will have a difficult ethical dimension that must be addressed as well: Does the engineer ignore a potential issue which may adversely affect the health and welfare of others? Does the engineer take a stand and defend an approach to reduce the process safety risk associated with a hazardous material or energy?
Students will learn about the AIChE Code of Ethics and how it aligns with the engineer’s creed to do no harm. This brief “introduction to ethics” describes how decisions must be made that protect the health and welfare of people within the plant as well as to those in the communities surrounding their facilities. Two case studies are described to show how poor decisions from other groups, including top management, have added an ethical dimension to engineering and process safety-related decisions, resulting in fatalities, destruction of property, and significant harm to the company’s reputation and operations.
Unit 1:
- Define the terms, “ethics”, “hazard” and “process safety”
- Describe the AIChE Code of Ethics and its relevance to process safety
Unit 2:
- Apply knowledge of process safety to case studies
- Explain where these principles have worked and when they could have improved a situation
This is a stand-alone intermediate course, designed for juniors and seniors who are enrolled in upper-level engineering classes. It is also helpful for the early career professionals to see how engineering and ethics tie together.
Unit 1: Understanding Process Safety and Ethics
- Define the terms, "ethics", "hazard" and "process safety"
- Describe the AIChE Code of Ethics and its relevance to process safety
Unit 2: Case Studies
- Apply knowledge of process safety to case studies
- Explain where these principles have worked and when they could have improved a situation
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