The recent apartment building collapse in Miami, Florida, is a tragic reminder of the huge impacts engineering can have on our lives. Would recent high-profile problems in the building and construction industry have happened if engineering ethics had been upheld at every link in the supply chain?
That's one of the key questions posed in a new Vision Document from UNSW Sydney's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The document seeks to champion 'Ethical Civil Infrastructure and Sustainable Environments' and notes that major problems in the building and construction industry have been evoking regulatory responses from various governments in Australia.
It goes on to highlight the fact that legislative responses are commonly introduced when ethical practices have eroded or failed.
The recent spate of building failures include, among others, the Opal Tower and Mascot Towers in Sydney, as well as the Neo200 block and Collins Arch project in Melbourne.
One of the main aims of the Vision Document is to support a cultural shift within engineering education and the relevant engineering professions – emphasising a value on the ethical rather than solely technical consideration.
As CVEN Head of School, Professor Travis Waller, says: "We should not define our self-worth as engineers purely from technical mastery."
Professor Waller is one of four authors of the document, along with Professor Robert Care (Chair of RedR Australia, the engineering humanitarian response agency); Dr Kourosh Kayvani (Board Director of Engineers Australia); and Professor Lucy Marshall (Associate Dean, Equity and Diversity, UNSW Engineering).
The authors note that it is important to fully appreciate that professional engineering decisions are not constrained to highly formalised narrow technical tasks. They highlight the fact that modern problems of humanity that call for engineering solutions are increasingly complex and multifaceted involving conflicting demands.
But in terms of addressing the most recent building failures, they write: "We want to advocate that skills related to reflecting and communicating on ethical considerations while utilising domain-specific technical skills are vitally important.
"Such a view requires that as educators and professionals we move past an emphasis on purely domain-central technical skills alone."
The Vision Document notes that ethical decision-making goes beyond what is legal, acceptable or common. Something may well be legal but still be unethical depending on a particular viewpoint - for example the interaction of aquifers and agriculture.
An ethical professional decision is not merely based on what is allowed and/or technically valid, but also what is judged to be right and fair. Most critically, the deliberation must be conducted at the onset where it can influence decisions not after the fact to simply provide excuses.
The document authors acknowledge that Universities have a responsibility to shape the engineering profession by fostering an ethical culture throughout an engineer's academic training, that can then follow through their progression in the profession.
The vision is for engineers to develop deep ethical skills to solve novel problems which may have never been encountered previously. Ideally, teaching them how to think, not what to think.
Professor Waller said: "We anticipate significant consideration of our educational experience and we are seeking active engagement with our partners spanning industry, government and professional organisations."
