Ethical issues in engineering design - 3TU.Centre for Ethics and ...

Ethical issues in engineering design
preliminary design phase for a bridge that would form part of a larger system of
roads to link IJburg to the rest of Amsterdam. The task was high to middle level
in the design hierarchy. It was not really a conceptual design because the
architectural image of the bridge and the requirements for the bridge had been
previously decided. At the stage I observed it was not a detailed design, details
would be added in the definitive design phase, in the tendering specifications
phase and probably also by the contractor after tendering.
6.5.1 Ethical issues
The engineers indicated that sustainability played a part in the design process
but that most choices related to sustainability would be made in later stages of
the design process when the materials for building the bridge would be chosen.
The engineers expected to use a document from the Rijkswaterstaat on materials
and sustainable building as a guideline. There were some discussions in the
observed preliminary phase of the design process regarding the conservation of
the steel arches of the bridge that can be seen as a discussion about
sustainability. Some paints contain more volatile substances that can be harmful
to humans and nature, these will not be allowed to be used by 2007 when the
bridge will be painted.
The ethical issues that played a part in the preliminary phase of the design
process were related to safety. A choice needed to be made as to which codes to
use. It is not legally required that engineers work with the European code, but
the fatigue loads in the European code are much more realistic. Is it justifiable to
still work with the NEN codes while it is commonly known that these codes
underestimate parts of the loads? This question was not raised by the engineers.
They did advise their customer to use the European code in the definitive design
phase provided that a green version was available at that time. The IBA
engineers advised this because they expected that applying these codes would
not make the bridge more expensive. I have described the reasons that the
engineers gave in their preliminary design report in section 6.3.2. During
technical meetings an additional reason against using the European code was
given. Some engineers were against its use because they said that the European
code was very different and that it would cost a lot of extra time for calculating
the dimensions of the bridge. Although this argument against using the
European code was mentioned in technical meetings and interviews it was not
mentioned in the report. Another argument that the engineers could have given
in the report was that using a new code might increase the uncertainty in the
design. Until a green version is available, a new code can only be used if
engineering companies provide evidence that the legal requirements concerning
safety are met. Providing this evidence costs time and money, therefore
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