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

Design of a lightweight trailer
According to this engineer in normal design processes everything that could go
wrong with a product had already gone wrong. A lot of regulation will have been
made to prevent accidents and damage. In this case the CLC should just follow
the regulations. This engineer said that the CLC was responsible for thinking
about what could go wrong when regulation is absent. Perhaps they should even
contact the appropriate authorities to get them to change regulations or make
new regulations for a product.
7.5 Summary of the case and the regulative framework
I studied the preliminary design and feasibility study design phase for a
lightweight composite trailer using a new unloading system. This preliminary
design was made by an engineering company for a customer. The trailer had to
be used in combination with a conventional truck, therefore it was middle level
design. The trailer would be made of composites and include a new unloading
system. Hence the normal configuration was changed and the design was to a
certain extent radical.
7.5.1 Ethical issues
The ethical issues that came up in this design process were mainly related to the
operationalisation of safety and ascriptions of responsibility. As indicated,
sustainability did not play a big part. Of course it is an ethical question whether
sustainability issues should have played a part. The engineers and customer only
formulated one requirement with respect to sustainability. The aerodynamic
shape was included in the requirements but it was very vague and not
operationalised. The flexible loading and unloading system should lead to fewer
kilometres driven empty. This could make the trailer more sustainable. However,
in this design process, this flexibility was seen as an economic advantage and it
was not clear whether it was indeed more sustainable. It can be argued that if a
regulative framework was used this framework might have included less vague
requirements on sustainability. In a regulative framework concerning traffic, for
example, a maximum amount of certain emissions will be specified. It can be
argued that this is not relevant for the design of a trailer but only for the design of
the engine of a truck. This argument disregards the effects of the aerodynamic
shape of a trailer on fuel consumption and emissions. So a regulative framework
for traffic could have included requirements or operationalisations concerning
sustainability that might have been relevant for the design process. I will not
discuss further the ethical question of whether sustainability criteria should have
been included.
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