Ethics for Engineering Professional Practice- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEthics for Engineering Professional Practice. Answer: Introduction Ethics in the organization are principles set by an organization management system to guide in its smooth running without being bias to any individual. The code of ethics set determines the employee's discipline and tolerated behavior in an organization. The higher the ethical standards the more the workers are encouraged to meet the level. In the engineering professional practice, a code of ethics for occupational health and safety is vital in ensuring the social, physical and mental well-being of the workers, employers, and the public is fully protected and satisfied. The occupation health safety covers on prevention of injuries and other work-related diseases, and the actions to be undertaken in case an impairment resulting from working conditions (Grammeno, 2009). The engineering professional is a very interesting career as it entails the creation of, state of the art structures that meet top quality designs, inventions of great scientific and technological projects that help in making the world a better place and improves the work processes and procedures. Literature review In the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 held at Geneva by International Labor Office, they recognized the need to protect workers against injuries, sickness, diseases which arise from their workplaces. The International Labor office conveyed that there is need to reduce and eliminate the occupational injuries and diseases which lead to poor productivity in work, lack of motivation among workers to achieve high yields, the poor relationship between the workers and employers as well as loss of life and ability to work among employees (Saul, Kinley, Mowbray, 2014). According to Quinlan, Bohle, Lamm (2010), a good organizational management system should ensure the occupational health safety policy is a key principle in order to achieve maximum productivity. In engineering occupation, health safety is very vital as the sector involves being exposed to dangerous work activities that can cause injuries and death to the workers as well to the public as a whole. The Occupational Health and safety policy in the organization should involve the worker's information contribution, assessment of the areas or activities that can pose a risk to the workers and the general public, review and monitor the policies effectiveness and the actions or compensation to be carried out in case such an incident occurred (Reese, 2008). In engineering sector work hazards are of different categories ranging from; lifting, mechanical, pressure, explosion, fire, falling, noise, and sound, temperatures, electrical, harmful and toxic gases, radiation, chemical, biological, automation, ergonomic, psychological factors and confinement in an enclosed structure (Friis, 2015). All these are hazards that are to be considered while implementing an occupational health and safety policy. The hazards are bound to affect the various stakeholders involved that are the; workers, employers, the public, the regulatory and governing authorities and insurance or compensation providers. According to Barnett-Schuster (2008), the occupational health and safety are important in improving the economy through minimizing the costs spent during compensation of injured or sick workers, the cost resulting from time lost from absent employees and cost related from damage caused by the hazards. Legal matters are also improved through provision of workers' rights to work at safe conditions while providing detailed statements and rules on compensation and action to be taken in case of a hazard. The occupational health and safety also ensure more employee responsibility and protection of morals and ethics in the sector (Barnett-Schuster, 2008). Case study In the occupational health and safety field, we focus on Bhopal disaster which was the worst industrial accident in the world. The disaster which happened at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India involved the leaking of a harmful chemical in 1984 (Quinlan, Bohle, Lamm, 2010). The fateful accident resulted from methyl isocyanate gas which is very dangerous gas escaping from an insecticide plant. The gas leak resulted to a health and safety hazard that affected not only the employees and employers but also the general public who neighbored the plant leading to an estimated death toll of 15,000 to 20,000 people (Whitbeck, 2011). The gas leak also leads to other problems such respiratory disorders, blindness and eye problems and other diseases to half a million survivors. Findings The disaster investigation proved that the plant was understaffed and there existed poor standards on operations and procedures safety. Other findings were that there existed a poor management system, the firm lacked a health and safety culture, poor design in the plant engineering, lack of adequate staff training, poor responses to past reported incidents, negligence to monitor and act upon the audit results carried out and lack of preparedness in case an emergency occurred. The catastrophe also led to other indirect harmful effects such chronic diseases and birth defects from contaminated water and soil in the region which lasted long (Burke, Clarke Cooper, 2011). The state's Supreme Court ordered compensation of the affected people and the supply of clean water in the affected region. The owners of the plant were convicted in 2010 due to negligence that resulted in the disaster. The case led to survivors striking and demonstrating demanding for proper compensation and fair handli ng of the case. Conclusion Recommendations Organizational ethics play a major role in the growth and development of a certain sector. In our case of the Bhopal disaster, there lacked ethics governing on the occupational health and safety policy which resulted in many demise and suffering, loss of property, high costs of compensation, chronic diseases and birth defects as well as industrial actions and strikes. The governing bodies and authorities of any given nation have the mandate to ensure that all sectors, corporations, and industries have been clearly laid down and implemented codes of ethics. The international and national authorities should ensure that all industries and individuals in the engineering sector comply with the established Acts and laws pertaining labor and workers protection. The authorities should also ensure the Acts are revised often effective governing and fairness in the sector. Assessments and audits on occupational health and safety should also be carried out on the firms to ensure there are better working conditions of the employees and protect disasters from occurring. All firms should also have well written out and known ethics regarding the worker's well-being and safety. References Barnett-Schuster, P. C. 2008. Fundamentals of international occupational health safety law. Aberdeen, Scotland: Aberdeen University Press Services. Burke, R. J., Clarke, S., Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). 2011. Occupational health and safety. Gower Publishing, Ltd. Friis, R. H. 2015. Occupational health and safety for the 21st century. English print. Grammeno, G. 2009. Planning occupational health safety. North Ryde, N.S.W: CCH Australia. Quinlan, M., Bohle, P., Lamm, F. 2010. Managing occupational health and safety. Palgrave Macmillan. Reese, C. 2008.Occupational Health and Safety Management: A practical approach, 2nd Edition. CRC press. Saul, B., Kinley, D., Mowbray, J. 2014. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights: Commentary, cases, and materials. Whitbeck, C. 2011. Ethics in engineering practice and research. Cambridge University Press.