Ethics In Engineering

3 Pages 756 Words

Ethics is no longer just associated with lawyers and businessmen. Nowadays engineers and scientists have to worry about ethics as much as they have to worry about the completion of their projects. Since many of the projects are used by the public when completed, engineers have to make sure that codes are followed and that all decisions are ethically based. The primary causes of engineering failure are usually considered to be human factors, design flaws, material failures, extreme conditions or environments, and a combination of all of the above. The engineering failures that are caused by human factors and design flaws are either from accidents or most importantly unethical decisions. The following is a case study about an engineering ethics case.
In 1986, the city of Pitcher Wyoming wanted to build a new stadium that would accommodate football and other major events. The city formed the Wyoming Woolies Stadium Authority to build, own, and operate the stadium once completed. The authority hired Matrix Engineering Associates to design the site and structure. Matrix Engineering Associates hired sub-consultant SoilTest Geotechnical Engineers to test the soil, supervise borings, and make any design recommendations. Benson-Marquardt Construction Company (BMCO) worked out a deal with the Stadium Authority and was awarded the construction management contract.
When SoilTest was hired by Matrix Engineering, the company already had a busy work schedule because of numerous government jobs. Dennis Snead was the on site project engineer for Matrix and was responsible for the day-to-day engineering decisions. The shear size of the project and the fact that it was Dennis’ most responsible field assignment made it all the more challenging for him. Since this was Dennis’ first huge project he was somewhat intimidated by the more experienced construction superintendents on the job. The intimidation that Dennis felt was nothing com...