Ethical Considerations as a Mechanical Engineer

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What does a Mechanical Engineer do?

The field of Mechanical Engineering entails researching, designing, developing, operating, testing, and producing consumer electronics, gadgets, and machinery. In terms of machinery, there are power-producing machines, such as electric generators, engines, turbines, solar energy systems, etc. Additionally, there are power-using machines, such as elevators, escalators, refrigeration, air-conditioning systems, etc. And of course, there is definitely math and science involved!

Mechanical engineers also work hand-in-hand with engineers of other fields. For example, mechanical engineers can work with civil engineers for the interior machineries and structures of a building or facility. When designing smart phones (or cellphones such as the iPhone), the electronics are part of the electrical engineers' job, but the case design (the exterior or "shell") is part of the mechanical engineers' job; however, its cooling system can be part of both fields.

What are Ethics in the Workforce?

Ethics is "the study of the principles of conduct that apply to an individual or a group. For some people, ethics is a matter of intuition—what their gut feelings tell them about the rightness or wrongness of an act. Others see ethics in terms of their own religion or the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like them to treat you" (Markel 18). In the end, these absolutely apply to mechanical engineers. They must uphold their duties and be aware of their moral standards and ethical obligations to their employers, their co-workers, the public, and even the environment.

Moral Standards

> Employers to the Employees

Like any employee of any job, mechanical engineers have the right to be in a safe workplace. This should not be denied by their employers. However, they should also give every mechanical engineer the right to an evaluation process that considers only their qualifications in terms of hiring.

In the justice system, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, or college degree, all mechanical engineers should be treated fairly; there should not be any form of favoritism. This especially comes into play when talking about gender. Statistically speaking, there are more males than females in the mechanical engineering workforce. Just because there are more men, that does not mean men should be paid a higher salary. Qualifications of the employees should be considered more than their demographics.


image: https://datausa.io/profile/cip/141901/

Employers should also be wary about the positive and negative effects that an action has or will have on their employees. In terms of laying-off mechanical engineers, the employers should consider the consequences: the hardships of the laid-off workers and especially the economic/environmental effects on the community.

Ethical Obligations

First of all, there are several important things that we should be aware of in the workforce. We must abide by the rules of the corporation, if you do not like or favor those rules, then, of course, you have an option to find a different corporation; good luck with that though.

> Employees to the Employers

Some of the main factors of being hired as a mechanical engineer, are competence and diligence. Mechanical engineers must be hardworking and must have certain skills achieved from training and experience.

Mechanical engineers should report to their employers problems that might threaten the quality and safety of the corporation's products and services.

Mechanical engineers should not disclose any information regarding the corporation's plans, designs, blueprints, and other forms of business to the outside of the corporation. Let's say you work as a mechanical engineer for Apple. If a competitor from Microsoft finds out about certain plans and designs of your corporation, they could rob your company of its competitive advantage or, in worse case scenario, jeopardize your corporation. Such sensitive information should be kept confidential.

You should definitely act in your employer's interest. But of course, you are not obligated to be completely loyal to your employer because there could be a time when even your employer can be unethical. When this happens, you must step up and find a way to change or prevent that from happening.


image: http://work.chron.com/average-pay-increase-mechanical-engineer-26777.html

> Employees to other Employees (Co-workers)

Similar to an aforementioned statement from above, when it comes to salaries, all mechanical engineers of the same ranking position in the corporation should be treated fairly. That's right, when you're a mechanical engineer, there can be times when you work with co-workers who are not just your colleagues but your superiors and subordinates as well. You are obligated to help your co-workers by sharing your knowledge and expertise, especially whatever you learned from college, internships, volunteering, and other past experiences.

It is also important to remember that people make mistakes. We must acknowledge a work mistake that we’ve made and take full responsibility for it. But like any other mistake, problem solving is necessary. You can either fix the mistake, prevent it from happening again, or improve it.

As any engineer, team collaboration is inevitable. When working with people, we must consider and respect each other’s ideas and opinions because not everyone is the same, and there is not always just one right solution.

With that being said, we should also take into consideration about something we all know to be true: sometimes we encounter co-workers/consumers who are just jerks. We must accept that everyone is different and has different communication styles. We should have the ability and patience to deal with those types of people in a calm and productive, yet authoritative, manner. We cannot always give in no matter how unreasonable the demand is, but, at the same time, we should also know when to disagree to another fellow mechanical engineer's ideas respectfully.

As I mentioned before, if you really run out of patience, then you have an option to resign or find a different corporation; it all depends on you. As hard as these may sound, I guess we should be realistic. However, on the bright side, the closer a co-worker is to us, the greater care we owe that person.

> Employees to the Public

Every corporation that offers products is obligated to treat its consumers fairly. Such products should be safe and effective. For example, mechanical engineers must ensure that the machinery they designed does not injure or harm the consumer(s) in any way; they hold the paramount safety, health, and welfare of the public. One thing we should remember is that the designers and manufacturers presumably know more about their products and machinery than the consumers do and therefore have a greater responsibility to make sure those products/machinery act in accordance to their claims and are safe to use. However, sometimes mechanical engineers aren't liable when something unforeseen or unpreventable happens.


image: https://theghostinmymachine.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/the-most-dangerous-games-elevator-to-another-world/

There was a case that dealt with an elevator malfunction, one of the most unfortunate incidents in history.

"Hitoshi Christopher Nikaidoh was killed in what has to be one of the most gruesome of all gruesome elevator deaths. Nikaidoh was a surgery resident working at Christus St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. The hospital had, as most hospitals do, several elevators to transport people up and down the tall building. But, for four days, elevator #14 was closed for repairs. Also working at the hospital was physician’s assistant Karin Leah Steinau. While the elevator was out of service she had been using the stairs, but on Saturday August 16, 2003, the “out of service” sign was taken down so Steinau decided to take the elevator. Standing across from her near the physicians lounge on the second floor, was Nikaidoh. Nikaidoh was an aspiring missionary doctor and very popular among his class of resident students. It was about 9:30 AM, a day like all the others that hospital personnel take elevators between the many floors of the hospital to do their work. This day was going to be very different however. Steinau pressed the call button and did what she always did with the slow elevators, she waited for the first to arrive at her floor. It was elevator #14 that arrived, nearest where Nikaidoh was standing. Steinau walked a few yards across the second floor lobby to join him. She got into the elevator first and pressed the button for the sixth floor. Nikaidoh looked at her and asked if the elevator was working. Steinau responded that, apparently, it was back in operation. So Nikaidoh started to step into the elevator to join her. Only just as he stepped in, the doors suddenly slammed closed on him. Normally when this happens the elevator doors are designed to automatically reopen. This did not happen and in an instant, Nikaidoh found himself pinned by the closed doors as the elevator began to rise": ("Hitoshi Christopher Nikaidoh", 2003).

For the sake of avoiding triggering, uncomfortable, or sensitive information, I did not include the rest of the outcome of that gruesome incident.

As you may already know, elevators are one of the mechanisms designed by mechanical engineers. There are several issues with this incident however. If the elevator isn't working, then the "out of service" sign should not have been taken down. That would be the job of the maintenance section of the mechanical engineers. But then again, if you think about it, how exactly would the mechanical engineers know if the elevator was completely fixed? It would be morbid to say that the passengers would be the "guinea pigs" to test the elevator's performance. But here are some things the mechanical engineers should consider:
- Is the elevator too slow or too fast?
- Does it stop at every floor that it's supposed to?
- What is the time of stoppage?
- How much time do the elevator doors remain open?
- Do they close automatically after a certain time?
- Do they open again if someone is in between doors?

Elevators are usually designed to automatically reopen as mentioned, but this elevator was obviously not completely repaired. This unfinished business may be caused by certain time constraints. However, safety should be more prioritized no matter, especially since it's in a hospital where elevators are urgently essential.

> Employees to the Environment

Usually we are mostly obligated to the public, but, depending on the corporation, looking out for our environment and the planet we live in is important too because it all comes back to us. Everyone must work to preserve the environment to ensure the survival of the human race and of the other species with which we share the planet!

This type of obligation mostly comes into effect for civil engineers, but there are some cases in which mechanical engineers also deal with the environment. As I mentioned before, there are some mechanical engineers that design engines, which could be for cars. If that's the case, mechanical engineers must take into consideration the factors that can cause pollution. Pollution, which can bring about harmful or poisonous effects in the environment, has been a major issue since the early 20th century. That is why mechanical engineers have been trying to find new ways to design effective engines for vehicles.

For example, exhaust gas is the gas emitted by motor vehicles as a result of the engine's internal combustion. This process involves the usage of fuels, such as natural gas, gasoline, petrol, biodiesel blends, diesel fuel, fuel oil, or coal. Motor vehicle emissions of exhaust gas contribute to air pollution. However, mechanical engineers developed steam technology engines that produce smaller quantities of toxic pollutants, such as oxides of nitrogen, than petrol and diesel engines of the same power. Steam technology engines produce larger quantities of carbon dioxide but less carbon monoxide due to more efficient internal combustion.


image: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1042252_cyclone-steam-engine-pushes-closer-to-land-speed-record

However, mechanical engineers also have to remember that efficiency also comes with a price, an expensive one, literally. Protecting the environment can be expensive; maybe that's why there are a few corporations out there that prioritize business profit more than public/environmental safety when desperate times call for desperate measures. However this is unethical! We can't always take the world we live in for granted.

These are some of the many challenges mechanical engineers must face in today's society. But no matter what, mechanical engineers must adhere to the ethical considerations in the workforce.

References

• Markel, Michael H. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. Bedford/St. Martin's, a Macmillan Education Imprint, 2015.
• Valenzano, Joseph. Braden, Stephen. Broeckelman Melissa. Golden Eagle Guide to Public Speaking. Fountainhead Press, 2016.
• “Mechanical Engineering.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/cip/141901/.
• historical reference: “10 Tragic Elevator Accidents.” Listverse, 18 June 2014, listverse.com/2011/12/23/10-tragic-elevator-accidents/.
• document reference: “Exhaust Gas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas.