COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF AVIONICS ENGINEERING

(HU - 224)

Engineering Ethics

ASSIGNMENT 2

SUBMITTED TO
Sqn Ldr. Usman

SUBMITTED BY
Plt Off Abbas Khan
18882, 87th E.C
 Case Study # 03
Questions
BART
6.5 BART was a very innovative design that went well beyond other
mass transit systems then in existence. What guidance does
“accepted engineering practice” provide in such an innovative
design?
The accepted engineering practices give us the proved and tested
answer and desired outcomes in any situations. But the new innovative
designs give better results but they are not very reliable comparatively.
That is why, in a safety conscious environment the accepted engineering
practices should be given more priority and they also work with much
better accuracy and ease.

6.6 When pointing out safety problems, an engineer is rightfully

concerned about maintaining his job. However, how effective is an
anonymous memo? Can anyone be expected to pay attention to
something that a person won’t sign?
An anonymous memo carries a lot o weight in the eyes of a person who
is concerned about the environment about which the memo is. It will
create a feeling of discomfort in the mind of a person who is to answer
the security and safety of the product or the service.

6.7 Did the three engineers meet the criteria for whistle-blowing
discussed previously in this chapter?
Yes, They

6.8 Should the IEEE have intervened in the court case?

6.9 In what ways could the BART structure and chain of command
have been changed to make the whistle-blowing unnecessary?

6.10 At what point should an engineer give up expressing her

concerns? In this case, when several levels of management
appeared not to share the engineers’ concerns, how much more
effort does professional ethics dictate is necessary?

6.11 What level of supervision should an organization have over its

contractors? Is it sufficient to assume that they are professional
and will do a good job?

6.12 One of the perceived problems with BART was a lack of

adequate documentation from Westinghouse. What are the ethical
considerations regarding the documentation of work? What
responsibility does an engineering organization have after the
design is complete?

6.13 It is important to remember that from our perspective, it is

impossible to know whether the Westinghouse test procedures and
schedule were adequate. The subsequent accidents and problems
really don’t tell us much about this issue: Anything new and this
complex should be expected to have some bugs during the early
periods of operation. Given this understanding, were the engineers’
concerns adequately addressed by the management? What actions
short of going to the board and whistle-blowing might the
engineers have taken?
 Case Study # 02
Questions
GOODRICH A7-D BRAKE
6.17 Was an unethical act taking place when test results on the
brake were falsified?

6.18 Was this mitigated at all by the fact that Goodrich was
planning to redesign the brakes anyway?

6.19 Was this mitigated by the fact that the brake design was a new
one for which the old test methods might not be applicable? This
was a claim by Goodrich. If the old test methods were not
applicable to the new design, what should Goodrich have done?

6.20 Can some of the problems here be attributable to sloppy

management? For example, should the original designer be
allowed to hand off the test work to a new hire with no further
participation? What are the ethical implications of this type of
management?

6.21 Did Vandivier meet the criteria set out in the previous section
for whistle-blowing? In other words, was there a need for the
whistle to be blown? Did he have proximity? Was he capable? Was
it a last resort? Does the fact that nothing seems to have been done
to Goodrich following the Senate investigation change your
answer?
6.22 What could Goodrich have done to solve the problem without
public disclosure of the falsified tests?

6.23 Was Goodrich engaged in a “bait and switch?” In other words,

did it use claims about the innovative brake design as a means to
get the contract with the intent of ultimately supplying a
conventional brake? What is the ethical status of this type of
tactic?