Real-Life Decision Making
"Difficult decisions in electrical engineering are based on two things.
One is, what are the specifics and the mathematics that deal with the problem
to yield the results that you need? And the other deals with ethics," says
Marv Neumeister, an electrical engineer.
"Once in a while, engineers are caught in between, where sometimes the
technical decision is overridden by the ethical decision."
One example of ethical decision making is in the area of medical electronics,
Neumeister notes. "We use MMR technology in medicine for scanning. As a scientific
tool, the technology is great for reviewing what's going on inside the body.
However, from an ethical standpoint and a standpoint of society itself, are
the energies that are being produced by these machines harmful? And
how does the harmful aspect offset the benefits which are derived from the
actual scan techniques?"
In the design of a particular piece of equipment, the engineer would make
the decision concerning whether it is technically feasible to design the equipment,
and whether the test itself would be harmful.
"In some cases, governments or various regulatory agencies publish written
guidelines that indicate that the product has to meet certain requirements.
In other instances, it is a matter of the corporation's or the individual's
own ethics, where they decide that though the equipment works technically,
they don't believe it's a good thing to do. Sometimes those kinds of decisions
are made by upper management, and frequently the engineer is told to go ahead
and do it, right or wrong, because the profit motive enters into the situation,"
says Neumeister.
"Every engineer...works under a code of ethics that is defined by his professional
association. These, among other things, declare that he will not design, develop
or make available to the public products which are harmful to the public."
You're an electrical engineer working for a power company. There's a lot
of controversy over the issue of "stray magnetic fields" from power lines.
You're involved because of your position.
A vocal group of area residents is demanding your company take measures
to reduce the impact of stray magnetic fields.
You consider your position before making a recommendation to your bosses.
On one hand, power lines deliver energy, which everyone needs. Another
factor is your loyalties to the power company. On the other hand, you wonder,
is the radiated energy from the power lines themselves, which is a low frequency
magnetic energy, harmful to the human body?
How close should humans be living to power lines?
You know that much research has been conducted to support both sides of
the debate. But to collect data one way or the other is simply a long-time
endeavor, and the harmful effects of the magnetic fields may not be determined
for another 20 to 30 years.
You figure measures could be taken to reduce the risk, if there is one.
Such measures could include establishing field strength standards on power
lines, burying power lines, and arranging lines to maximize cancellation of
generated magnetic fields. However, in light of current scientific evidence,
the high costs of doing such work can't be easily justified.
What do you do?