Assignment 1 – Report and Reflection on Engineering Ethics
Value: (25%)
ULO: 1,4
Group or individual: Individual
This assessment represents 25% of your mark for this unit and comprises of:
Written report (20%)
Reflective activity (5%)
This assessment is an Individual report on Engineering Ethics of 2000 – 2500 words followed by a reflective activity of around 300 words.
Individual Report
You are required to: Review the Engineering Australia Code of Ethics and then choose an industrial accident to research and critically evaluate in relation to the Code of Ethics in Engineering.
Scenario: You are an engineer working with a team involved in investigations into harmful and dangerous incidents in your company. You have been tasked with writing a report on Engineering Australia’s Code of Ethics in relation to a specific at the company. The report is to be addressed to the consultative committee for the investigation of the specific incident.
Discuss the unethical behaviours which may have contributed to the incident. Consider how these behaviours may have breached the Engineer’s Australia Code of Ethics, and what pressures and motivations may have contributed to the unethical behaviours. Describe the realistic actions that could have been taken to avoid the incident and provide recommendations for future practice.
Your report will need to be written using professional language and a competent technical writing style, with an organised structure (see resources in Modules and linked below).
Reflective Activity
The reflective activity is to be completed after you have completed your report. The activity will be completed in your gradCAP Workbook on PebblePad on the Engineering Australia Professional Competency 3.1 page.
NOTE: failure to correctly follow the submission instructions in PebblePad could result in a zero grade for this part of the assessment.
Reflect upon the application of ethics to your practice as an emerging engineer (approx. 300 words).
It is suggested you:
• upload a copy of your report to your gradCAP workbook as evidence
• refer to what you have learnt in the process of completing this report in your reflection.
You may find the following reflective framework helpful:
• What? Describe the event or learning. Include any background or
• So What? Why is this important and relevant to you?
• Now What? How will this influence you in the future (thinking and behaviour)?
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Report on Engineering Ethics and Industrial Accident
Introduction
Engineering is a profession that holds a great deal of responsibility as it deals with designing and creating structures, products, and systems that impact people’s lives. Therefore, it is crucial that engineers follow ethical principles to ensure their work does not harm people or the environment. The Engineering Australia Code of Ethics outlines these principles, and this report will critically evaluate an industrial accident in relation to this code of ethics.
Case Study: Buncefield Oil Depot Explosion
The Buncefield oil depot explosion occurred in the UK in December 2005, where a massive fire and explosion caused significant damage to the facility and surrounding areas. An investigation found that the incident occurred due to the overflow of petrol from a storage tank that was overfilled. The incident led to serious environmental damage and cost millions of dollars in damage.
Unethical Behaviours Contributing to the Incident
Several unethical behaviours contributed to the Buncefield oil depot explosion. Firstly, the investigation found that there was a lack of management oversight and accountability, resulting in a culture of complacency and lack of adherence to safety procedures. The management team did not enforce strict safety procedures, which led to employees not taking safety seriously. Secondly, the investigation found that there was a lack of communication between employees, which led to misunderstandings and errors
