Risk and Liability in Engineering

Engineer’s most important job is ?

• Without innovation, there is no progress
• risk is inherent in engineering
• relationship of safety to risk is an inverse one
• factors of safety.’’
• unpredictably high loads or unaccountably
weak construction material
• Factors of safety of six or higher are the norm
 The engineer’s approach to risk
• Risk as the Product of the Probability and
Magnitude of Harm
• A relatively slight harm that is highly likely
might constitute a greater risk to more people
than a relatively large harm that is far less
likely.
• Harm?
 Utilitarian and acceptable risk
• An acceptable risk is one in which the product
of the probability and magnitude of the harm
is equaled or exceeded by the product of the
probability and magnitude of the benefit, and
there is no other option where the product of
the probability and magnitude of the benefit
is substantially greater.
• risk–benefit analysis
• If the total cost of preventing the loss of life is
greater than the total cost of not preventing
the deaths, then the current level of risk is
acceptable
• Expanding the Engineering Account of Risk:
The Capabilities Approach to Identifying Harm
and Benefit
• focal consequences of a hazard
• auxiliary consequences
• overestimating the negative societal
consequences of a hazard
• challenge of quantification is difficult and
complex,
 capabilities-based approach to
risk analysis
• Capabilities are distinct from utilities,
• if an individual chooses A over B, then A has
more utility than B.
 The Public’s approach to risk
• Expert and Layperson: Differences in Factual
Beliefs
• people tend to overestimate the likelihood of
low-probability risks
 ‘‘Risky’’ Situations and Acceptable
Risk
• One reason for classifying something as risky
is that it is new and unfamiliar. For example
 SAFETY AND RISK
• most important duties of an engineer is to
ensure the safety of the people
• produce products, structures, and processes
that are safe
• Implied warranty
• very precise and a very vague safety
• Relation between risk and safety
• Voluntary vs. involuntary risk
• Short-term vs. long-term consequences
• Expected probability
• Reversible effects
• Threshold levels for risk
• Delayed vs. immediate risk

• something is unsafe or risky often depends on

who is asked
• Engineers and Safety
• design must comply with the applicable laws
• design must meet the standard of “accepted
engineering practice
• alternative designs must be explored
• engineer must attempt to foresee potential
misuses of the product
• both prototypes and finished devices must be
rigorously tested
 Designing for Safety
• Define the problem
• Generate several solutions
• Analyze each solution
• Test the solutions.
• Select the best solution.
• Implement the chosen solution
• Safety is especially important in step 5,
• Are minimizing risks and designing for safety
always the more expensive alternatives?
• Risk–Benefi t Analysis
• one must consider who takes the risks and
who reaps the benefits
• “environmental racism,”
 ACCIDENTS
• procedural, engineered, and systemic
• Hurricane Katrina