Engineering DUTIES (Huh?)

Who talks about duty anymore, what an old-fashioned concept!

However…I proffer that the concept of duty is still relevant and as vitally important as ever.

The catalyst for this line of thinking was a very interesting inscription I saw on the window of a university engineering building recently.

The inscription read:

“The best asset the engineering profession has is its reputation for honesty. It is the duty of every engineer to preserve that reputation unsullied.”

– Engineering News | Civil engineering building at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

So honesty is of vital importance to the engineering profession. How refreshing it was to see it written explicitly, for all to see and ponder!

Honesty is of obvious importance when designing and building the kinds of things that civil engineers build.

A bridge must be designed honestly and competently: the calculations must be appropriate and reviewed by competent professionals to ensure they are sufficiently robust and mistake-free. The construction of the bridge must use the materials and dimensions specified in the fabrication drawings for the bridge.

A pertinent case in point…

114 people were killed on July 17, 1981 when the Hyatt Regency Walkway in Kansas City collapsed under the weight of guests. Something went extremely wrong: this accident was completely preventable. The responsible engineers were either incompetent and/or the construction was shoddy. Many detailed investigations were conducted to learn lessons and avoid a repeat of this horrific situation.

Now let’s examine the concept of duty from the Process Perspective. Building robust industrial manufacturing processes is quite different than building bridges, but there are some clear duties that must be kept in mind to move forward with integrity and honesty.

Some of the duties for building great processes include:

• Building margin into the process so it is inherently reliable, robust, and dependable.

• Minimization of the amount of foreign material being put into the municipal water system. Be sure least harmful chemicals are being used.

• Operator safety and health must come first, it is non-negotiable.

• Robust processes must be constructed to prevent problems before they arise. Preventative actions are therefore preferred over contingent actions.

• Understand (and try to practically optimize) the life-cycle of the product.

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My main learning from this line of thinking is the importance of honesty in our engineering activities. This honesty is the bedrock underpinning all sound engineering and building of great industrial processes. We have to be continuously vigilant about this as we do our work.

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YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK

Consider your duties for some of your active and important process engineering projects…

• Have you “backed out” (changed your perspective) and considered your top-level duties?

• Does the above list spark any useful reflections or insights? Is any follow-up work required?

This topic of duties is a bit dry, but it is super important, and it must be carefully considered and managed. Please give us a call to see how we can help.

If you email me I’ll get back to you promptly, thanks.

All the Best,

Marty

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