Lecture#8

Technical codes and standards:

Technical codes and standards:

Technical codes are legal requirements that are enforced by a governmental body to protect safety,
health, and other relevant values. Technical standards are usually recommendations rather than legal
requirements that are written by engineering experts in standardization committees.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) is a technical code in the United States that sets the minimum
standards for electrical installations. It is enforced by local and state governmental bodies to protect the
safety of the public and property.

Certification:

Certification is a process of evaluating and verifying that a product, service, or process meets the
specified requirements, standards, or regulations. This process is carried out by an independent third
party, which conducts a comprehensive review and testing of the product or service.

For example, a company that produces medical devices may seek certification from a regulatory body
to ensure that their products comply with safety and performance standards before they are
marketed and sold to the public. Similarly, a software company may seek certification for their
product to ensure that it meets industry standards for security and data privacy.

Hazard: A hazard is a possible harm or danger. For example, a chemical spill in a factory poses a
hazard to workers.

Risk: Risk is the probability of a hazard occurring and the potential consequences of that hazard. An
example of risk could be a person deciding to invest all their savings in a single stock. The hazard in
this case would be the possibility of losing all the money invested. The risk would be the likelihood of
that happening, which could be influenced by various factors such as market trends, company
performance, and economic conditions.

Safety: Safety refers to the condition in which risks have been minimized or eliminated as much as
possible. For example, safety measures on a construction site, such as hard hats and safety harnesses,
are put in place to reduce the risk of injury to workers.

Uncertainty A lack of knowledge Refers to situations in which we know the type of consequences, but
cannot meaningfully attribute probabilities to the occurrence of such consequences.
An example of uncertainty would be a new medical treatment that has not been fully tested, and we
cannot accurately predict the chances of success or failure.

• Ignorance Lack of knowledge. Refers to the situation in which we do not know what we do not
know.

An example of ignorance would be a company developing a product without knowing that there are
already similar products in the market.

• Ambiguity The property that different interpretations or meanings can be given to a term.

An example of ambiguity would be the term "fair trade," which can be interpreted differently by
different people and can have different meanings in different contexts.

Acceptable Risk

The following considerations are relevant for deciding whether a risk is morally acceptable:

(1) The degree of informed consent with the risk;

For example, patients should be informed about the potential risks and benefits of a medical
procedure before consenting to it.

(2) The degree to which the benefits of a risky activity weigh up against the disadvantages and risks

For example, the use of pesticides in agriculture can lead to increased crop yields, but it may also pose
risks to human health and the environment. A risk-benefit analysis would involve weighing these
factors to determine whether the use of pesticides is morally acceptable.

(3) The availability of alternatives with a lower risk; and

For example, if a certain medical treatment has significant risks associated with it, doctors may
consider alternative treatments with fewer risks before deciding on a course of action.

(4) The degree to which risks and advantages are justly distributed.

For example, if a new technology poses risks to workers in a certain industry but benefits consumers,
it may be morally unacceptable if the risks are borne solely by the workers and the benefits by the
consumers.

Ensuring Safety and reducing risk:

For example, if an engineer is designing a self-driving car, they have a moral responsibility to ensure
that the car is safe for passengers and other drivers on the road. This may involve designing the car to
detect and respond to potential hazards, such as other cars or pedestrians, and taking measures to
prevent accidents, such as incorporating emergency braking systems.

The concept of safety as the reduction of hazards and risks to an acceptable level means that absolute
safety may not always be possible, but designers and engineers should take steps to minimize risks
and hazards to an acceptable level. What is considered an acceptable level may depend on various
factors, such as the potential benefits of the technology and the availability of alternatives with lower
risks.

Again resume from the slide # 5