Engineering Disasters - Essay Example

Measures Undertaken to Prevent Future Oil spills ExxonMobil made several changes thereafter to prevent oil spills in future. They are: changed oil tanker routes; strengthening training programs for captains and pilots; alcohol and drug testing procedures for sensitive positions; periodic examination of facilities and transport vessels; improved technology for vessel navigation. The system was deployed in other parts of the world to see that incident of this kind does not happen again (The Valdez Oil Spill 2012).

Ethical Considerations in Engineering Catalano (2011) argues that Engineering has been a profession that keeps ethical dimension at the forefront; however, in view of various oil spills that has happened in recent years across the globe, author doubts that ethical responsibilities have not paced with scientific advancements. Author categorically stress that the engineers in this world now must own ethical responsibilities not only to safeguard all of its inhabitants but also our Mother Earth so as to have a secured and safe future for all of us.

False Nuclear Alarms False Nuclear Alarms can become a cause of nuclear holocaust and if it happens so then it will be termed as perhaps the biggest engineering disasters of all. Sennott (2001) argues that as per the US government, 1152 false alarms of varying seriousness occurred between 1977 and 1984. This was due to some abnormal information given by warning sensors. The false signaling happens due to various reasons. Satellites can detect the infrared energy that emits from anywhere on the earth's surface.

During gulf war, Iraqi Scud missiles were also detected by this satellite system. The author emphasizes that false alarm is in itself not a cause of much concern because they are quite routine now; however, the major threat comes from a second false alarm before the first one has been resolved. Forden et al. (2000) argue that first of the false warning of nuclear attack was noticed on November 9, 1979 by the US system that massive Soviet nuclear strike is on its way. The US defense system was virtually making their mind to counter attack through their ballistic missiles.

In fact, no attack was initiated by soviet Russia and mistake was discovered soon and global nuclear war was thus, averted. In another incident, on January 25, 1995 Russian radars detected a US Trident nuclear missile. Again, for some reason counter attack was not launched from