Is the Environment a Concern for Engineers - Assignment Example

Is the environment a Concern for Engineers? Name Institution Tutor Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Why the Environment is an Engineering Issue 3 Impacts of Engineering Innovations on Plant and Factory Environments 7 Importance of Occupational Safety and Health 9 Ethics Required By the Engineering Profession 11 Conclusion 14 References 15 Anubha K. (2006). Environmental Science and Engineering. Anna University: New Age International. 15 Jim Lucas (2014). What is Engineering? | Types of Engineering .retrieved from. http://www.livescience.com/47499-what-is-engineering.html 15 Whitbeck , C .(2013). Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research. NewYork: Cambridge University Press. 16 Introduction The environment is all that surrounds and influences the ability of an individual to live on earth. The environment includes natural forces and living things that create conducive conditions for growth and development, as well as damage and danger (Ron, 2006). Traditionally, engineering was about infrastructure. They were known to construct bridges and create vehicles that enabled individuals to move efficiently. Engineering is today regarded as a profession that creates opportunities, technologies and various products that makes the environment sustainable for growth and development. Engineers just like other professionals are required to uphold professional ethics. Ethics involves the positive or moral guidelines that are used to govern behavior. One of the controversial ethical concerns in the field of engineering is the environment. This paper seeks to examine the notion of whether the environment is a concern for engineers. Why the Environment is an Engineering Issue It can be argued that the envirnment should be a concern for engineers. According to Jim (2014), an engineer has several roles in the environment; they evaluate, design, test, develop, install, modify, maintain and inspect a variety of systems. They specify and recommend materials, supervise construction and manufacturing projects. They also provide consultation services, conduct analysis on project failure and teach environmental engineering in institutions of higher learning. Consequently, the environment is definitely an issue of concern for engineers. For a sustainable development in the environment; engineers have actively been involved in environmental activities. Engineers use engineering methods in preserving, shaping and making good use of the natural environment. This has been attained through waste management techniques, air protection, soil protection and the provision of appropriate technology that allows a reduction in the usage of non-renewable resources such as recycling of raw materials and cleaner production (Jim, 2014). Such actions indicate how engineers are relevant to the environment. Hence, they should be allowed to work and operate in the environment. In addtion , more stakeholders should be encouraged to work with the engineers for them to achieve sustainable environmental development. Engineering activities have also greatly contributed to environmental degradation, as a result the environment is an engineering issue and should be a concern for engineers. Studies indicate that engineering activities have over the years affected the environment in various ways (Harris, et al, 2008). One of the key areas is air pollution. Engineering activities have led to air pollution. This is due to the emission of harmful gasses such as the nitrates released by the factories and industries. Plastics can also pollute the environment. Engineering inventions in the factory environment affects the fresh air. The toxic substances emitted make the air unclean for the humans. Engineers should therefore find appropriate measure to prevent air pollution (Anubha, 2006). Global Warming is another challenge to the environment. Global warming is caused by a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide acts as a blanket and traps the heat and warms the planet. It also leads to the rise in temperatures on the earth surface and the oceans leading to the melting of the polar ice caps. Carbon dioxide results from engineering activities such as burning of coal, natural gas and production of oil for energy. Carbons are accumulated into the atmosphere forming the blanket cover. Waste management strategies adopted by engineers also increase the problem by producing gases that cause global warming such as nitrous oxide and methane. Engineers should find alternatives that can help prevent global warming in the environment (Anubha, 2006). Improper disposal of solid wastes is another environmental issue brought about by the engineering activities to the environment. This happens when the environment is full of non-biodegradable wastes that emit green house gases and toxic fumes into the environment. The wastes can leach chemical or organic compositions and contaminate the habitation where the wastes are accumulated. Industrial solid wastes dumped in the Australian streets, water ways and high ways cause pollution to the environment. This threatens the lives of individuals who live in such environments. Disposal of waste is one of the major current environmental problems in Australia. Proper disposal of wastes should be encouraged by the engineers. They should protect the public from such problems that arise from their activities in the environment (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Climate Change is another environmental issues that has been contributed by engineers. Climate change is caused by the rise in global warming which is as a result of burning fossil fuels, increase in temperature and emission of harmful gasses by the factories. Climatic change has generated several problems like change in seasons, new diseases, floods and melting in the polar ice. Engineers should formulate new ideas of dealing with the problem of global warming. This will help solve the problem of climate change (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Water Pollution is yet another issue in the environment caused by the engineering activities. Clean Water is slowly becoming a political and economic issue since the human population struggles to get it. Industrial development is increasingly filling the seas, rivers and oceans with toxic substances which affect human health. Australian engineering industries have consistently dumped their wastes into the rivers. Some of the most affected waterways are the Yarra River in Melbourne’s and Home bush Bay in Sydney. The engineers should find alternatives to water pollution. They should put more emphasis on educating the factories on proper disposal of wastes (Anubha, 2006). Depletion of the Ozone Layer is another engineering issue in the environment. This is the invisible layer that protects the earth from direct sunlight rays. The Ozone layer is depleted by Ozone depleting Substances such as t cleaning agents, packing material and refrigerator coolants. The ozone layer substances are not washed in form of rain back on the earth but instead remain in the atmosphere. The Ozone layer depleting substances depletes 90% of the ozone layer. The chlorine from chloro-flouro carbons and the bromine from methyl bromide react with the molecules of the ozone layer destroying their molecular structure hence depleting the ozone layer. This is one of the major effects of engineering activities to the environment. Engineers should therefore provide proper and appropriate guidelines on how such emissions can be prevented in order to prevent depletion of the Ozone layer (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Another environmental issue caused by the engineering activities in the environment is the Acid Rain. Acidic rain is mainly caused by the nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. Engineering industries are the major contributors of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. Acidic rain is the rain, mist or snow that comes from the sky onto the earth and contains dangerous acids. Acidic rain causes a significant problem to the plants, human health and aquatic species. Engineers should therefore prevent any pollution that might lead to the acidic rains (Anubha, 2006).  Impacts of Engineering Innovations on Plant and Factory Environments Engineering innovations have significantly affected the plant and factories environments. A case in point is innovations such as the recycling of aluminum. Chemical engineers have worked together with the metallurgists in order to improve on metal recycling. For example, the steel cans can be recycled into the steel mill with no prior processing. Moreover, metallurgists have worked together for decades to perfect metal recycling techniques. For instance, stainless-steel can often be recycled back into the steel mill feed stream with little or no prior processing. Aluminum is currently the most recycled materials. This has helped the factories to be efficient in their productions based on the fact that the companies can reuse aluminum. They are also able to transform the aluminum into other useful products. The use of aluminum has saved on energy and has reduced pollution (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Engineering innovations such as recycling paper have also positively impacted on plant and factory environments. Since the paper mills are not able to use the recycled paper directly as a replacement of a virgin pulp tree, engineers have innovated and optimize process that entails, blending the recycled paper to produce a slurry pulp. They have innovated the filtering slurry that removes any solid impurities and any ink or any chemical in the paper. This has improved the functions of such industries since they can re-use the waste paper again (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Recycling plastics is another significant innovation of engineers to the factories and different plants. The plants commonly use plastics to pack their products. The engineers have helped the companies to recycle the plastics into useful products. The plastics can be produced without any breakdown. This enables the use of such plastics as water pipes, toys and many decorations (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Chemical engineers have also innovated new technologies that have enabled electric power plants and the industrial facilities to significantly to reduce harmful airborne emissions such as sulfur dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides and the unburned hydrocarbons. Such gases when emmited to the atmosphere may cause acidic rain or health problems to the individuals in such environments (Chemical Engineering, 2014). It can also be stated that engineers to have helped reduce industrial pollution. NOx and SO2 react with water to form acid gasses. This in turn led to acidic rain. This damages cars and kills trees and results in other related health problems. The engineers have come up with different technologies that help the companies reduce air pollution. With the new innovations, the factories are able to operate in friendly environment (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Cleaner coal use is another innovation by the engineers. Coal is the most used fossil fuel. The coal highly pollutes the environment. The engineers have done significant innovations to help prevent coal pollution. With the innovations, the industries can burn any synthetic gas made from coal, and fewer emissions are produced. The fuel change has generated new energy to the industries and the plants (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Importance of Occupational Safety and Health There are various occupational health and safety issues that relate to the environment. Engineers therefore need to identify various hazards and control or prevent them appropriately. They should review the environment in which they work and the work practices in order to prevent or control any hazard. The engineers can control and prevent hazards by regularly maintain the working equipments. They should ensure that there are appropriate correction procedures for any working hazard. The engineers should also have adequate knowledge of how to use and handle the protective equipments (The Department of labor, 2014). Engineering should take the first step in controlling any hazard in their working environments. They should monitor the hazard and find the exact cause. The fundamental principles in the engineering controls is that the job should be done in away it eliminates any potential risk or exposures to them or to the public. If the risk is feasible, they should design equipment, facility or an appropriate measure to control the hazard. If the risk is not feasible, they should enclose it to hinder it from distracting standard operations in the environment (The Department of Labor, 2014). Administrative Controls is an important measure to the engineers. Safe working practices can be seen as form of administrative controls, the OSHA suggests that administrative controls are measures that are aimed at reducing the employee's exposure to any hazard. Such measures include rotation of workers and additional relief workers. The engineers should be rotated in various environments and more engineers should be added in the environment if need be. These controls are used together with other control measures to control any risk (IAPA, 2015). Engineers can as well use Personal Protective Equipments or clothing. If other methods of hazard control cannot provide appropriate protection, the use of personal protective equipment or clothing can be used.The engineers will be protected from any chemical contamination in the factories or industries. The use of protective clothing can as well be used when installing other preventive systems (IAPA, 2015). There should be appropriate correction measure of health and safety within the environment. Records should be kept so that the employees and the management can have a clear view of the corrections that had been made some times back. Many companies document the discovery of a hazard and its related correction procedure. Companies often computerize their systems of tracking hazards; these make it easy to add any new method of handling risks (IAPA, 2015). Engineers need preventive maintenance systems in their working environments. This system ensures that the risk control measures function actually. At the same time, it prevents new risks from occurring. Reliable documentation and scheduling of the maintenance process is necessary. Programming relies on the idea what should be maintained. In preventive maintenance, the task should be performed before replacement or repair is needed (IAPA, 2015). Emergency Preparation systems are an important system to the engineers. In the case of an emergency, new hazard may arise that is not found in the workplace. These can be due to environmental factors such as floods and earthquakes, human events that are beyond the control such as terrorist activities. The engineers should be aware of any possible emergency and plan appropriately on how to prevent such hazards as they occur (Goetsch, 2001). The engineers should have an effective medical program within their working environment. Medical program is an outstanding vice in providing health and safety systems. It provides services that help prevent different hazards that may cause injury or illness, treat disease and reduce damage. The complexity of medical programs depends on factors, such as type of the facilities, the nature of the workforce.Number of workers and the location of different operations and their complexity to the safety and healthcare services (United States department of labor, 2014). Ethics Required By the Engineering Profession Engineering is one of the most learned and important profession in the world. Members of this noble profession should show a high degree of integrity and honesty. Engineering has a significant impact to the environment. The services provided by the engineers to the environment needs a high level of fairness, equity, honesty and able to protect the public health, welfare, and safety. The engineers should adhere to the set professional standards and practice high level of ethical conduct (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2015). Engineering codes of ethics are increasingly integrating provisions for the environmental conservation. A number of mandatory obligations have been devised necessitating engineers to protect the environment. In addition, tough governmental regulations require engineers to alleviate pollution and protect the environment. It is therefore essential for engineers top follow the stipulated environmental codes of conduct. Engineers should also consider the health, welfare and safety of the public. If in any case there is overruling of the engineers’ judgments in a way that can endanger property or life, they should inform any relevant authority. Again the engineers should only approve documents that are conforming to the set standards. They are not to approve documents that may lead to the violation of the environment. The engineers shall not allow their names to be used or associated with environmental activities that violate the rights of the public. Again they shall not abet or aid any unlawful engineering activities by any person. (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2015). The Engineers should only handle services in their areas of competence. Engineers should only perform tasks and assignments when experienced and with quality education. This is because involvement in activities where an individual is not very proficient may result to the degradation of the environment and (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2015). Engineers should also perform their duties in the environment with the high level of integrity and honesty. They shall recognize their errors and not falsify or distort any fact. They should give proper advice when they are certain their project will not be a success. They should not allow outside job to hinder their normal work of improving the environment (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2015). Again the Engineers should strive to serve the interest of the public. Engineers are supposed to take part in civic affairs such alleviating environmental degradation, improvement of the health, safety and betterment of their community. They shall not sign, complete or seal specifications and plans that are violating the environment. Engineers are supposed to give knowledge of engineering to the public and inform them of engineering achievements. They are expected to make the environment sustainable and develop the environment so as to protect it for the future generation (Whitbeck, 2013). Engineers are not to be affected by the conflicting interests in the environment when performing their duties. In certain cases, approval of projects that are environmentally unfriendly have resulted to serious implications on the environment. Consequently, engineers are not to allow any financial considerations or any other gifts such as free equipment to specify their project and free designs for engineering purposes. They are not to take allowances or commissions indirectly or directly from any member of the public. They are to be fair to all members of the society (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2015). Conclusion The environment is indeed an issue to the engineers. Engineers are actively involved in the environment in order to achieve sustainable development in all sectors. Engineering activities in the environment may cause certain environmental issues such as climate change, air pollution; Global warming and many other issues. The engineers should ensure the issues are addressed effectively for them to improve the environment. Engineering innovations have greatly improved the plants and industries in Australia. The industries are now capable or recycling several products that prevent wastage and pollution of the environment. The engineers should also maintain high safety and health standards in the environment. They should be able to identify any hazard that may arise during their operations and find an appropriate solution to the hazard. Finally, the engineers should follow professional code of ethics as they work in the environment. They should provide high quality services to the general public. References Anubha K. (2006). Environmental Science and Engineering. Anna University: New Age International. Chemical engineering. (2014). Achievement in saving the environment. Retrieved from http://www.chemicalengineering.org/enviro/achieve.html Goetsch, D. (2001). Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), http://www.iapa.on.ca. Jim Lucas (2014). What is Engineering? | Types of Engineering .retrieved from. http://www.livescience.com/47499-what-is-engineering.html National Society of Professional Engineers .(2015). NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers. Retrieved from. http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics  Ron F. (2006) . Environmental Issues. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish. The Department of Labor. (2014) .Safety and health management tools. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/safetyhealth/comp3.html UNSW. (2014).What is engineering? Retrieved from https://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/home/what-is-engineering Whitbeck , C .(2013). Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research. NewYork: Cambridge University Press. Read More

Hence, they should be allowed to work and operate in the environment. In addtion , more stakeholders should be encouraged to work with the engineers for them to achieve sustainable environmental development. Engineering activities have also greatly contributed to environmental degradation, as a result the environment is an engineering issue and should be a concern for engineers. Studies indicate that engineering activities have over the years affected the environment in various ways (Harris, et al, 2008).

One of the key areas is air pollution. Engineering activities have led to air pollution. This is due to the emission of harmful gasses such as the nitrates released by the factories and industries. Plastics can also pollute the environment. Engineering inventions in the factory environment affects the fresh air. The toxic substances emitted make the air unclean for the humans. Engineers should therefore find appropriate measure to prevent air pollution (Anubha, 2006). Global Warming is another challenge to the environment.

Global warming is caused by a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide acts as a blanket and traps the heat and warms the planet. It also leads to the rise in temperatures on the earth surface and the oceans leading to the melting of the polar ice caps. Carbon dioxide results from engineering activities such as burning of coal, natural gas and production of oil for energy. Carbons are accumulated into the atmosphere forming the blanket cover. Waste management strategies adopted by engineers also increase the problem by producing gases that cause global warming such as nitrous oxide and methane.

Engineers should find alternatives that can help prevent global warming in the environment (Anubha, 2006). Improper disposal of solid wastes is another environmental issue brought about by the engineering activities to the environment. This happens when the environment is full of non-biodegradable wastes that emit green house gases and toxic fumes into the environment. The wastes can leach chemical or organic compositions and contaminate the habitation where the wastes are accumulated. Industrial solid wastes dumped in the Australian streets, water ways and high ways cause pollution to the environment.

This threatens the lives of individuals who live in such environments. Disposal of waste is one of the major current environmental problems in Australia. Proper disposal of wastes should be encouraged by the engineers. They should protect the public from such problems that arise from their activities in the environment (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Climate Change is another environmental issues that has been contributed by engineers. Climate change is caused by the rise in global warming which is as a result of burning fossil fuels, increase in temperature and emission of harmful gasses by the factories.

Climatic change has generated several problems like change in seasons, new diseases, floods and melting in the polar ice. Engineers should formulate new ideas of dealing with the problem of global warming. This will help solve the problem of climate change (Chemical Engineering, 2014). Water Pollution is yet another issue in the environment caused by the engineering activities. Clean Water is slowly becoming a political and economic issue since the human population struggles to get it. Industrial development is increasingly filling the seas, rivers and oceans with toxic substances which affect human health.

Australian engineering industries have consistently dumped their wastes into the rivers. Some of the most affected waterways are the Yarra River in Melbourne’s and Home bush Bay in Sydney. The engineers should find alternatives to water pollution. They should put more emphasis on educating the factories on proper disposal of wastes (Anubha, 2006). Depletion of the Ozone Layer is another engineering issue in the environment. This is the invisible layer that protects the earth from direct sunlight rays.

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