Chapter 4 Environment Protection and Industry Health and Safety
4.1. Introduction
In the previous section, we have stated that professional engineers should consider the benefit of the society to be paramount. Many Code of Ethic and Rule of Conduct (in Hong Kong and around the world) contain a clause requiring engineers to honor this goal. In practice, a professional engineer must concern not only the immediate outcomes of his / her work but also the consequences in a long term. In this chapter, we will discuss several important issues including environment protection and industry health and safety.
4.2. Environment Protection
(1) There can be little doubt that engineering, science, and technology have brought immense benefit to humanity. It is said that medicine have given people health, the humanities have given people pleasure, and engineering and technology have gave given people the time to enjoy both. However, the development of engineering and technology has bot been completely beneficial; there have been some problems in the process of industrialization. Two of the most serious problems are proliferation of hazards resulting from human activities and the degradation of the environment. In this section, we will discuss various problems related to the environment. These include:
(1) Waste disposal. The most common activity that causes degradation of the environment is the indiscriminate disposal of wastes - whether solid, liquid, or gaseous – as a by-product of manufacturing,, processing, or construction activities. The dumps become quickly a source of disease, a fire hazard, and a danger to groundwater. The solution to this problem requires both technical ability and political awareness. Engineers should ensure that toxic or hazardous wastes are safely recycled or legally discarded.
(2) Air pollution. The earth's atmosphere is made up of nitrogen (78 percent), oxygen (21 percent), argon (0.9 percent), carbon dioxide (0.03 percent), varying amounts of water vapor, and trace amounts of hydrogen, ozone, methane, carbon monoxide, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon. The disturbance of these compositions is the air pollution, which may result in devastation. There are many components to air pollution, but the most publicized are sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Sulphur oxides, mainly SO2 and SO3, arise principally from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, although many other industrial activity also produce them. Sulphur oxides are detrimental to plant life. They also produce corrosion in metal, discoloration of fabrics and deterioration of building materials. A combination of sulphur oxides and particulates seems to be especially damaging to human health, resulting various disease, such as cancer. Hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO2), and the their combinations also cause serious pollution in urban atmospheres. Simulated by sunlight, these products react chemically to produce new contaminants. Such a process is referred to as photochemical oxidants. Two of the principle photochemical oxidants are ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). This type of polluted air is often referred o as photochemical smog, which can last days. Nitrogen oxides, collectively called NOx, are also a problem in air pollution. NOx, mainly nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), are products of almost any combustion process that uses air, since nitrogen is the chief component of air. NOx causes the photochemical smog mentioned above and is a toxicant in its own resulting the nitric acid. The harmful effects of air pollution on humans and animals include serious lung disorders, reduced oxygen in blood, eye and skin irritation, and damage to internal organs. Engineers shall follow the government regulations on emission standards and ambient air quality acts. Reducing emissions of SOx and NOx should be a prime objective in engineering operations where possible.
(3) Acid rain. Neutral water has a pH of 7.0, though pH of 6.0 still being considered normal. However, owing to the pollution, mainly sulphur and nitrogen oxides, in some areas the pH value of the rain may be as low as 4.0. This type of rain is referred to as acid rain. When acid rain falls to earth, it harms fishes, trees, farms, building, automobiles, and human life. For example, most fishes are killed when a pH of 4.5 is reached. Human health is threatened because the acidity leaches aluminum and heave metals out of soil and concentrates them in drinking water.
(4) Water pollution. In the mid-nineteenth century, 20,000 people in London England were killed by cholera when drinking the water in Themes. Today, some rivers are less polluted than they were in the nineteen centuries, but much more rivers are much more polluted especially in developing countries. Water pollution may result from at least seven sources: (a) disease-causing bacteria, (b) organic waste which reduces the dissolved oxygen levels, (c) fertilizers which also depress oxygen levels, (d) toxic materials, such as heavy metals, DDT and PCB, (e) acidification, (f) waste heat which also reduce dissolved oxygen levels, and (g) the dissolved soil. Efforts to control water pollution are being introduced at all levels of government. It is the task of professional engineers to assist this effort to get the problem of water pollution under control.
(5) The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion. Since the end of the last century, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by 23 percent. The increase is attributed to two factors: the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation in the tropics. It has been argued that the increase of CO2 is responsible for the increase of temperature in the earth surface resulting in the so-called global warming. The increase of temperature may have a dramatic effect on our lives. For example, it will arise the sea level making hundreds of cities submerged into the ocean. The other dramatic weather change is related to the ozone depletion. Owing to the increase of CO2 and methane (CH4), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and various synthetic chemicals, the ozone layer of the earth is believed to be destroying. Since the ozone layer protects us from harmful radiation form the sunlight, the depletion of ozone layer means an increased risk of life threatened disease.
(6) Energy shortages and nuclear power. The depletion of fossil fuels is envisioned in the near future. It is estimated that by year 2020, the world’s oil reserve will be 90% depleted, though the coal reserve will last another three or four centuries. Therefore, much effort has been devoted for alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, and geothermal. The most important alternative energy source is nuclear power. Currently, in North America, approximately 40% of the electricity is generated through the nuclear power stations. It is often argued whether the nuclear power is safe, though the records of death directly owing to the nuclear power generation has been five times less than that of the coal burning power generation.
4.3. Industrial Safety and Health.
Industrial safety and health is another important issue in professional engineering practice, though it is usually in smaller scale and is relatively easier to deal with. The safety and health hazard in the shop floor / construction site includes:
· air, (e.g., the indoor air pollution due to heating / air conditioning)
· waste (e.g., chemical waste), and
· noise.
When design a product or manage a project, engineers should follow the corresponding safety regulations to the full extent.
4.4. Reporting
(2) Evaluating risks to society. The advance of engineering and technology results in the progress of the modern world but is accompanied by all kinds of environment pollution. So, what is best for society? Who should take the benefits of new developments and the hazards that accompany them? The answer has usually been formulated using the utilitarian principle of creating the maximum good for the maximum number of people. As a general rule, the good of society is determined on a utilitarian basis, weighting the benefits against the disadvantages. When the benefits accurse to a large population, when the risks are every small, and when the potential damage is not life-threatening, then the good of society is served by encouraging the project to continue. This is true for the vast majority of engineering projects. In projects where moderate risks exist, the safety of the public can usually be guaranteed simply by using established methods and accepted factors of safety. In general, engineers shall also foresee the problems of decommissioning or disposal of the project as well.
(3) The reporting process. Professional engineers have an obligation to the general public, or society. In the rare cases, when an engineer believe an organization is engaged in unsafe, unethical or illegal practice, having tried with no success to have the situation corrected through internal channels, he / she will go public with their charge. In this case, however, it is important to follow a right process as described below.
Step 1: attempt to resolve the problem themselves internally if possible;
Step 2: if Step 1 fails, prepare to report to corresponding agents with the following information:
· Your name
· The name of your client / employer to whom the situation has been reported
· A clear detailed statement of your concerns supported by evidence and the probable consequences if remedial action is not taken.
Step 3: the agent shall treat your name as being confidential to the fullest extent possible.
Step 4: the agent shall contact the party being reported to get the other side of the story.
Step 5: when the agent has reason to believe that a situation does exist which may endanger the welfare of the public, it shall take one or more of the following actions:
· Report the situation to the appropriate authority
· Where necessary, review the situation with one more independent engineers to obtain advice on the situation and remedial actions.
· Request the client / employer to take steps necessary to avoid danger to the public safety or welfare
· Take other actions such as demand a solution under circumstances
· Follow up the on the action taken by all parties to confirm that the problem is resolved.
This procedure ensures the problem will be solved and you are protected as well.