Safety first in engineering delivery

Engineering products such as buildings, bridges, machines, power plants and software are used by the public, who cannot judge their safety. Failure can kill many people and destroy property. Therefore codes of ethics (including that of Nepal Engineering Council) make "public safety, health and welfare paramount" the first duty of an engineer.

Reasons safety comes first

• Human life and health have the highest value; loss is irreversible.
• Engineers hold special knowledge, so society trusts them.
• Legal duty: negligence, liability and loss of licence follow unsafe work.
• Safe works are cheaper over the life cycle; failure costs more than prevention.
• Professional reputation and public trust depend on it.

How safety is ensured

Safety factors in design; codes and standards (Nepal National Building Code); risk assessment; quality materials and testing; supervision and inspection; occupational safety at site; fail-safe and redundancy; emergency plans; whistle blowing when danger is seen.

Typical examples

1. Tacoma Narrows Bridge (USA, 1940): ignored aerodynamic effects; collapsed in wind. Lesson: consider all loads.
2. Challenger shuttle (1986): engineers warned about O-ring failure in cold, but management launched; 7 died. Lesson: safety concerns of engineers must not be overruled by schedule pressure.
3. Hyatt Regency walkway collapse (USA, 1981): a design change in connections was not checked; 114 died. Lesson: review all changes.
4. Rana Plaza (Bangladesh, 2013): illegal floors on weak building; over 1100 died.
5. Bhopal gas leak (India, 1984) and Chernobyl (1986): weak safety systems and operation.
6. Nepal, 2015 Gorkha earthquake: non-engineered buildings collapsed, while buildings designed to the code largely survived; shows value of building code compliance.

An engineer must refuse unsafe orders, report risks and follow standards even at personal cost.