Engineering Ethics and Industrial Accidents Report

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Introduction to Innovation in Organisations

Innovation, as defined by Mariany (2013), refers to the creation of something new, something that did not exist before. The new creation can be an idea, a device, or even a method of doing something.

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In the business world, the creation involves the definition of new products and services availed in the market. Innovation gives the organisation an advantage over its competitors as it may serve to add value to the entity’s already existing products.

In this paper, the author will analyse the link between engineering ethics and industrial accidents. Innovation among organisations is closely related to engineering. As such, it is important to analyse how such engineering is related to occurrences in the workplace, specifically within an industrial setting.

The Innovation Sequence

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering [AATSE] (2013), provides a working definition of the innovation cycle. The first step in the cycle is idea generation. When an innovator comes up with an idea, he or she then conducts a research on how best the idea can work and how the intended users will receive it. Ideas do not necessarily need to be new.

They can involve a combination of old and new ways of thinking, or just an improvement of an old idea. An enthusiastic innovator will see an idea to high commercial heights by improving the quality of their product, hence attracting new buyers and creating new opportunities.

The second component in this cycle is service. The component entails communication with customers. After the introduction of a new product or service into the market, innovators should be available to provide adequate information to the customers with regard to their products.

The staff should be able to provide after sales services through brochures, manuals, training sessions, and hotline numbers. Support for customers helps build loyalty with service providers. In the long run, loyalty opens new markets and improves the quality of the products and services distributed. The improvement is achieved through the incorporation of complaints, suggestions, and feedback from customers (Mariany, 2013).

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Advertising and customer enlightenment is the third factor. Innovators should have an idea on the type of market they are targeting. Research should be carried out to establish what exactly the customers expect from the products.

Such information will enable the designers to come up with the best methods of promoting the product before it is introduced into the market. Advertisement choices could include print media, television, or the radio (AATSE, 2013).

The fourth component is production. The manufacturing process needs a constant supply of raw materials. The materials are turned into a useful form and packaged, ready for consumption. Production can be done in bulk, which calls for quality assurance checks during processing.

Quality assurance is done at various steps in the production process and finally on the finished product to ensure that the products are of high quality and safe for human consumption (Campbell, 2012). The production process requires a very large sum of capital to start and to introduce innovation.

In technological development, engineers and other professionals research on different ways of making an idea work. The research involves such processes as experimenting with different materials or methods of carrying out tasks before deciding on the best to use (Lucian, 2009).

The researchers may also test how different materials behave under different environmental conditions, such as the properties of a certain substance under varied temperatures.

Development works hand in hand with the research team under the roof of research and development (R&D). The research team tries to find out what the customers want, while the development team tries to incorporate the findings into the products available. However, the exercise is very expensive (Sanjit et al., 2011).

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The product design, which is the seventh factor, determines how the appearance, packaging, and usage of the product. Design should meet the desire of the customers. The designer should understand that customers prefer products that are attractive to look at and efficient with regard to functionality.

It is important to protect the product and new innovations. To this end, the innovator should apply for patent rights and copyrights for their creation. Secrecy and registration of the innovation is also very crucial. Intellectual property rights are very important. They safeguard the rights of the innovator as they actualise or commercialise their idea.

The last factor is resources. For the planned innovation project to succeed, an innovator should secure resources and manage them effectively. Resources include labour, skill, capital, and the necessary facilities. Resources are secured through loans and royalties from licensing organisations (Sedgwick, 2011).

Labour is a crucial part of the innovation system. It should provide the innovator with skills and expertise needed for the success of the project. In addition, securing appropriate facilities and managing them properly will go a long way in ensuring that the innovative project succeeds.

Causes of Industrial Accidents

Studying the causes of accidents in the various manufacturing industries provides the engineer with a suitable platform to come up with (innovate) the best ways to deal with potential disasters. Horacio (2000) analyses various causes of industrial accidents. The first involves human error.

Human error comes about when personnel operate a machine without adhering to proper safety procedures, creating a health hazard. Another problem brought about by human error is lack of proper training. Employees should be well trained with regard to safety measures before commencing work on industrial plants.

The second cause is defects in the manufacturing process. To this end, the operator may skip a step in the process, leading to disastrous consequences. Lastly, accidents can occur due to lack of a proper maintenance schedule. The management may fail to carry out maintenance procedures on equipment used regularly, resulting to damages that may have undesirable long term effects (Schaack, 2003).

The International Labour Office [ILO] (2001) provides other causes of accidents in industries. One of them is component failure. The failure can result from inappropriate design of components. Such components cannot stand chemical processes or mechanical exertion. Mechanical damage can lead to the failure of the components and malfunction of the control and safety devices.

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The other cause of accidents is deviation from the routine operational procedure. Failure to monitor parameters like temperature, pressure or mixing ratios could yield disaster. External accidental interferences may also lead to industrial accidents.

The interferences may result from transportation of hazardous compounds, hazardous neighbouring installations, and mechanical problems. There are also natural causes of accidents. Industrial accidents can be brought about by natural disasters, such as strong winds, floods, earthquakes, frost, extreme sunshine, and lightning.

Prevention of Industrial Accidents

Accidents are inevitable in industries, just like in any other place. The accidents lead to loss of lives, damage to property, and environmental degradation. There are many types of accidents. Based on their cause, some accidents can actually be prevented by an engineer. Such accidents include chemical explosions, nuclear explosions, and mine explosions among others (Vernon, 2009).

The ILO Code of Practice, which was formulated in 1991, suggests that accidents in industries can be prevented by preparing a safety report. The report provides information on, among others, technical details on the design of the installation and how it is operated.

The report is prepared by an engineer and highlights safety management measures and details on installation hazards. The report analyses the best to prevent accidents and how to deal with them in case they occur.

Suggested Measures

One of the suggested measures involves component design. The engineer should ensure that the components chosen for the various processes in the plant are able to withstand the conditions of the reactions. The conditions may include, among others, temperature fluctuations, high pressures, corrosion, as well as static and dynamic forces.

Evaluating the manufacture of the components is another preventive measure. The engineers should ensure that the manufacture of the components used in the plant is done under the right conditions and meet the quality assurance standards.

The management of the plant should select a well known manufacturer for the job. The management should visit the manufacturer when they are designing the component to ensure quality measures are undertaken. The report should be documented for further referencing.

Assembly and installation is another suggested measure. The assembly of the components on the site should be carried out under the right conditions and by skilled personnel. The components should be inspected by experts during the assembly.

Decisions on whether parts of the components should be replaced or repaired in case of failures in the long run should be made at this stage. Tests on the functions of the machines and their safety devices are also carried out at this stage.

Process control ensures that the operation is maintained within the designated limits. The control includes alarm systems, shut down procedures, manual and automatic operational information, and safety systems. Process variables, such as temperature, pressure, and mixing ratios are provided in the process control manuals.

A safety system is another component of the suggested preventive measures. The system adopted solely depends on the hazards posed by and to the plant. The system includes controllers and sensors that are useful in monitoring changes in temperature, pressure, rates of flow among other variables. In case of change in temperatures, the monitors act to cool the system.

Pressure valves come into play in case of a rise in pressure levels. The whole system may shut down in case of an emergency. Power sources, such as electricity, which are connected to the safety system, should be closely monitored. The engineer should ensure that there is an alternative means of powering the plant in case one source fails.

The engineers should also prevent the failure of safety related components by, among others, embracing diversity. To this end, different systems carry out the same task. The engineers may also engage in redundancy, where a number of similar components perform the same task.

The sensors should come into play in case of a malfunction in the system. The management should install such components as water jets or sprays, detector activator systems, and foam generators. The components act to limit the impacts of accidents in case they occur.

A major cause of industrial accidents is human error. Such accidents are prevented by clearly labelling materials. The accidents can also be prevented by properly labelling switches and other operative devices. Operational communication devices aid in passing down information in the organisation. The information further averts accidents brought about by human error.

Monitoring enhances safety and should be carried out frequently, especially on the safety related components in the plant. The tasks in this case include confirming the operational status of the safety tools, both in the control room and on the site. The tasks also include observing the functionality of the safety components’ source of power, such as electricity, and checking for corrosion in the equipment used in the plant.

Inspection, maintenance, and repair should be carried out regularly in the plant. Inspection schedules should be made by experts. Repair should be conducted by skilled personnel. Maintenance requires qualified engineers at definite intervals. The processes should be filed for future reference.

Change management should be encouraged. New equipment, methods, and technologies are evaluated before incorporation into the plant’s operations. Their safety should be determined and the working procedures documented for future reference. Training of workers should be carried out. Human error is a major cause of industrial accidents as already indicated in this report.

It can be managed by educating personnel on how to safely operate the equipment before commencing production. Such training include educating workers on the installation process as a whole, the materials and reagents used in the process, the risks posed by the materials, as well as start-up and shut down procedures. Safety training should be a continuous process.

The effectiveness of such trainings should be evaluated regularly. Supervision of employees should be encouraged. The personnel responsible for this job should be competent and experienced.

References

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. (2013). The innovation cycle. Web.

Campbell, A. C. (2012). Industrial accidents. Indiana: Indiana University.

Horacio, G. (2000). What are the causes of industrial accidents?. Web.

International Labour Office. (2001). Prevention of major industrial accidents: An ILO contribution to the International Programme on Chemical Safety of UNEP, the ILO and WHO (IPCS). Geneva, Switzerland: UN.

Lucian, W. C. (2009). Causes and prevention of accidents in the iron and steel industry(1919): Technology and engineering. London: Government Printing Office.

Mariany, P. P. (2013). Industrial accidents. London: Free Press.

Sanjit, R., Prassun, D., & Bidyut, K. (2011). Prevention of industrial accidents by six sigma approach. International Journal of Six Sigma, 12(2), p.196.

Schaack, D. (2003). Safeguard for the prevention of industrial accidents. Connecticut: Hartford Company.

Sedgwick, S. (2011). Australian public sector innovation plan. Web.

Vernon, H. M. (2009). The causes and prevention of industrial accidents. New York: U.S National Library of Medicine.

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