Homework Help is Here – Start Your Trial Now!
Engineering
Civil Engineering
1. What is the problem here? 2. What is the moral dilemma? 3. What values are applicable here?

1. What is the problem here? 2. What is the moral dilemma? 3. What values are applicable here?

Structural Analysis
Structural Analysis
6th Edition
ISBN:9781337630931
Author:KASSIMALI, Aslam.
Publisher:KASSIMALI, Aslam.
Chapter2: Loads On Structures
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1P
See similar textbooks
icon
Related questions
Question
100%
Case4: A consulting engineering company was awarded the contract for designing, preparing the specifications, and providing "field inspection services" (monitoring the construction) of a sewage treatment plant being built for a small municipality. The construction proceeded routinely to completion. The consulting company employed Engineer A, an environmental engineer experienced in wastewater treatment, to assist in the field inspection. During the final commissioning of the plant, Engineer A observed that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the effluent was frequently above the acceptable limit. Engineer A contacted the design office at his engineering company, and after reviewing the case with an environmental consultant, he soon realized that the plant had been designed for average flows, but several food-processing industries in the municipality occasionally fed "slugs" of raw sewage to the plant. The biochemical oxygen demand would increase rapidly when one of these slugs arrived and would remain above the regulated limit for a few days, before moving back down below the limit. Engineer A concluded that, on days when these slugs were being processed, the plant would not meet the effluent quality standards. The specifications had been set by the engineering company's design office, which had used the average sewage flow estimates. He faced a serious decision, and identified three courses of action. Should he disclose this deficiency to the municipality (the client), thus implicating the engineering company (his employer) as responsible for the inadequate design, or selectively sample the plant effluent between slug discharges, thus falsifying the true nature of the problem, or provide “average" readings in his commissioning report, which might be a defensible compromise? 1. What is the problem here? 2. What is the moral dilemma? 3. What values are applicable here? 4. Cades of ethics involved? 5. What he should do?
Transcribed Image Text:Case4: A consulting engineering company was awarded the contract for designing, preparing the specifications, and providing "field inspection services" (monitoring the construction) of a sewage treatment plant being built for a small municipality. The construction proceeded routinely to completion. The consulting company employed Engineer A, an environmental engineer experienced in wastewater treatment, to assist in the field inspection. During the final commissioning of the plant, Engineer A observed that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the effluent was frequently above the acceptable limit. Engineer A contacted the design office at his engineering company, and after reviewing the case with an environmental consultant, he soon realized that the plant had been designed for average flows, but several food-processing industries in the municipality occasionally fed "slugs" of raw sewage to the plant. The biochemical oxygen demand would increase rapidly when one of these slugs arrived and would remain above the regulated limit for a few days, before moving back down below the limit. Engineer A concluded that, on days when these slugs were being processed, the plant would not meet the effluent quality standards. The specifications had been set by the engineering company's design office, which had used the average sewage flow estimates. He faced a serious decision, and identified three courses of action. Should he disclose this deficiency to the municipality (the client), thus implicating the engineering company (his employer) as responsible for the inadequate design, or selectively sample the plant effluent between slug discharges, thus falsifying the true nature of the problem, or provide “average" readings in his commissioning report, which might be a defensible compromise? 1. What is the problem here? 2. What is the moral dilemma? 3. What values are applicable here? 4. Cades of ethics involved? 5. What he should do?
Expert Solution
steps

Step by step

Solved in 3 steps

SEE SOLUTIONCheck out a sample Q&A here
Blurred answer
Knowledge Booster
Engineering standards and codes
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, civil-engineering and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Recommended textbooks for you
Structural Analysis
Structural Analysis
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9781337630931
Author:
KASSIMALI, Aslam.
Publisher:
Cengage,
Structural Analysis (10th Edition)
Structural Analysis (10th Edition)
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9780134610672
Author:
Russell C. Hibbeler
Publisher:
PEARSON
Principles of Foundation Engineering (MindTap Cou…
Principles of Foundation Engineering (MindTap Cou…
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9781337705028
Author:
Braja M. Das, Nagaratnam Sivakugan
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Fundamentals of Structural Analysis
Fundamentals of Structural Analysis
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9780073398006
Author:
Kenneth M. Leet Emeritus, Chia-Ming Uang, Joel Lanning
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Sustainable Energy
Sustainable Energy
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9781337551663
Author:
DUNLAP, Richard A.
Publisher:
Cengage,
Traffic and Highway Engineering
Traffic and Highway Engineering
Civil Engineering
ISBN:
9781305156241
Author:
Garber, Nicholas J.
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS