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
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
(1) 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.
(2) 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.