ENGINEERS IN SOCIETY

ENGINEERS ROLE WITH RESPECT TO SOCIETY

VAB4042/VBB4043

INTRODUCTION A society is the public community bounded by functional interdependence with common characteristics such as national identity, culture and solidarity Society become important during crisis when individual need help - war, disaster, death etc. Society have laws, rules or regulations to maintain the harmonious living of the member
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INTRODUCTION (CONT.) Engineers are member of the society and serving them as well Consequence of engineering failure may have serious implications to the society collapse buildings, bridges etc. Engineers have responsibility towards the society in ensuring that their services are acceptable by society standard safety, health, environment & welfare
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DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS Engineers job not always predictable and require decision making. Their duty include managerial function Technicians job quite predictable and routine. Their work more specific, hands-on and require skill Engineers and technicians work together to complete technical and non-technical tasks
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EXPECTATIONS AND REALITIES Engineering graduates expect their career will entirely deal with technical-related work such as design, calculations etc. However, with the expertise they have, engineers also require to work in areas such as management, procurement, sales or academician Engineers need to apply their communication skill even in performing their technical task 5 monitoring, coordinating, networking etc.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGINEERS Right attitude in order to become effective Technically competent in own discipline in order to practice The basic knowledge acquired at university is not sufficient to perform specific task hence engineers need to learn new things Rapid changes in science and technology demand engineers to keep abreast of new 6 development

CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGINEERS (CONT.) Job scope not limited only to technical matters Engineers need management skill to carry out variety and many task at one time - planning, budgeting, mentoring, coordinating with other department etc. Ability to work in a team and good communication skill differentiate the good engineer
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CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGINEERS (CONT.) Engineers should have leadership quality and able to motivate their subordinates Good decision making resulted from sound knowledge, technical competency and soft skill Engineers need to understand their obligation to the public Therefore, engineers should practice safety at all times and be sensitive to long-term issues 8 environment related matters

COMMUNICATION SKILL Communication comprises of verbal and written forms Verbal communication very essential for engineers in their interaction with superiors, subordinates, customers, regulators etc. Engineers also need to be good at written communication in the form of official letter, memo, minutes of meeting etc.
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COMMUNICATION SKILL (CONT.) Engineers need to develop communication skill in order to an effective

Ensure recipient fully understand the content of the message Influence recipient to approve their proposal or application Portray company/own good image
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COMMUNITYS PERCEPTION Previously, common public perception on engineering profession Do not receive due recognition and status in society quite low Inferior as compared to doctors, lawyers or account Difficult course
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COMMUNITYS PERCEPTION (CONT.)

Lack of glamour and prestige Almost no TV drama or film on engineers Majority of public do not get to see engineers directly unlike doctors

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COMMUNITYS PERCEPTION (CONT.) Nowadays, with advance technology and better facilities in communication, engineers are getting more recognition and being exposed to the public There are engineers hold top position in government, giant companies or even become politicians

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COMMUNITYS PERCEPTION (CONT.) Engineering-related disaster also promote engineering profession but in negative way In order to mitigate this negative impact, engineers need to understand their obligation to the public by implementing best practices in safety and engineering all times Simultaneously, damage control can be done by communicating well to the public on issues that concern them
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ASSURANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE The public is an important entity because they are Taxpayer whose money used to fund government projects Customers who buy the product of engineers Citizen whose rights are protected against any act of negligence of engineers
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ASSURANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE (CONT.) The public interest can be presented in terms of safety, health and welfare arising from engineering work Safety in engineering is related to accidents or disasters Health problem resulted from engineering noncompliance to Act that protect the public - noise disturbance at construction site, cement dust discharge etc.
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ASSURANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE (CONT.) Welfare-related issues normally those affecting the livelihood of the public - non-provision for disabled, eye-sore structure etc. Responsible engineers would always put public safety first though costly but justified in comparing paying compensation and loss of goodwill in the event of accident Engineers have paramount responsibilities and liabilities in ensuring safety, health and welfare 17 of the public

LAWS RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE Government introduces laws to protect the public against problem related to engineering work Most engineering related laws concerning the public fall under Dept of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Dept of Environment (DOE), Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water
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LAWS RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE (CONT.) Laws not meant to cover everything Engineers must be aware of all potential risks that can affect the public fire, explosion etc. Some parts of laws may be inter-related or overlap and engineers must be knowledgeable to distinguish them as well as meeting their requirements OSHA 1994 & Electricity Supply Acts 1990 on accident, fire etc.
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OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH LAWS Mainly regulated by DOSH Responsible for protecting occupational safety, health and welfare of people at work and public in various industrial activities DOSH under Ministry of Human Resource DOSH enforce legislations, conduct research and technical analysis and promote activities related to occupational safety, health and 20 welfare at workplace

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH LAWS (CONT.) Sectors fall under DOSH responsibility manufacturing, mining & quarrying, construction, hotels & restaurants, agriculture, forestry & fishing, transport, storage & communication, public services and statutory authorities, utilities gas, electricity, water and sanitary services, finance, insurance, real estate and business services, wholesale and retail trades
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OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT 1994 Purpose of Act : To secure the safety, health and welfare of persons at work against risk To protect persons at a place of work To promote an occupational environment for persons at work to their psychological needs To provide the means where legislation may be replaced system of regulations and industry COP to improve standard of safety 22

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT 1994 (CONT.) Establishment of National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) to improve level of awareness of occupational safety and health at work place OSH 1994 defines the general duties of employers and self-employed persons to ensure as far as practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of their employees
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FACTORIES AND MACHINERY ACT 1967 Its known as Act 139 Provide the control of factories on matters related to safety, health and welfare of person therein, the registration and inspection of machinery and for matters connected therewith

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PETROLEUM (SAFETY MEASURES) ACT 1984 Act that consolidate laws relating to safety in transportation, storage and utilization of petroleum and to provide for matters related thereto mitigating hazard of petroleum Other issues such as requirement for license to handle petroleum, the requirement of proper labeling and applicable penalties is also written in the Act intended to protect workers, public and properties
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ENVIRONMENT LAWS Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974 mainly address the pollution problems arising from industrial discharge and emissions on land, water and atmosphere as well as emphasizes public health and safety Regulated by Department of Environment (DOE) to prevent, control and abate pollution through enforcement of EQA 1974 and its 34 subsidiary legislations
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ENVIRONMENT LAWS (CONT.) Principal objective of DOE is to promote, enhance and sustain sound environmental management in process of nation building DOE continuously monitors the quality of environment and publishes report on common indicators air quality index, noise pollution, water quality index etc.

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ENERGY SUPPLY LAWS Energy Commission Act 2001 undertake regulatory functions of following legislations Electricity Supply Act 1990, Act 174 Electricity Regulations 1994 License Supply Regulations 1990 Gas Supply Regulations 1997 Gas Supply Act 1993, Act 501
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ENERGY SUPPLY LAWS (CONT.) Energy supply legislation regulate Matters relating to electricity supply industry, to protect any persons from danger arising from supplying electricity and use of electricity Matters relating to supply of gas, to protect any persons from danger arising from supplying gas and use of gas
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UNIFORM BUILDING BY-LAWS By-laws are laws of local application passed under the authority of a higher law Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL) 1994 introduced to provide common legislation for construction and inspection of structures covering a wide range of technical requirements related to public safety UBBL made by Minister or State Authority and covers commercial, residential and common 30 buildings

UNIFORM BUILDING BY-LAWS (CONT.) In performing specific engineering service, the relevant government regulations can exist in multiple legislations and engineers need to be aware of and comply with them One example of UBBL is providing facilities for disabled persons in public buildings such as access to enable disabled persons to get in or out of and within the buildings by providing ramps etc.
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THE CIDB ACT AND THE GREEN CARD The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Works Recognizing construction site as dangerous place, in 1997 CIDB imposed Green Card to enter or work at construction site Green Card is issued after attending six hours of health and safety awareness training by accredited CIDB trainer
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FUTURE ENGINEERS Vital resources such as water, fuel will be diminished or insufficient due to population growth in future Engineers should find sustainable resources and effective way of consuming them Example of sustainable resources is renewable energy Environment aspects should be given high priority to prevent damages 33

GLOBAL CHALLENGES A prominent global challenge today is the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between countries in facilitating free trade with minimal limitations of technical barrier Example of MRA is ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) signed by 10 ASEAN countries including Malaysia MRA will increase foreign competitors and engineers and society should beef up their 34 expertise to survive

GLOBAL CHALLENGES (CONT.) Brain Drain due to migration of engineers for better remuneration will affect that country and the society Job migration is a situation where a company feels no longer economical to carry out job at a country when similar job can be performed better at another country with cheaper cost Job migration will cause engineers lose jobs or change job and this will affect the society too
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Development must ensure that the natural resources are endurable for future use Sustainability requires working defensively and creating innovative projects - environmentfriendly systems in homes and cars Adverse consequences of mistakes done today in technology and development are suffered by future generations
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (CONT.) The responsibility of protecting the environment while gaining economic benefits goes back to the society as a whole Engineers play an important role towards introduction or improvement of government policies related to sustainable development Engineers must create and use technologies and management tools to minimize and counter negative impact from development
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THE CHANGING SOCIETY Engineers must be prepared to face rapid changes in society Engineers must be knowledgeable, brave and confident in initiating change As member of society engineers should provide solution to problems

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