DISASTROUS ENGINEERING FAILURES DUE TO 1
ETHICS
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011
Student's Name
Institutional affiliation
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This study source was downloaded by 100000858663287 from CourseHero.com on 12-09-2022 03:44:40 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/169073213/Engineering-
, DISASTROUS ENGINEERING FAILURES DUE TO 2
ETHICS
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011
Introduction
The engineering industry has experienced major failures in human history, with some
extremely disastrous and even fatal results. Engineering failures are caused by many factors,
including mistakes in design, safety protocols, and the construction process. However, the causes
of disastrous engineering failures can also be viewed from an engineering ethics perspective In
some occurrences the blame on engineering failures is laid on ignorance, negligence,
miscommunication and indifferences among the operators. Engineering, as a professional career
that has a major impact on people's daily lives, operates under a set of rules and guidelines called
engineering ethics. Adhering to engineering ethics is a moral obligation to the engineering
profession and the world. Negligence or ignorance of these ethics can result in disastrous
consequences in engineering projects. In depth analyses of major engineering failures often
reveal that breaches on the ethical aspect have had significant contributions on the failures. The
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 is a perfect illustration of engineering failures due to
ethics.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 occurred in Japan following an
earthquake of 9.0 magnitude in the region. The earthquake further resulted in a Tsunami that
caused considerable damage in the region. Towns, coastal ports, and millions of buildings were
destroyed in the tsunami that traversed over 560 square Kilometres in the region. The disaster
also resulted in more than 19500 deaths (World Nuclear Association, 2022). Additionally, over
3000 tons of water were contaminated with radioactive materials such as cobalt-60, cobalt-58,
and Manganese-54 (Kinoshita, 2021). The nuclear accident is considered the second worst
nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power generation. The failed cooling systems caused
This study source was downloaded by 100000858663287 from CourseHero.com on 12-09-2022 03:44:40 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/169073213/Engineering-
ETHICS
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011
Student's Name
Institutional affiliation
Date
This study source was downloaded by 100000858663287 from CourseHero.com on 12-09-2022 03:44:40 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/169073213/Engineering-
, DISASTROUS ENGINEERING FAILURES DUE TO 2
ETHICS
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011
Introduction
The engineering industry has experienced major failures in human history, with some
extremely disastrous and even fatal results. Engineering failures are caused by many factors,
including mistakes in design, safety protocols, and the construction process. However, the causes
of disastrous engineering failures can also be viewed from an engineering ethics perspective In
some occurrences the blame on engineering failures is laid on ignorance, negligence,
miscommunication and indifferences among the operators. Engineering, as a professional career
that has a major impact on people's daily lives, operates under a set of rules and guidelines called
engineering ethics. Adhering to engineering ethics is a moral obligation to the engineering
profession and the world. Negligence or ignorance of these ethics can result in disastrous
consequences in engineering projects. In depth analyses of major engineering failures often
reveal that breaches on the ethical aspect have had significant contributions on the failures. The
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 is a perfect illustration of engineering failures due to
ethics.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 occurred in Japan following an
earthquake of 9.0 magnitude in the region. The earthquake further resulted in a Tsunami that
caused considerable damage in the region. Towns, coastal ports, and millions of buildings were
destroyed in the tsunami that traversed over 560 square Kilometres in the region. The disaster
also resulted in more than 19500 deaths (World Nuclear Association, 2022). Additionally, over
3000 tons of water were contaminated with radioactive materials such as cobalt-60, cobalt-58,
and Manganese-54 (Kinoshita, 2021). The nuclear accident is considered the second worst
nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power generation. The failed cooling systems caused
This study source was downloaded by 100000858663287 from CourseHero.com on 12-09-2022 03:44:40 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/169073213/Engineering-
