Overview

History shows us a catalogue of events that when deconstructed powerfully illustrate how influences such as power, politics and money, led to decisions that did not put social responsibility at the forefront of decision-making.  Bhopal, Deepwater Horizon, Piper Alpha to name but a few. 

More recent events such the Boeing 737 Max fraud conspiracy, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the ongoing inquiry, and the failings of the Horizon IT system at the Post Office and the ongoing inquiry have heightened awareness of the important role engineering and other professions play in both the safety and well-being of society, and the need to ensure ethical decision making and practices are at the forefront. 

Ethical practice is fundamental to professional practice and social responsibility. Not only is it an effective insurance policy, mitigating risk, it can give organisations competitive advantage. Serious risks can occur when an organisational culture is at odds with its stated values and there is a gap between ‘what we say’ and ‘what we do’. Increasingly, professional institutions are laying out agendas for change requiring multi stakeholder engagement and codifying ethical practice for their members.

How can engineers, designers and other professionals incorporate ethical thinking into the infrastructure, products and services they develop so that future generations are not left to pick up the pieces?

Join us for a panel discussion on ethical practice that will consider issues such as: 

• What does ethical practice mean? 
• What does good look like? 
• What are the ethical challenges of current and emerging technologies?

Speakers

• Marlene Kanga, Endeavour Energy, Air Services Australia, Standards Australia and formerly of Sydney Water Corporation Innovation Science Australia and Chair of the Australian Department of Industry and Science R&D Incentives Committee
• David Bogle, Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering UCL,  Past President, Institution of Chemical Engineers, Chair of Royal Academy of Engineering / Engineering Council Engineering Ethics Reference Group
• Emma Crichton, Innovation Director, Engineers without Borders
• Sarah Jayne Hitt, Professor of Liberal Studies, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Project Manager of Ethics and Sustainability Toolkits, Engineering Professors Council
• Sonali Patel, Graduate Civil Engineer at Tony Gee and Partners

The material presented in this event has not been peer-reviewed by IChemE. Any opinions are the presenters' own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Safety and Loss Prevention Special Interest Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

This is not an IChemE event, and we will not be storing or controlling any data linked to it.