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    Case Study 1 Environmental

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    Shavin Chand
    This document provides a case study about the proposed Sydney Harbor Tunnel project in Australia. An engineering firm approached a construction company about building a toll-financed tunnel to alleviate traffic on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. An environmental impact statement was required to assess the potential environmental effects of the project. The engineering consultants hired to prepare the EIS supported the project and argued there would be no adverse environmental effects. However, they were accused of breaching ethics codes by not putting public interest first and underestimating environmental costs. This raises questions about whether favorably interpreting data constitutes unethical conduct and if individual engineers can be singled out if they are just doing their job as required. The case study examines issues around ethics, engineering, and protecting

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    Case Study 1 Environmental

    Uploaded by

    Shavin Chand
    70 views4 pages
    This document provides a case study about the proposed Sydney Harbor Tunnel project in Australia. An engineering firm approached a construction company about building a toll-financed tunnel to alleviate traffic on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. An environmental impact statement was required to assess the potential environmental effects of the project. The engineering consultants hired to prepare the EIS supported the project and argued there would be no adverse environmental effects. However, they were accused of breaching ethics codes by not putting public interest first and underestimating environmental costs. This raises questions about whether favorably interpreting data constitutes unethical conduct and if individual engineers can be singled out if they are just doing their job as required. The case study examines issues around ethics, engineering, and protecting

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    This document provides a case study about the proposed Sydney Harbor Tunnel project in Australia. An engineering firm approached a construction company about building a toll-financed tunnel to alleviate traffic on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. An environmental impact statement was required to assess the potential environmental effects of the project. The engineering consultants hired to prepare the EIS supported the project and argued there would be no adverse environmental effects. However, they were accused of breaching ethics codes by not putting public interest first and underestimating environmental costs. This raises questions about whether favorably interpreting data constitutes unethical conduct and if individual engineers can be singled out if they are just doing their job as required. The case study examines issues around ethics, engineering, and protecting

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    70 views4 pages

    Case Study 1 Environmental

    Uploaded by

    Shavin Chand
    This document provides a case study about the proposed Sydney Harbor Tunnel project in Australia. An engineering firm approached a construction company about building a toll-financed tunnel to alleviate traffic on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. An environmental impact statement was required to assess the potential environmental effects of the project. The engineering consultants hired to prepare the EIS supported the project and argued there would be no adverse environmental effects. However, they were accused of breaching ethics codes by not putting public interest first and underestimating environmental costs. This raises questions about whether favorably interpreting data constitutes unethical conduct and if individual engineers can be singled out if they are just doing their job as required. The case study examines issues around ethics, engineering, and protecting

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    PEB 602Engineering and Society

    Semester 1 2020

    Group: C & D , class: Thursday 1-3PM, & Friday 8-10

    Case 3. Environmental Interest - A Case Study

    Due: Monday: end of day 9 March 2020

    For decades a combination of remnant religious beliefs, law and a culture of ethical
    egoism has served Western societies fairly well. Average standards of living have
    increased and nations have become wealthier and more powerful. But in recent times
    environmental issues have highlighted a conflict between self-interest, employer
    interest, professional interest and public interest. An Australian case-study will illustrate
    some of the issues involved.

    In 1985 an engineering firm, approached construction company Transfield with an idea


    for a car tunnel to cross Sydney Harbor. The Sydney Harbor Bridge suffered traffic
    congestion at peak hours and the Tunnel would provide an alternative route between
    North Sydney and the City Business District (CBD). Transfield joined with the Japanese
    firm Kumagai Gumi to form a consortium that then sold the idea of a toll-financed tunnel,
    which they would build, to the Department of Main Roads. The Minister for Main Roads
    was particularly keen on the idea.

    Before approval could be given to the Tunnel an environmental impact statement (EIS)
    had to be prepared. An EIS, which is required by law in New South Wales (NSW) for
    major road proposals, is supposed to provide a justification for the project, a detailed
    assessment of the potential environmental effects of the project and consider other
    alternatives. The aim of an EIS is to ensure that development decisions take account of
    and where possible mitigate environmental impacts. Transfield-Kumagai hired
    engineering consultants Cameron McNamarra to prepare the EIS on their
    behalf.

    PEB 702. Case 1. Page 1 of 4


    In Australia there has been a progressive loss of faith in the environmental impact
    assessment process. Communities likely to be affected by proposed engineering
    projects such as freeways, chemical plants and waste facilities are often disappointed to
    find that EISs are not the independent, objective assessment of environmental impacts
    that they expected. Increasingly such documents are being viewed by the local
    residents as sales documents for the project and the engineers who prepare them as
    mouthpieces for the proponents. Sub consultants working on EISs have also become
    concerned that their findings are edited and selectively reported in the final document.

    The Harbor Tunnel EIS, as in most cases, supported the project and argued that there
    would be no adverse environmental effects. However in this case the consultants were
    accused of breaching the Engineering Code of Ethics, by North Sydney Municipal
    Council and the Society for Social Responsibility in Engineering, for not putting the
    public interest first. These organisations made representations to the Institution of
    Engineers, Australia (IEAust) alleging that the consultants had overestimated the
    benefits and underestimated the environmental costs of the Tunnel project. John Gerofi,
    an engineer who conducted an inquiry into the tunnel proposal for the Council, stated
    that; "The inquiry can find no rational explanation as to why competent and respected
    consultants employing professional engineers and other qualified staff would have
    produced an EIS with so many questionable assumptions which favored the project,
    and with so many deficiencies."

    The Institution never proceeded with an investigation of the engineering consultants


    who authored the Harbor Tunnel EIS. Bill Rourke, the Institution's chief executive at the
    time, said that it had not been given evidence that constituted a prima facie case
    against any individual member of the Institution. The North Sydney Council decided not
    to assemble a case against individuals. Gerofi later stated in a letter to Engineers
    Australia, that "the defamation laws, plus a lack of resources and a reluctance to accuse
    individuals will prevent all but the most blatant ethical transgressions from being raised"
    if the Institution continues to confine its attention to individuals.

    PEB 702. Case 1. Page 2 of 4


    This case raises various questions about ethics, engineering and the
    environment. Does a favorable interpretation of the data consist of unethical
    conduct? Is it fair to single out individual engineers who are doing the job as their
    employers require them to and who are not acting very differently from other
    engineers in similar positions? Can the environment be protected by ethical
    conduct?

    END OF CASE

    DUE: Monday 9 March 2020


    Guidelines:

    Marking Sheet

    I. Identification and discussion of issues: 25 marks


    a. Establishing facts
    b. Implication of code of Ethics
    c. General issues
    II. Identification of courses of actions :50 marks
    a. Problem analysis
    b. Identification of possible actions
    c. Recommended Action
    III. Written Communication:25 marks
    a. Report format appropriateness
    i. Title page
    ii. Word count (not more than 1500)
    iii. Exec summary
    iv. Table of contents
    b. Information source and referencing
    IV. General comments

    PEB 702. Case 1. Page 3 of 4


    PEB 702. Case 1. Page 4 of 4

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