ENGINEERS IN SOCIETY

ENGINEER’S ROLE WITH

RESPECT TO SOCIETY

VAB4042/VBB4043
 PART I

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 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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WORLD ORGANISATIONS
 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 –
monitoring, coordinating, networking
etc.
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 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 development
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 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 -environment related
matters
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 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 an effective communication skill in
order to
• 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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 COMMUNITY’S 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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 COMMUNITY’S 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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 COMMUNITY’S 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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 COMMUNITY’S 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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 PART II

PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND

WELFARE
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 non-compliance 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 of
the public 21
 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 over-lap 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 welfare at workplace

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 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
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 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
• It’s 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 buildings
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 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

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 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 expertise to survive

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 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 - environment-friendly
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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