Tragic Reminders National Society of Professional .docx

Tragic Reminders | National Society of Professional Engineers
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Tragic Reminders
Home » PE Magazine » May 2016 » Tragic Reminders
May/June 2016
Tragic Reminders
Recent events such as tainted drinking water, a safety scare in
the nation’s
capital, and a toxic waste release reiterate the irreplaceable role
that professional
engineers play in ensuring the public health, safety, and
welfare.
BY EVA KAPLAN-LEISERSON
Engineering is in the national spotlight—but
unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.
Flint’s devastating water crisis, the
unprecedented Washington, D.C., metro
shutdown, and the toxic Gold King Mine spill
are just a few recent incidents related to
engineers’ areas of focus. Unfortunately,

these are not isolated events that can be
chalked up to happenstance. Elevated lead
levels have been found in water systems
across the country; many US transit systems
face aging infrastructure challenges; and the
need for PEs in responsible charge of
engineering services, including in the federal
http://www.nspe.org/resources/pe-magazine/may-2016/tragic-
reminders
LARGER VIEW IN PDF
5/9/2016
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government, has been a longstanding advocacy issue for NSPE.
With each of the recent incidents, among the finger-pointing
and blame, serious and
important questions have arisen. How can governments maintain
and replace
outdated infrastructure with limited funds? And whose
responsibility is it to ensure
that engineering work is both competent and ethical? PEs have
long been familiar with
these concerns, but awareness is growing publically. However,

another question
should be included in these broader conversations—one that is,
unfortunately, usually
left out: How do we make sure professional engineers are
involved in the design,
operation, and maintenance of engineering projects that affect
the public health,
safety, and welfare?
The Long History of Disaster and Licensure
In 1919, a 25-foot wave of molasses flooded Boston streets after
the collapse of a
steel tank holding two million gallons of the sticky stuff.
Although this sounds like the
setup for a bad joke, 21 people died and more than 100 were
injured. The incident,
believed to have been caused by faulty design, led to one of the
first engineering
licensure laws and greater awareness of the importance of
licensure to public safety.
A 2006 PE article explains that—in circumstances that bring to
mind the cyclic nature
of history—the man hired to build the tank had neither
engineering nor design
experience but was a treasurer for the United States Industrial
Alcohol Company. He
was under pressure to get the tank built quickly (the molasses
would be used in
explosives for the US government); so he cut corners.
Other states enacted licensure laws after their own disasters
were attributed to
engineering oversights. California created its state board of
examiners after the 1928
failure of the St. Francis Dam killed more than 500 people

along the Santa Clara River.
And Texas launched its state board in 1937, months after
hundreds died when a
school in New London exploded due to a natural gas leak
attributed to faulty
engineering. As a 2007 PE article explains, “these were just two
incidents that
underscored the vital role the engineering profession plays in
protecting the welfare of
the public, while at the same time making clear the need for
standards regulating the
practice.”
Unfortunately, however, such violent incidents are still
occurring, as the 2013
explosion at a fertilizer facility in West, Texas, highlights.
Fifteen people died in the
explosion and hundreds were injured, leading the Environmental
Protection Agency to
consider a rule to require PEs as part of the audit team in third-
party certifications.
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NSPE and state societies have filed comments in support of

these provisions, which
would ensure the involvement of competent, ethical engineers
who can perform
unbiased work (read more).
This is just one of many examples of NSPE’s determination to
advocate for
professional engineer oversight, to provide competency and
accountability in
protecting the public.
Licensure “forces the engineer to exercise their
ethical muscle every time they place their signature
and seal on a drawing.” In addition, with the license,
the engineer has something to lose.
—MIKE CONZETT, P.E.
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
In Flint, the facts are still coming to light; however, attempts to
save money were one
factor in the tragedy that unfolded. After water quality
complaints began, cost
considerations counteracted suggestions to stop using the Flint
River as an interim
water source, according to the final report of the Flint Water
Advisory Task Force,
which was commissioned by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to
conduct an
independent review.
The task force further found that the Flint water treatment plant
and treatment
technologies were not adequate to provide safe, clean drinking
water. “Flint’s lack of
reinvestment in its water distribution system contributed to the
drinking water crisis

and ability to respond to water quality problems,” the report
states.
A host of other players and factors helped create the issue (such
as lack of proper
corrosion control). But the previous examples point to an axiom
that PEs know well:
When engineering decisions are made on the basis of upfront
cost, disastrous
consequences can result.
Attempting to save money in the short-term without regard to
the long-term
consequences is an approach that NSPE President Tim Austin,
P.E., F.NSPE, calls
penny wise and pound foolish. People often look for instant
gratification solutions and
don’t worry about the longer term, he says. For instance, you
can delay and defer
infrastructure maintenance but “sometimes you don’t realize the
true cost until a
number of years have passed”—or a disaster results.
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However, professional engineers offer the ability to balance
considerations such as
proper design and maintenance along with cost, explains
National Council of
Examiners for Engineering and Surveying President Mike
Conzett, P.E., an
environmental engineer who retired as a vice president from
HDR.
“A lot of it is the ‘ethical chip’ that the engineer has,” he says.
PEs are ethically bound
to do the right thing and not cut corners, he points out, which
could impact the end
users’ health and safety.
Licensure “forces the engineer to exercise their ethical muscle
every time they place
their signature and seal on a drawing,” Conzett explains. In
addition, with the license,
the engineer has something to lose.
He adds that it’s not that a licensed engineer is necessarily
smarter than an
unlicensed one or that a PE would never make mistakes, but that
“even though they
may work for the city, EPA, state, or a private client, by being a
licensed professional,
they have a client that’s called ‘the public’ that needs to be
paramount in doing their
work.”
The PE’s Value
In Flint, state-appointed emergency managers made key
decisions, including
switching to the Flint River for water. As the task force

explained, “Emergency
managers charged with financial reform do not have, nor are
they supported by, the
necessary expertise to manage non-financial aspects of
municipal government.”
Further, the report noted a failure “to adequately appreciate (or
signal) the
complexities involved in treating Flint River water, or the
potential implications of
water chemistry changes to the city’s water distribution
network.”
As Michael Ellegood, P.E., senior consultant for PSMJ
Resources Inc., and former
public works director for Maricopa County, Arizona, explains,
“Too often we make
decisions in the country that have significant technical
implications without including
qualified engineers as part of the decision-making process.” The
mandate to the
engineer is, “We’re going to do this, now make it happen.”
Austin also notes the need to involve PEs more fully in public
policy decisions. “They
have a lot to offer but they aren’t consulted when they should
be,” he says. As to
whether they’re listened to when they are involved, “It depends
on who’s doing the
listening. In some cases, the people doing the listening maybe
don’t understand the
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value that a PE plays. While PEs are not infallible, they give the
public the best
opportunity to understand the consequences of complex
technical decisions.”
The greater the complexity of an issue or problem, notes Austin,
the broader the net of
people that need to be involved—including professional
engineers.
A Sewer Ceremony?
PEs provide a long-term perspective, Ellegood explains, while
officials may focus on
the next election.
He offers an analogy of a municipality that has a $3 million
surplus and is faced with
the choice to replace an aging sewer system or build a new
library. “Put yourself in the
position of the elected official who says, ‘Gee, who’s going to
the groundbreaking of
when they tear up the street and screw up traffic to replace the
sewer system, or who
will go to the groundbreaking ceremony for a new library in a
disadvantaged part of
town?’”
We not only need elected officials who have the guts to make
tough decisions,

Ellegood emphasizes, but also PEs need to develop relationships
of trust with them to
help them make such choices.
Professional engineers have a responsibility to get more
actively involved, Ellegood
believes—for instance, warning officials of the dangers of not
properly maintaining
older infrastructure.
That means becoming more visible and speaking about issues in
ways that don’t
alienate officials. “You’re not the opposite party,” says
Ellegood. “You’re simply trying
to explain the laws of physics.”
Get to know your elected officials, he advises, particularly
those at the state, county,
and municipal levels. Understand who they are, what they stand
for, their knowledge
base, and their limitations. Then, when giving advice, talk to
them in a way that’s
respectful and not accusatory. “These are people like you and
me,” he stresses.
Awareness and Appreciation
Citizens also need to be educated about the expertise and ethical
mindset that PEs
provide.
“Sometimes the public doesn’t appreciate or realize the
difference between engineers
and licensed engineers,” says Conzett. “They need to know
there is a difference.”

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Licensing, as NSPE members know, means engineers have met
the standards of
education, experience, and testing.
The NCEES president says he’s thought often about the best
way to raise public
awareness. More disasters will bring more attention—but that
shouldn’t be the
answer. Communications by societies such as NSPE can help
when there is a
disaster, he says, incorporating tools such as social media to
reach the younger
generations.
Ellewood suggests PEs become frequent bloggers and
contributors to local news
media, keeping content objective and without political slant.
“We’re not going to
become respected if we stay invisible,” he says.
NSPE President Tim Austin explains that communicating the
role of the professional
engineer is “an integral part of what we’re trying to do within

NSPE: build the public
awareness and appreciation for the licensed PE.”
The Society’s advocacy for the involvement of professional
engineers in autonomous
vehicle development is just one manifestation of this.
Austin believes PEs have to find opportunities to communicate
their value, and do so
with some humility. “We have to do it in a manner that helps
build public trust,” he
says. That starts at the individual level, he believes—perhaps
person by person.
Become more visible and speak about issues in ways
that don’t alienate officials. “You’re not the opposite
party. You’re simply trying to explain the laws of
physics.”
—MICHAEL ELLEGOOD, P.E.
Constant Vigilance
All 50 states, US territories, and the District of Columbia have
engineering licensing
laws on the books. Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee the use
of professional
engineers in responsible charge of projects. Certain areas are
exempt from state
licensure laws (industry and the federal government, for
example). And challenges to
licensure and other important issues such as qualifications-
based selection occur
regularly.
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Any given month, NSPE’s website highlights actions the
Society has taken against
such efforts. In March NSPE submitted a letter against a
Louisiana bill that would
weaken licensure requirements in the state, and in February
took action against
efforts to erode qualifications-based selection in Kansas. (See
Executive Director
Mark Golden’s Outlook column, for more on threats to licensure
and the need for
aggressive advocacy.)
The vital PE role of “protecting the public health, safety, and
welfare” is repeated so
often it can start to lose its meaning and feel cliché. But both
recent and historic
examples demonstrate how relevant the phrase remains.
In 1995, NSPE’s Engineering Times interviewed Roger
Boisjoly, P.E., one of the
engineers who warned of the possible O-ring failure prior to the
explosion of the space
shuttle Challenger. The engineers’ recommendations were
overruled by senior
managers, and seven people died as a result.

Boisjoly wasn’t licensed at the time, but he earned his PE
afterwards. As he said in the
interview, “Now picture the scenario of me having a PE license
when this happened,
and me taking the Code of Ethics and … saying, ‘Look! This is
what the Code says, this
is what I’m obligated to do.’ That’s a powerful threat,
especially if my colleagues also
have PE licenses.”
After the Challenger events and fallout, the professional
engineer was diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder. But later he used the experience
to speak to others
about engineering ethics.
As he explained in the interview, “I believe in the philosophy
that you need to tell
people what they need to know, not what they want to hear.
[Engineers] have got to
stand up and fight for what they know is right.”
The stakes were high then, and they remain so now. Real human
lives depend on such
action.
Read Michael Ellegood’s NSPE Blog post on the Flint crisis at
www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/nspe-blog.
Go to http://flintwaterstudy.org for a link to the Flint Water
Advisory Task Force report
and other updates from the Virginia Tech team of engineers and
others who uncovered
the issue and are now working toward solutions.

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http:http://flintwaterstudy.org
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More From NSPE
• NSPE has offered its support and resources to Flint and
Michigan. Read the
January statement in “Latest News”;
• View the Society’s position statements on infrastructure, PEs
in responsible
charge of engineering, and licensure of federal engineers;
• Access NSPE’s professional policies on ethics, recognition of
the engineering
function within government, and industrial exemptions;
• Learn more about NSPE’s work regarding autonomous
vehicles, licensure of
federal engineers, and challenges to professional licensure.
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