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7.2 The Engineer's Approach To Risk

The document discusses the engineer's approach to risk assessment. It defines risk as the product of the probability and magnitude of harm. An example is given of a collapsed building due to faulty design that results in economic loss and death. It also discusses utilitarianism and how risks are considered acceptable if the benefits outweigh the costs. However, cost-benefit analysis has limitations like not considering distribution of costs and benefits or allowing for informed consent. The document proposes using a capabilities approach to better identify harms and benefits by considering auxiliary consequences, indirect societal impacts, and effects on quality of life rather than just immediate hazards.

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Alexter Romeo
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230 views1 page

7.2 The Engineer's Approach To Risk

The document discusses the engineer's approach to risk assessment. It defines risk as the product of the probability and magnitude of harm. An example is given of a collapsed building due to faulty design that results in economic loss and death. It also discusses utilitarianism and how risks are considered acceptable if the benefits outweigh the costs. However, cost-benefit analysis has limitations like not considering distribution of costs and benefits or allowing for informed consent. The document proposes using a capabilities approach to better identify harms and benefits by considering auxiliary consequences, indirect societal impacts, and effects on quality of life rather than just immediate hazards.

Uploaded by

Alexter Romeo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7.

2 THE ENGINEER’S APPROACH TO RISK


Risk as the Product of the Probability and Magnitude of Harm
Risk:
- A compound measure of the probability and magnitude of adverse effect.
- Risk is something that can be objectively measured.
- The product of the likelihood and magnitude of harm.
Harm:
- An invasion or limitation of a person’s freedom or well-being.
- Harm in terms of thing can be relatively easily quantified.
Example:
- Collapse building due to faulty design, resulting in economic loss to the owner or worse death
for the inhabitants.
- Measured in terms of number of lives lost, cost of rebuilding and repairing work.

Utilitarianism and Acceptable Risk


Utilitarianism:
- The probability and magnitude of harm and contains no implicit evaluation of weather a risk is
morally acceptable.
- The product of the probability and d magnitude of harm is equalled or exceeded by the product
of the probability and magnitude of the benefit.
- Determining the course of action that maximizes well-being.
Adaptation of cost-benefit analysis:
- It may not be possible to anticipate all of the effects associated with each option.
- It is not always easy to translate all of the risk and benefits into monetary terms.
- Cost-benefit analysis in its usual application makes no allowance for the distribution of costs
and benefits.
- The cost-benefit analysis gives no place for informed consent to the risk imposed by technology.

Expanding the Engineering Account of Risk: The Capabilities Approach to Identifying Harm and
Benefit
Limitation of identifying harm in engineering:
1. Often only the immediately apparent or focal consequences of a hazard are included.
o Hazard can have auxiliary consequence, or broader and more indirect harms to society.
2. Both natural and engineering hazard might create opportunities.
o Focusing not only the negative impact but also the positive impact also.
3. There remains a need for an accurate, uniform and consistent metric to quantify the
consequence from a hazard.
o No satisfactory methods for quantifying the non-fatal physical or psychological harms to
individuals or society.
4. Current techniques do not demonstrate the connection between specific harms or losses.
o Instead effect on quality of life that is ultimately at issue when considering risk.
Capabilities approach:
- Capabilities can be little lower, temporarily, as long no permanent damage is caused and people
do not fall below an absolute minimum.
- Capture the adverse effect and opportunities of hazard beyond the consequence traditionally
considered.
- Focus attention on what should be primary concern in assessing the societal impact of a hazard.
- A principled foundation for judging the acceptability and tolerability of risk.

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