¶ … Citicorp Center made me much more aware of my responsibilities as an engineer to go above and beyond the law regarding safety guidelines. Laws are not written by engineers, and there is no way that building codes can anticipate the stresses to which every building design will be subjected: that is the role of the engineer. The idea of constructing a building with an ethical flaw is every engineer's worst nightmare: it could mean that the engineer was responsible for the deaths of other human beings that could be prevented.

How much of a responsibility does an engineer have to his or her design, once it is constructed? To what extent does an engineer have the responsibility to anticipate various types of damage and disasters?

Q4. I would have insisted on a more safe design to begin with.

Q5.

When faced with the dilemma of safety vs. aesthetics or safety vs. innovation for the sake of beauty, the engineer should always choose safety.

Engaging in unsafe behavior is often the result of a group mentality. When everyone is doing something, whether it is speeding on a highway, or constructing a building in a questionable way, when people are agreeing to something despite...

An engineer's responsibility is to adhere to the fact, not simply to conventional wisdom, which may be in error.
5.2 Engineers were aware of -- or had the responsibility to be aware of -- the flood-prone, hurricane-prone nature of the city. They did not engage in appropriate risk assessment and therefore are responsible for the failure, even though they did not cause the actual event.

5.3 Risk assessment is a vital component of constructing safety mechanisms such as levees in an ethical and professional manner.

5.4 Engineers should have volunteered this information, and tried to remedy the situation. When engineers have made an error that compromises human safety, they must come forth, just as a manufacturer that has produced an unsafe product must come forth and call for that product's recall.

5.8 Engineers are not social architects -- they may build buildings that are beautiful but are far too expensive for most of the population to live in, even though public housing is more needed. The issue in New Orleans pertained to general safety of all residents, regardless of income status -- however,…