PUBLIC SAFETY--THE DESIGN ENGINEER'S RESPONSIBILITY

The author points out that nearly all failures have some direct or indirect design implications and that the designer therefore has an important role in making failures less likely and in mitigating their effects if they do occur. He discusses how 'designing to rule' may be satisfactory when the rules are well framed, but can give rise to problems when they are not. He proposes guidelines for conduct in relation to forseeable hazards.