What happens when something goes really wrong?

This is a fantastic question. In a really good engineering culture, instead of placing blame, there is a study into what went wrong. Was it a materials failure? A process failure? A systems failure? Careful work is done to determine what led to the failure. Based on those findings, there is an opportunity to ensure that this does not happen again. A simple example might be buildings that fail during an earthquake. Civil engineers study those failures and make new recommendations for building codes. This sometimes includes testing of those new codes in the laboratory (yes - there are large platforms that we can put structures on and shake them!). A more complex example might be some of the space shuttle failures that included design, materials, and management failures. We try to do all we can ahead of time to predict when failures will occur, and to put redundant solutions in place, or design the use so that you never get close to failure (e.g. never heat this above XXX degrees). Clearly we are not always successful, and engineers are always learning new and better ways to design.

People do sometimes lose their jobs if they have been irresponsible managers or engineers, but in general the approach above is taken.

Engineers will always work in teams, and have many reviews, perform simulations, and perform testing, to ensure the end product works as it should. The reviews will bring people from other projects and/or disciplines. They bring a fresh set of eyes to identify potential problems. They are very valuable. There will also be tests performed at various levels of the product, from a single component, to subcomponents to full system testing. Redesign can occur at any time, at the necessary level. It is important that if something is not functioning as required, to speak up. The earlier the better. But at whatever time, communicating facts is important. Hopefully you are seeing that a lot of engineers and others are involved in product design, development and manufacturing. Following these best practices is critical for success. When you see and are involved in the process, you will see how well it works and be proud of the team's results.

This is a great question!

Most engineers do the best they can to avoid any major issues like you listed. My company has a program called prepare, pause and confirm, where we enforce the need to prepare for any work that is occurring, pause if something does not seem right and confirm after the work is done that there were no unintended outcomes. However, mistakes happen and sometimes issues are not preventable. The first step is understanding there is a problem and working to identify the root cause so you can correct it. This often involves bringing in others to help determine a plan of action to correct the mistake. If you caused the mistake directly, it is best to speak up immediately when you realize there is an issue. That often leads to much quicker resolution times.

Once the immediate impact is resolved, engineers spend time on a root cause analysis (RCA). The teams dive into the problem, what caused it and what actions can be taken to prevent this action in the future. You have a lot of responsibility in some jobs as an engineer and should take every step to avoid any issues but knowing what to do if something happens is just as important and spending time to help yourself and other prevent the same mistake is critical!

"What if" can energize us, but it can also paralyze us in any aspect of life.

As an engineer, you try to address the "what if's" , but you will never be 100% sure that you didn't miss something or that someone will not use your design for unintended purposes.

How you react is what makes the difference when everything goes wrong.

Being a fiber optic engineer, plans were laid out to place fiber throughout the city. Even with the best laid out plan, as construction started it was discovered that conduit paths were damaged, government entities blocked permitting on specific streets, and work needed to be done in late night hours (higher costs / special pay). An estimated $600,000 job quickly became a $3,000,000 job. As costs escalated, needs of the business were re-evaluated, sizing and location along with possible alternate paths were considered. In the end, the right job was done to provide existing and future clients availability of next generation services. Be prepared to support your original plans and be flexible enough to modify as needed.

Major food manufactures alert and recall products on a regular basis for the general public. Unfortunately most of this stems from serious illnesses or even deaths. Mistakes and shortcuts are taken, evaluating root causes. Did the circumstances happen out of a malicious act? Or a mistake or unknown parameter. Own your involvement, and alert higher management or public as soon as feasibly possible.

The development of plastic revolutionized the way we store and package items. Only recently have the detrimental effects of plastics on the earth as well as internally in our bodies been brought out. Engineers are now looking at more eco-friendly options for packaging and producing goods and materials.

You will need to separate your personal feelings from a failed project. Maybe even a project that results in loss of life, would be a personal hurdle to conquer. As a future engineer, I would hope that you do learn something from the experience and seek a way to make the product, system or technology better. Place safeguards to prevent inappropriate use if you can.

Although this is controversial, it is a good example. Guns are manufactured for hunting and protective forces like the military, police, etc....Their purpose is pretty specific. Yet put into the wrong hands, they are deadly to innocent people. It is not the engineers fault, nor is it the manufacturers fault that an individual uses the weapon for unintended purposes. The engineer and manufacturer are simply doing the job they have been asked to do.

Just by asking this question, it shows that you have empathy for people and the planet. Choose an engineering career that will suit your personality and make you proud of your accomplishments. Even if they are turned to unexpected uses, remember you are not in control of other individuals.

The responsibility can definitely be scary. However, it is very rare for a major mistake, like the examples you've given, to be solely down to the actions of one person. If you read up on process safety you'll learn about the idea that there are multiple layers of protection that should be in place, and usually the major disasters are due to a failure of multiple layers. Most organisations recognise that. After something goes wrong, they are still focused on understanding what went wrong, why, and most importantly, how they can learn from it and stop it from happening again.

No matter the career or life choices you make, many decisions face risk. Some instances have more risk than others, but risk is part of life. The engineering training you will receive both academically and, on the job, will provide you with the tools to make the best decision possible. Further, there will be ample testing done digitally and physically to confirm that the product is the best according to the development standards. There is always a team on any project that supports each other and tries to find all potential and real flaws. You will not work on an island, and all team members share the product and risk.

Yes, you will have failures, and your company will support you in these cases as you will have followed all necessary protocols. Just remember always be honest with your results and never try to hide a failure as this will cause issues in your career.

The biggest learnings coming from failure. We should not be afraid to fail, however we should take work seriously. Big projects that impact real people need a lot of engineers to take ownership and accountability - that means that multiple people have to fail to actually have a negative impact on society, which can happen but is less likely to happen. One way to go about it that makes it less scary is having a plan B: this is often materialized as risk management plans. That's where teams define potential risks and come up with a mitigation plan - this helps to revert mistakes faster, and hopefully even avoid them.

A very interesting and thought provoking question!

When we build something, we should do it with the right perspective which means build for benefit of society and not for personal benefit alone or to harm the society. We have to be conscious of our actions. If every human on earth can just be this, then most of the world is taken care of.

Our conscience knows what’s right and what’s not right. Lets follow our conscience and be on the right path. Besides nobody works/ builds anything in isolation. There are multiple people/ teams. Keep the right company and you will all be together on the right path.

Engineering is a collaborative effort. Team members are responsible for manufacturing and testing prototypes before releasing them to market. Quality control is an important part of the manufacturing process since it ensures that created products are safe to use. In rare circumstances of mishaps or product failures, all team members share responsibility.

When things go wrong:

• It’s appropriate to grieve, while acknowledging that things WILL go wrong.
• The primary focus then should be “What did I learn from this? What could I do differently so that this never happens again?"

It is inevitable something will go wrong during your career, you are human. This is where you learn and grow, you learn more when things go wrong than when things go right. It will test your mental and emotional toughness and the goal is the learn from it. Admit you’ve made a mistake and use that as fuel to be a better engineer moving forward. Hopefully you are surrounded by a company and team that is there to support you and help you as you navigate this mistake.