The Urgent Need for Safety Education in Engineering

A significant gap exists in the safety education of engineers, with alarming statistics revealing that nearly 80% of engineers have never taken a safety course during their college education. Furthermore, over 60% lack experience with short safety courses offered through their workplaces. This lack of formal safety training raises critical concerns, especially in an era where engineers are increasingly called upon to testify in court regarding design failures.

Despite the obvious importance of safety in engineering, many undergraduate programs still do not emphasize safety and risk concepts effectively. A study commissioned by the UK Health and Safety Executive highlighted that relying solely on codes and standards for safety education is inadequate in today’s complex industrial landscape. The findings also suggest that many professors lack a comprehensive understanding of hazard identification and risk reduction, which is essential for imparting this knowledge to students.

While safety engineering is not universally recognized as a core component of engineering curricula, numerous universities around the globe offer dedicated safety engineering degrees. There is a growing movement toward integrating safety education into engineering programs, exemplified by collaborations such as the one between the UK Health and Safety Laboratory and the University of Liverpool. Their proposal to include a safety and risk curriculum in the European Union’s educational framework is a positive step toward addressing these shortcomings.

The challenge remains: how can engineers effectively design, build, and operate systems safely when they have not been prepared for it? This dilemma also poses a significant question for governments tasked with protecting the public while maintaining economic competitiveness. The good news is that solutions do exist. Systematic engineering analysis and a methodical approach to risk management can bridge the existing gaps in safety education.

To achieve improvement, collaboration between government and industry is essential. Treating safety as a joint project rather than an isolated effort can lead to better outcomes. The principles of system safety engineering, often perceived as complex, can actually be straightforward to implement. As we move forward, focusing on education and collaborative solutions will play a crucial role in enhancing safety standards across engineering disciplines.