ELR-056 Determining Negligence in Engineering Failures: 2 PDH

Description of the Determining Negligence in Engineering Failures course

The Determining Negligence in Engineering Failures online PDH course is a part of the Ethics, Laws and Rules category of courses. Negligence in the practice of professional engineering means the failure to behave with the standard of care that a professional engineer of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances.  The purpose of this course is to identify conditions under which, when an engineering failure has occurred, it can be attributed to negligence.  Five causes of failure are proposed: negligence, rare failure mode, overlooked failure mode, new (previously unrecognized) failure mode, and incorrect assessment of a known risk.  Negligence is the only cause that involves failing in an ethical duty.

These concepts are illustrated with five case studies of failures ranging from gross negligence to absolutely unforeseeable events:

1. The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, for which a new possible cause was identified 95 years later (2014);
2. A building collapse in Bangladesh in which over 1,000 people died—one of the worst structural engineering disasters in history;
3. A meteorite strike of a private residence;
4. The crash of the British-French Concorde supersonic airliner, caused by an unlikely tire blow-out; and
5. Radiation overdoses received by patients treated by the Thorac-25 medical linear accelerator, caused by errors in the software controlling the machine.

Through case studies and discussion, this course identifies conditions under which engineering failure can be attributed to negligence.

This course is intended for all engineers and architects interested to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of negligence in engineering practice.

REVIEW COURSE MATERIAL BY CLICKING HERE

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Define negligence and standard of care;
• Describe the relation of safety to risk;
• Explain Knightian uncertainty;
• Identify the retrospective fallacy if it appears in accident investigation reports;
• Identify the myth of perfect engineering practice if it appears in accident investigation reports;
• Name a negative effect of punishment on learning from accidents; and
• List four general causes of engineering failures.

Refunds and Cancellation Policies

The course is accepted by the Professional Engineering boards in states listed on this page. In an unlikely case the course is not accepted by the board listed on this page, we will refund the full payment and will pay for you to take another course of equivalent monetary and PDH / CEU value. For complete list of courses related to Ethics, Laws and Rules category of courses please click here.

Length of the Course / Activity

This course is intended to be studied at self-pace and it should take on average of 2 hour to read and be able to comprehend the material to successfully past the online quiz

Course Quiz

To receive the certificate of completion for the above 2 PDH online course, you will need to take a 15 question multiple choice quiz based on the reference material supplied and pass with minimum score of 70%. There is no time limit for the quiz and it can be taken multiple times until a passing score of 70% is achieved

Certificate of Completion

Once you achieve a passing score of 70% on the quiz you will receive and be able to print your Certificate of Completion as a record of your continuing education. PDH Star will keep a record of your certificate for the duration as required by your state of licensure. You will be able to log on to your account and view and print your past Certificate of Completion

State Acceptance

This course is accepted in all states mandating continuing education:

AK, AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY

For detailed state by state requirements click here

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Do you need help choosing the right course or package for you? Please give us a call or send us an email and we will be happy to provide guidance on which courses are most relevant for you and create a customary course package