| Abstract: | Despite calls for the integration of safety into engineering curricula and the establishment of ABET requirements for safety-related instruction, few engineering colleges have instituted formal course offerings focusing on safety and health. Impediments include the lack of room for additional coursework in the standard curriculum, the perceived unavailability of qualified faculty and instructional materials, and a widespread conviction among faculty and administrators that safety is not critical to an engineering education. Attempts to address this need by developing special instructional safety modules or enrolling students in full-semester safety courses have met with limited success. An alternative approach is to use safety-related examples and case studies to portray conventional engineering principles. Rather than separating safety instruction into a distinct course or modules, this approach would present safety principles as a fully-integrated part of traditional engineering practice. To make this idea a reality, appropriate examples and cases will need to be developed and disseminated. In addition, industry involvement, government backing, and financial support is required. |
