Engineers must weigh chances of defect causing injury against cost of minimizing defects Minimal compliance is insufficient – adhering to accepted practices & standards not enough Standards are mere checklists – use them creatively and judgmentally
Engineers can be sued personally even when acting according to guidelines set b y
Employers E.g. One county highway engineer was sued for failure to repair roads– had to pay $2 million Some Cos. protect their engineers and allow themselves to be sued for such money damages Independent engineers can write liability limits into their contracts
Good knowledge of liability is necessary for engineers
