Responsibility for safety and risk minimization: Outline of an attribution‐based approach regarding modern technological and societal systems

Abstract

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, questions of safety management and responsibility became topical to a high degree. The notion of individual responsibility is, also for institutional and corporate decisions and enterprises, of particular importance for technology. Problems of collective and corporate responsibility are becoming and still will become even more topical. Engineering ethics codes should be developed, improved, and operationally implemented. Rules of priority outlined here for handling responsibility conflicts must be elaborated much further. This seems necessary to meet the ideal requirements of social responsibility for technology in society.

Constructing responsibility in social interaction: an analysis of responsibility talk in hospital administrative groups

“…For present purposes, we adopt Lenk's 1 definition of responsibility as a relational construct -that is, responsibility arises when "someone is responsible to somebody for something in view of an addressee (object of responsibility) in relation to a normative criterion within a specific realm of responsibility and action" (p. 212). 1 Additionally, many responsibilityrelated phenomena are interconnected (e.g., internal/external control and accepting/denying responsibility). 2 Responsibility is also an attributional concept, where someone holds someone else accountable.…”

“…The present study broadens this area of research by exploring how responsibility is constructed in administrative groups and the types of responsibility constructed. Lenk 1 identified three types of responsibility: action, role and task, and universal moral responsibility. Action responsibility refers to accountability for the outcomes and consequences of a given action.…”

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Responsibility is a feature of all kinds of social structure, from small social units to large societal contexts. 1,2 Responsibility for work performance, objectives, tasks, and duties is also a crucial aspect of work and organizations. Yet although this relational concept is an established element of individuals, groups, or societies, 1 little is known about how responsibility is constructed in social interaction.

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Ethics of responsibilities distributions in a technological culture

“…Just appeals to the avoidance of social trap situations alone are not very useful. One should also introduce operationally available and efficient measures (Lenk 2003) such as legal sanctions (product liability, collective responsibility, etc. ), financial incentives to change production, determination of property rights for public goods, etc.…”

“…Should a manager just follow up with managerial and economic strategies of maximizing instead of optimizing or ''satisficing'' (Simon 1951(Simon , 1979Giere 1990: 157ff) profit or pressing to save time in risky operations and strategies to implement new technologies? (Lenk 2003) Rather, he or she should refrain from generating any risk for life and limb in acceding to operational plans to implement a new technology-to stay on the safe side. Is not safety to be valued first-even at the price of setbacks with respect to economic development and a possible maximization of gains or profits?…”