The purpose of this course is to examine liability faced by engineers for their professional activities and to encourage engineering professionals to understand societal expectations as expressed in civil liabilities for their activities falling under an expected standard of care.
This course briefly examines tort liability under the concept of negligence (as applied in jurisdictions in the United States). Tort law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in the United States, but the various states apply common principals and analytical tools in establishing liability. Internationally, many nations apply concepts relating to negligence in a similar way. As a result, many of the elements of liability under negligence discussed in this paper are useful outside the boarders of the US, because they hold in those nations that apply liability under common law and under civil codes. As an example, the elements required for liability under negligence are remarkably similar in a broad range of national jurisdictions. In the United States tort law falls under jurisdiction of the various states rather than under federal law, and as a result, the law varies from state to state.
Franco F. Davati, P.E.
Review the quiz before studying the course.Acrobat Reader is required to view this document. Click here to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.