The problems of law in engineering

1. The greatest problem of law in engg is of ‘minimal compliance’. Engineers and employers can search for loop holes in the law to barely keep to its letter while violating its spirit. Engineers will tend to refer to standard readymade specifications rather than come up with innovative ideas. Minimal compliance led to the tragedy of the ‘Titanic’.

2. Continually updating laws and regulations may be counter-productive  and will make law always lag behind technology. This also overburdens the rules and regulators.

3. Many laws are ‘non-laws’ i.e. laws without enforceable sanctions. These merely serve as window dressing, frequently gives a false sense of security to the public.

4. The opponents of the law may burden it intentionally with many unreasonable provisions that a repeal will not be far off.

5. Highly powerful organizations, like the government can violate the laws when they think they can get away with it by inviting would be challengers, to face them in lengthy and costly court proceedings. This also creates frustration with the law.