a sentence beyond my understanding

[Spetsnaz26]

I was browsing the "engineering" entry in Britannica Encyclopedia when I found this long sentence:

" The field has been defined by the Engineers Council for Professional Development, in the United States, as the creative application of “scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behaviour under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.” "

So what does "all as respects an intended function" mean in English? I guess it means: all( the abovementioned things, )as respects(of) an intended function. But I just can't be sure.

[Anglika]

It is a very convoluted sentence.

I agree that "all" refers to the three preceding options, and that they are applied in relation to safety and to the economics of operation.

[Spetsnaz26]

Originally Posted by Anglika

It is a very convoluted sentence.

I agree that "all" refers to the three preceding options, and that they are applied in relation to safety and to the economics of operation.

Thank you but I still don't understand fully.
What does "as respects" mean here? Does it mean "be applied in relation to"?

[Anglika]

Yes.