Engineer in Society
Engineer in Society
Engineer in Society
INTRODUCTION
By way of definition, Engineering is an industry which engages man in
the pursuit of moulding his environment to improve the conditions of his
existence. This concept is based on the premise that engineering is
technology put into action, where technology is a flexible repertoire of
skills, knowledge and methods for attaining desired results and avoiding
failures under varying circumstances (Merrill 1959).
Societies all over the world look up to engineering and indeed Engineers
to mould their environment to ensure continuous better living standards
and more comfortable existence. Exactly the same way Nigerians expect
the Nigerian Engineer to improve on the standard of life in Nigeria,
whether the Government provides the financial resources and enabling
environment or not. Therefore, the Nigerian Engineer must aggregate
into a group or society that can pressure government to provide
necessary enabling environment and resources to enable the Engineer to
perform its role in the society.
The history of the NSE dates back to February 16, 1958 when its first
Executive Committee Officers inauguration ceremony was held at the
Nigeria House in London. Its fundamental objective then was as a
nationalist challenge to the racial discrimination and injustices that
permeated the practice of engineering in Nigeria (more details on this
can be obtained from the History of the Nigerian Society of Engineers by
J. F. Ade Ajayi). After the Nigeria Independence in 1960, the NSE
continued its existence with the aim to uphold the high standards of
engineering practice in Nigeria. I recommend strongly that all Engineers
should endeavour to understand the history of the NSE, as this will
enable them to know clearly what the Nigerian Society expects from
them.
Simply put Engineers own the duty to improve on the environment for
the betterment of Humanity. Engineers play key roles in the
development of nations through design, construction and development
of Infrastructures and Industrial Systems. Consequently, the activities
of Engineers impact on the environment and the quality of life, health
and safety of the people. The high demand for these infrastructures
and the byproduct of engineering activities increased public focus on
the practice of engineering. The public became aware that the benefits
of industrial progress and infrastructure development must be
balanced against need to protect the public from dangers caused by
engineering failures and o t h e r by-products of technology.
Accordingly, Engineers were made to perform under the highest
standards of ethical conduct. The Engineer own it a duty to satisfy the
society, self and the environment in the areas of quality of life, safety
of the environment, and comfort associated to living.
HOW SHOULD THE ENGINEER CARRY OUT HIS/HER DUTIES
The Engineering Professional has some characteristics which engender
commitment to excellence. The fundamental building blocks for
engineering professional practice are based first on safety and second
on improvement of the environment for human comfort and resources
utilization. Mandatory Professional Development and Professional
conduct are requirements for successful g r o w t h i n professional
career. The engineering profession is a dynamic one and in order to
satisfy the ever changing society, the engineer must be current in
approach, resourceful with ideas and economical with resources.
PROFESSIONALISATION.
COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
Engineers shall ensure that their final output meet the highest
professional standards possible.
Aim to achieve high quality and acceptable cost, irrespective of trade-
offs. Such trade-offs should be clear to and accepted by the client and
employer.
Identify and address ethical, economic, legal and environmental issues
related to the projects.
Engineers should ensure that they have the requisite qualifications, by
appropriate combination of education, training and experience, for the
project they accept to execute.
Ensure that their output meet the highest professional standards and
should not depart from such standards unless when ethically or
technically justified.
Understand clearly the specifications for projects they undertake.
Ensure realistic estimates of cost, scheduling, quality and outcomes
on any project and provide uncertainty assessment of their estimates
Engineers should ensure adequate documentation, including problems
encountered and solutions adopted for any project executed.
FUNDAMENTAL CODE OF ETHICS.
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