Module 4 CPC

Mod 4 – Engineering ethics
Profession
A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical
standards. This group positions itself as possessing special knowledge and
skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from research, education
and training at a high level, and is recognized by the public as such. A
profession is also prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in
the interest of others
Engineering
Ethics: derived from a Greek word ‘ethicos’ which means customary
way of behaving
Engineering ethics : is the study of moral issues and decisions
confronting individuals and organizations engaged in engineering
Scope of Engineering ethics
Code of ethics as per NSPE
• Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
• Perform services only in areas of their competence.
• Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
• Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
• Avoid deceptive acts.
• Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and
lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness
of the profession.
Aim of Engineering Ethics
• To deal effectively with moral complexity in Engineering.
• To improve moral autonomy
• To create moral awareness
• Understand the moral issues and arrive at a specific course of
action
• To show moral consistency
• Maintain moral integrity
Kohlberg’s Theory of moral development
• Pre-conventional level
• Conventional level
• Post –conventional level
Case study
• The killer Robot case
• The Space Shuttle challenger disaster case
• Chernobyl disaster
Inquiry
• Normative Inquiry- seeks to identify and justify the morally

desirable norms that should guide individuals and groups.
• Conceptual Inquiry- directed to clarify the meanings of concepts
or ideas or principles
• Factual Inquiry-aimed to obtain facts for understanding and
resolving moral issues.
Responsibility
• Accountable, answerable, obligatory
• Responsible for negligently, recklessly or intentionally causing
harm
Theories of responsibility
Minimalist view
Reasonable care
Good work attitude
Impediments to responsibility
• Self interest
• Fear
• Self deception
• Ignorance
• Ego
• Microscopic vision
• Over confidence
• Group behaviour
Honesty, Integrity and Reliability
Honesty : being truthful
Ways of showing dishonesty/ misusing the truth
Lying
Deceiving
Hiding Information
Dissemination of Information (Whistle blowing)
Failure to seek out the truth
Revealing confidential information
Allowing one’s judgement to be influenced by other factors
Integrity :
following your moral or ethical convictions and doing the right
thing in all circumstances, even if no one is watching you. Having
integrity means you are true to yourself and would do nothing that
demeans or dishonors you.
Integrity in R& D:
• Plagiarism
• Trimming
• Cooking
• Forging
• multiple authorship
Integrity in Intellectual Property Rights:
• Patents
• Copy right
• Design
• Trade Mark
• Trade secrets,
• Semiconductor and Integrated Circuits,
• Protection of plant varieties
• Geographical Indications.
Integrity in client- professional relationship
Integrity in Expert testimony
Integrity in conflict of interest: Actual, Apparent, Potential
Reliability : Trustworthy
Risk, Safety and Liability in Engineering
Technical Risk
Risk = probability of causing harm X magnitude of adverse effect
Assessing the risk
Fault tree analysis : Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is one of the most
important logic and probabilistic techniques used in Probabilistic Risk
Assessment (PRA) and system reliability assessment.
Fault Trees are deductive method for identifying ways in which
hazards can lead to accident.
The approach starts with a well defined accident ,or top event, and
works backwards towards the various scenarios that can cause the
accident.
Event tree analysis
Event tree analysis begin with an initiating event & work towards
the final result.
This method provides information on how a failure can occur &
the probability of occurrence.

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Mod 4 – Engineering ethics

• Normative Inquiry- seeks to identify and justify the morally

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