The Professional Engineer and Society

Student’s Name

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Abstract-Engineers have a variety of moral responsibilities to society and the entire universe. The majority of

engineers work for businesses that frequently prioritize shareholder value and profit over societal impacts.

Thankfully, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the understanding that companies can be

economically successful while taking into account social and environmental impacts have begun to change this.

Ethics guarantees that a business upholds its dedication to the principles of responsibility toward stakeholders in

the community, including customers, suppliers, and investors. Ethics frequently takes into account

environmental issues, human rights, and sustainability ideas like a duty of care and a chain of responsibility.

Engineering-focused businesses frequently make their code of conduct commitments accessible to the public.

Ethics and Risks are areas that greatly impact the engineering field, as explored in this essay.

Index terms: Ethics, Risks

I. ETHICS

The determinants of human behaviour are central to engineering ethics [2]. The components are divided

into external and internal. Understanding how management principles affect engineering ethics will help

corporations operate more efficiently.

When false beliefs are dispelled, the idea of ethical behaviour in engineering can be effectively

harnessed. [3]. The perception that ethics is determined solely by an individual character trait should be

overlooked. This is because such insights limit an engineer's choice as far as making an informed decision in

management is concerned. An engineer ought to take charge of the work environment.

A fascinating element of management is enforcing ethics among employees. A competent engineer

should view ethics from a behavioural perspective. Management should narrow down to the precise set of moral

values that they expect their workers to uphold. This will prompt the engineer to create the ideal working

environment to encourage the staff to follow company policies. It's crucial to follow up to make sure everything

goes as planned. Above all, setting a good example will encourage workers to follow the management's code of

conduct.

Ethics exist in various dimensions [2]. People tend to behave differently depending on their

environmental setup. Since business is competitive, employees are expected to be aggressive towards their

competitors and gentle to their compatriots. There is some conflict in how engineers are viewed as

professionals. Individually licensed engineers contribute to the advancement of the concept of a profession, but
corporate exemptions from the licensing requirements in some ways undermine this independence from

employers. When studying the engineering profession, it becomes obvious that it should not be seen as

homogeneous but rather that there are various cultures in this regard between different sub-disciplines and

between nations [2].

Three guiding concepts serve as a guide for engineers. They are as follows:

 Utilizing their expertise and information to advance human welfare

 Being truthful and unbiased, and faithfully serving the public and their clients.

 Attempting to raise the status and competence of the engineering field.

The code of ethics that ought to be upheld includes the following:

 The health and safety of the public. In the organization, it is important to ensure that the public's

protection, health, and welfare are adhered to when carrying out professional responsibilities.

 Providing services in one's field of expertise is important. This means that one ought to establish their

professional image based on the quality of their work and refrain from unfairly competing with others.

 Growth is a fundamental engineering canon [2]. Throughout one's career, it is relevant to continue

advancing in one's field.

 Avoiding conflicts of interest is very important. Acting as a faithful trustee for the organization

professionally aligns with ethics.

 Engineers should only collaborate with respectable individuals or groups.

 Engineers must avoid actions that reflect poorly on the field and only publicly make objective, truthful

statements.

 AHEP4 requires engineers to us ethical approach in analysing problems so as to reach substantiated

conclusions using engineering principles [5].

 When carrying out their professional responsibilities, engineers must consider the environment's effect

and sustainable development.

 Unless there is a valid cause to do so under the applicable codes, policies, and procedures governing

that engineer's ethical conduct, engineers must refrain from seeking an ethical sanction against another

engineer [3].

 As an engineer, you have a duty to uphold the greatest moral principles, such as openness, integrity,

and equity [2]. This implies that one should behave in a trustworthy and reliable manner, be conscious

of how their actions may affect others, respect their privacy and other people's rights and reputations,

exercise discretion, disclose conflicts of interest, and take action to prevent or expose unethical

behaviour in the workplace. For instance, respecting other people's intellectual property rights and

confidential information is appropriate.

 Observing the law is an important aspect of engineering. It is the duty of engineers to maintain all

applicable laws and rules [2]. It is important to put others' health and safety first, warn people about

potential risks, and make sure their job is ethical and justified. It is crucial to understand the importance

of data safety, cyber security, and physical security. It is crucial to respect and safeguard each

individual's right to private and intellectual property. While taking into account the limited supply of

natural resources and preserving the profession's status in society, maximize the public good and

minimize any actual or potential negative effects on current and future generations.

 As an engineering professional, I am responsible for obtaining and using the skills necessary to carry

out my duties prudently. The profession requires one to always exercise caution and provide services in

fields where one is presently competent. Maintaining one expertise and abilities and helping others

acquire engineering expertise and information is important [3].

 Bearing a duty to maintain and encourage excellent leadership and communication standards. As a

result, one should be aware of the societal issues that engineering brings and take note of other people's

hopes and concerns. One should promote diversity, equality, and inclusion while raising general

awareness of the importance and benefits of engineering achievements. It is important to voice out

against any regulations or comments that concern them professionally and to be objective and truthful

in all remarks made in my capacity as a professional.

 AHEP4 guidelines signifies the relevance of ethics in helping learners broadly-define problems in

engineering and apply well-proven analysis techniques to solve them[5].

  In engineering, according to AHEP4, ethical problems can be solved by resourceful application of

creativity.

II. RISKS

Engineering workers engage in risk-taking activities by nature, meaning they have a big role in

managing and limiting risk [1]. Engineering needs to take into account how its impacts on human safety

influence the public's trust in the industry. The protection of the welfare, health, and safety of the public is

widely acknowledged as engineering's main responsibility in the codes of ethics of professional engineering

societies around the globe. Engineering-related mistakes or issues that cause harm or fatalities frequently make

front-page news. It is concerning that the cumulative effects of many newsworthy instances could eventually

damage public confidence in engineering.

For the management of risk, a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and systematic techniques are

available. To ensure that those both within and outside the organization feel comfortable mentioning risks, for

instance, people's behaviour is crucial to the effectiveness of the risk management process. Therefore, in

addition to strictly technical considerations, the engineering professional will also need to give attention to

human and cultural views.

The essential phases of risk management are:

 Systematic attribution of causes

 Assessment of the gravity of possible negative effects

 Management of the risk, including: Monitoring of risk management measures; consideration for

removing or minimizing the source or effect

 Tracking and reporting

 Reviewing

Managing and communicating risks entails exercising sound reasoning and assuming a leadership

position [1]. As an engineer, it is important to lead by example in the dedication to safety, dependability, and

ethical behaviour from the beginning of any engineering activity. Setting an example for others by

unambiguously demonstrating the standards by which they anticipate risks to be managed is critical risk in

engineering. This means that as an engineer, one will:

 Prepare to refute premised and proposed ideas.

  Making sure that safety is properly taken into account.

 Identifying the benefit-risk ratio.

 Making an effort to get everyone engaged in spotting potential issues and opportunities.

 Guaranteeing that any engineer reporting to me has the chance to continue to be knowledgeable about

the risk management process.

 Encouraging others to exercise improving

Employing a methodical, comprehensive, and all-encompassing strategy to risk identification,

assessment, management, and review is an important element of risk in engineering [4]. Risk-causing variables

are interdependent; understanding this interdependency and using measures that address entire systems instead

of addressing risks one at a time as they emerge is essential for managing risk. As an engineer, it is very relevant

to:

 Look beyond solely technical considerations to address non-technical factors, such as social, economic,

environmental, and political perspectives.

 Always observe even the weak signals.

 Make use of a consistent decision-making strategy that is consistent with the organization.

 Risks should always be quantified as supported by the data, ensuring that low-severity, high-frequency

events, and high-severity, low-frequency events are considered.

 Adaptability to changes in the working environment is crucial, and it will be relevant to look for

patterns, connections, and relationships between risks and opportunities.

Respecting laws and regulations is an approach that must be adhered to. Codes and regulations are

critical in engineering [1]. They cannot predict every scenario and can only cope with anticipated events.

Potential risks should be handled with caution and rigor. This means that one ought to:

 Abide by the rules of engagement

 Recognize and comprehend the intent behind standards and codes, and understand when their limits are

being approached.
  Know about and comply with the law in the given jurisdiction.

 Adhere to all pertinent and current legal requirements for engineering risk issues.

 Embedding a culture of continuous improvement by asking for help when needed.

Ensuring effective communication with all parties is relevant. Correctly understanding risks and their

implications depends on effective communication with all stakeholders. Risk management should be promoted

as a fundamental value within an organization [4]. As an engineering expert, it is critical to:

 Create a two-way communication system that is strong, honest, and successful inside and outside the

organization.

 Build a procedure for feedback and consultation about risks with all parties involved.

 Clearly state the risk-benefit equation.

 Express assumptions made during the risk management procedure in clear terms.

 Individuals' risk management roles should be obvious throughout the engineering activity.

 Instilling an attitude of inquiry, open reporting, and a desire to learn from others.

Ensuring that there are effective methods in place for monitoring and scrutiny is important. Processes

for effective supervision and assurance are crucial safeguards in risk management. They should be difficult and

carried out independently of those introducing or trying to control risk. As an expert, one ought to:

 That documentation is important in risk assessment.

 Making sure that proper oversight is in place and is independent of assurance procedures

 Educating others on their roles and responsibilities and ensuring they understand them clearly.

 Introducing an assessment of culture

 Expanding assurance

Broadening one's understanding of risk is critical. Numerous factors, including emotional ones, impact how the

general public perceives danger [1]. In order to avoid misconceptions, it is critical to promote knowledge of the

true levels of risk and benefit. This can be done by:

  Getting ready to participate in a public discussion about the perceived risks and advantages

 Ensuring that the public is aware of risk management practices.

 Clarifying and providing evidence for the quantitative and qualitative elements of risk.

 Being honest and precise with one's ideas.

 Prepare oneself to refute any misunderstandings.

III. CONCLUSION

In order to create a work environment that will support the organisations' terms, engineers need to

understand essential engineering concepts like ethics and risks. Understanding organizational corporate

principles and the expression of ethical selves are two of the most fascinating ethical concepts. The two

concepts give management the ability to establish policies that encourage effective production while upholding

the necessary work ethics. A company's principles should support CSR and should have a significant impact on

the development of its culture, character, and beliefs. On the other side, a company will benefit from compliance

with risk assessment. It is wise for the engineer to conduct a self-analysis in order to understand how to balance

the four components of risk management, namely identification, assessment, treatment, monitoring, reporting,

and reviewing. Instead of just considering a company's norms as a way to draw in new employees, one could

think about how to make sure that these norms promote ethical behaviour and are actually followed.
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