U20CEM707–PROFESSIONALETHICS

By

KEERTHIVASAN S

REG NO: 21UCE007

SEVENTH SEMESTER

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

Submitted to

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SRI MANAKULA VINAYAGAR ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(An Autonomous Institution)

MADAGADIPET, PUDUCHERRY-605 107

November - 2024
 CONTENTS
Ex Date Name of the Assignment Pg. No Assignment Signature
No Marks
(20)

Total Marks
Assignment 1 (20) + Assignment 2 (20) + Assignment 3 (20) +
MCQ (30) + Attendance (10)
 ASSIGNMENT –I

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Profession is a commitment to a designated and organized occupation by virtue of being an

authority over a body of knowledge with requisite skills acquired through specialized training.
An occupation becomes a profession when a group of people sharing the same occupation work
together in a morally acceptable way with members setting and following a certain ethics code.
A professional is a practitioner belonging to a specific profession. Professional ethics, as
opposed to personal values and morality, is a set of ethical standards and values a practicing
engineer is required to follow. It sets the standards for professional practice, and is only learned
in a professional school or while practicing one’s own profession. Today, it is an essential part
of professional education because it helps students deal with issues they will face.

THE SCOPE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS ENVELOPES DIVERSE ACTIVITIES

LIKE

1. Engineering as a social experimentation

2. Engineers responsibility for safety

3. Role of engineers, managers, consultants etc.

4. Rights of engineers

5. Moral reasoning and ethical theories

6. Responsibility to employers

7. Global issues and concerns

The best way to teach engineering ethics is by using case studies—not just the disaster cases
that make the news, but the kinds of cases that an engineer is more likely to encounter. Many
real time cases are available or some hypothetical cases can be constructed and there are
methods for analyzing them. Engineering ethics can be taught in a free-standing course, but
there are strong arguments for introducing ethics in technical courses as well. If the subject of
professional ethics is how members of a profession should, or should not, affect others in the
course of practicing their profession, then engineering ethics is an essential aspect of
engineering itself and education in professional responsibilities should be part of professional
education in engineering, just as it is in law and medicine.
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AS APPLIED TO ENGINEERING

Engineering ethics is the field of system of moral principles that apply to the practice
of engineering. The field examines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to their
clients, and to the profession. As a scholarly discipline, it is closely related to subjects such as
the philosophy of science, the philosophy of engineering, and the ethics of technology.

Codes of engineering ethics identify a specific precedence with respect to the engineer's
consideration for the public, clients, employers, and the profession. Many engineering
professional societies have prepared codes of ethics. Some date to the early decades of the
twentieth century. These have been incorporated to a greater or lesser degree into the regulatory
laws of several jurisdictions. While these statements of general principles served as a guide,
engineers still require sound judgment to interpret how the code would apply to specific
circumstances.

The general principles of the codes of ethics are largely similar across the various
engineering societies and chartering authorities of the world, which further extend the code and
publish specific guidance. The following is an example from the American Society of Civil
Engineers:

• Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the
performance of their professional duties.
• Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.
• Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
• Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
• Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services
and shall not compete unfairly with others.
• Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor,
integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession and shall act with zero-
tolerance for bribery, fraud, and corruption.
• Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their
careers, and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of
those engineers under their supervision.
 • Engineers shall, in all matters related to their profession, treat all persons fairly
and encourage equitable participation without regard to gender or gender
identity, race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation,
disability, political affiliation, or family, marital, or economic status.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

The word “Ethics” originates from the Greek word “ethos” meaning “character”. Ethics
are a set of rules or principles that are generally considered as standards or good and bad or
right and wrong, which are usually imposed by an external group or a society or a profession
or so. Ethics can be understood as the rules of conduct proposed by a society or recognized
with respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture.

Ethics are dependent on others definition. They may or may not vary from context to
context. The characteristics are: The eight core characteristics of professionalism are:
Competence, Knowledge, Conscientiousness, Integrity, Respect, Emotional Intelligence,
Appropriateness, and Confidence. By finding ways to strengthen each of these attributes, you
can become confident to act professionally wherever you find yourself working.

ENGINEERING ETHICS

Engineering Ethics is an activity of Understanding the moral values that ought

to guide the engineering profession Resolve the moral issues in the profession Justify the moral
judgment concerning the profession.

RULES OF PRACTICE

1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. If engineers'
judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their
employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate.

a. Engineers shall approve only those engineering documents that are in conformity with
applicable standards.

b. Engineers shall not reveal facts, data, or information without the prior consent of the client
or employer except as authorized or required by law or this Code.
 c. Engineers shall not permit the use of their name or associate in business ventures with any
person or firm that they believe is engaged in fraudulent or dishonest enterprise.

d. Engineers shall not aid or abet the unlawful practice of engineering by a person or firm.

e. Engineers having knowledge of any alleged violation of this Code shall report thereon to
appropriate professional bodies and, when relevant, also to public authorities, and cooperate with
the proper authorities in furnishing such information or assistance as may be required.

2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence. Engineers shall
undertake assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical
fields involved.

a. Engineers shall not affix their signatures to any plans or documents dealing with subject
matter in which they lack competence, nor to any plan or document not prepared under their
direction and control.

b. Engineers may accept assignments and assume responsibility for coordination of an entire
project and sign and seal the engineering documents for the entire project, provided that each
technical segment is signed and sealed only by the qualified engineers who prepared the segment.

3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. Engineers
shall be objective and truthful in professional reports, statements, or testimony. They shall include
all relevant and pertinent information in such reports, statements, or testimony, which should bear
the date indicating when it was current.

a. Engineers may express publicly technical opinions that are founded upon knowledge of the
facts and competence in the subject matter.

b. Engineers shall issue no statements, criticisms, or arguments on technical matters that are
inspired or paid for by interested parties, unless they have prefaced their comments by explicitly
identifying the interested parties on whose behalf they are speaking, and by revealing the existence
of any interest the engineers may have in the matters.

4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees. . Engineers shall
disclose all known or potential conflicts of interest that could influence or appear to influence their
judgment or the quality of their services.
 a. Engineers shall not accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one party
for services on the same project, or for services pertaining to the same project, unless the
circumstances are fully disclosed and agreed to by all interested parties.

b. Engineers shall not solicit or accept financial or other valuable consideration, directly or
indirectly, from outside agents in connection with the work for which they are responsible.

c. Engineers in public service as members, advisors, or employees of a governmental or quasi-

governmental body or department shall not participate in decisions with respect to services
solicited or provided by them or their organizations in private or public engineering practice.

d. Engineers shall not solicit or accept a contract from a governmental body on which a
principal or officer of their organization serves as a member.

5. Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.

a. Engineers shall not falsify their qualifications or permit misrepresentation of their or their
associates' qualifications. They shall not misrepresent or exaggerate their responsibility in or for
the subject matter of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations incident to the
solicitation of employment shall not misrepresent pertinent facts concerning employers,
employees, associates, joint venturers, or past accomplishments.

b. Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit, or receive, either directly or indirectly, any
contribution to influence the award of a contract by public authority, or which may be reasonably
construed by the public as having the effect or intent of influencing the awarding of a contract.
They shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in order to secure work. They shall
not pay a commission, percentage, or brokerage fee in order to secure work, except to a bona
fide employee or bona fide established commercial or marketing agencies retained by them.

ASSIGNMENT- II

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS
 The rights that engineers have as professionals are called Professional Rights. These
professional rights include −

• The basic right of professional conscience.

• The right of conscientious refusal.
• The right of professional recognition.

RIGHTS OF PROFESSIONAL CONSCIENCE

This is a basic right which explains that the decisions taken while carrying on with the
duty, where they are taken in moral and ethical manner, cannot be opposed. The right of
professional conscience is the moral right to exercise professional judgement in pursuing
professional responsibilities. It requires autonomous moral judgement in trying to uncover the
most morally reasonable courses of action, and the correct courses of action are not always
obvious.

There are two general ways to justify the basic right of professional conscience.

• The exercise of moral reflection and conscience that justifies professional duties
is necessary, with respect to that duty.
• The general duties to respect persons and rule-utilitarianism would accent the
public good of allowing engineers to pursue their professional duties.

RIGHTS OF CONSCIENTIOUS REFUSAL

The right of conscientious refusal is the right to refuse to engage in unethical behavior. This
can be done solely because it feels unethical to the doer. This action might bring conflicts
within the authority-based relationships.

The two main situations to be considered here are –

• When it is already stated that certain act is unethical in a widely shared

agreement among all the employees.
• When there occurs disagreement among considerable number of people whether
the act is unethical.
 Hence it is understood that engineers and other professionals have a moral right to
refuse the unethical acts such as bribery, forging documents, altering test results, lying, padding
payrolls or coercing employees into acting by threatening, etc.

RIGHTS OF RECOGNITION

An engineer has a right to the recognition of one’s work and accomplishments. An

engineer also has right to speak about the work one does by maintaining confidentiality and
can receive external recognition. The right for internal recognition which includes patents,
promotions, raises etc. along with a fair remuneration, are also a part of it.

The fulfilment of right to recognition motivates the employee to be a trustful member

of the organization, which also benefits the employer. This makes the employee morally bound
which enhances the ethical nature to be abide by the professional ethics.

EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

• An employee right can be any right, moral or legal, that involves the status of
being an employee.
• They involve some professional rights also, such as the right to be paid
according to the salary mentioned in one’s contract.
• Privacy and equal opportunity can be considered essential rights too.

PRIVACY

The right to privacy refers to the right of having a private life, off the job. It is the right
to control the access to and the use of information about oneself.

The examples of situations where the functions of employers conflict the rights of
employees will be when the job-related queries or any other tests conducted in a job, includes
questions relating to personal life such as alcohol usage or sexual conduct. The instances when
a supervisor unlocks and checks the desk of his subordinate in his absence or when the
management questions about his likes, dislikes or posts on social media regarding his personal
opinions where it has nothing to do with the company.
 Employers should view the relationship with their employee’s concerning
confidentiality that cannot break the trust. The personal information in such cases is given
based on the special professional relation and trust.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES – NO DISCRIMINATION

The demeaning of a person based on trivial factors such as one’s sex, race, skin color,
age or political or religious outlook can be understood as Discrimination. Such a discrimination
should never be allowed at any workplace; this is where everyone has to be treated equally.
These things internally affect the person’s self-identity and self-respect which is pernicious
within the work environment, where the work itself should represent a person’s self-image.

According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, “It shall be unlawful employment practice
for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to
discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or
privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national
origin”.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

In today’s world, there is an increase in the number of sexual harassment cases across
the world. This is quiet an unfortunate scenario. There were a number of cases where the
charges were levied since last two decades, which kept on growing. A definition of Sexual
harassment is, “The unwanted imposition of sexual requirements in the context of a relationship
of unequal power”. Sexual harassment is a display of power and aggression through sexual
means. It takes two forms, quid pro quo and hostile work environment.

Quid Pro Quo includes cases where supervisors require sexual favors as a condition for
some employment benefit (a job, promotion or raise). It can take the form of a sexual threat (of
harm) or sexual offer (of a benefit in return for a benefit). Hostile work Environment by
contrast, is any sexually oriented aspect of the workplace that threatens employee's rights to
equal opportunity. It includes unwanted sexual proposals, lewd remarks, sexual leering, posting
nude photos and inappropriate physical contact.

Equal opportunity – Affirmative Action

 Affirmative action refers to the preference given to a person or a group who was denied
equal importance in the past. For example, the women and the minority communities were not
given equal treatment and were ill-treated in the past. So, to compensate that, amendments were
made in recent laws to provide them special quota for reservations in education, employment
and social sectors.

These preferential treatments are made in order to compensate the previous ill-actions.
Ideally such compensation should be given to those specific individuals who in the past were
denied jobs. But the practical possibilities of such actions are limited. Sexism and racism still
permeate in our society and to counterbalance their insidious impact reverse preferential
treatment is warranted in order to ensure equal opportunity for minorities and women.
Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property right is a type of property right which allows the creators or owners
of patents trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit from their own work or investment.
These rights enable the right person to benefit from the protection of moral and material
interests resulting from the authorship of scientific, literary or artistic productions. These rights
are outlines in the article 27 of the Universal declaration of Human rights.
PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Like the other rights, the intellectual rights also should be protected and supported. The
IPR (Intellectual property Rights) need to be protected in order to serve the following reasons

• The creations and inventions are the paths which lead to the progress of human
development, either in technology or culture.
• These inventions should be protected legally in order to develop the
commitment and interest for more creations.
• These intellectual properties must be protected and promoted which indirectly
promote the economic growth that creates new jobs and industries, and
enhances the quality and enjoyment of life.
• The Intellectual property rights are protected by certain measures like patents,

trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights, etc.

ASSIGNMENT- III
 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Environmental ethics is the study of

(a) Moral issues concerning the environment, and

(b) Moral perspectives, beliefs, or attitudes concerning those issues.

Engineers in the past are known for their negligence of environment, in their activities.
It has become important now that engineers design eco-friendly tools, machines, sustainable
products. processes, and projects. These are essential now to

• Ensure protection (safety) of environment

• Prevent the degradation of environment, and
• Slow down the exploitation of the natural resources, so that the future generation
can survive.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) code of ethics, has specifically
requires that "engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of
professional duties" The term sustainable development emphasizes on the investment,
orientation of technology, development and functioning of organizations to meet the present
needs of people and at the same time ensuring the future generations to meet their needs.

Compaq Computer Corporation (now merged with HP) was the leader, who exhibited
their commitment to environmental health, through implementation of the concept of "Design
for environment on their products, unified standards all over the world units, and giving priority
to vendors with a record of environmental concern.

Engineers as experimenters have certain duties towards environmental ethics, namely:

• Environmental impact assessment: One major but sure and unintended effect of
technology is wastage and the resulting pollution of land, water, air and even space.
Study how the industry and technology affect the environment.
• Establish standards: Study and to fix the tolerable and actual pollution levels.
• Counter measures: Study what the protective or eliminating measures are available for
immediate implementation
 • Environmental awareness: Study on how to educate the people on environmental
practices, issues, and possible remedies.

DISASTERS

PLASTIC WASTE DISPOSAL

In our country, several crores of plastic bottles are used as containers for water and oil,
and plastic bags are used to pack different materials ranging from vegetables to gold ornaments.
Hardly any of these are recycled. They end up in gutters, roadsides, and agricultural fields. In
all these destinations, they created havoc. The worse still is the burning of plastic materials in
streets and camphor along with plastic cover in temples, since they release toxic fumes and
threaten seriously the air quality. Cities and local administration have to act on this, collect and
arrange for recycling through industries.

E-WASTE DISPOSAL

The parts of computers and electronic devices which have served its useful life present
a major environmental issue for all the developing countries including India. This scrap
contains highly toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, and mercury.

Even the radioactive waste will lose 89% of its toxicity after 200 years, by which time
it will be no more toxic than some natural minerals in the ground. It will lose 99% of its
remaining toxicity over the next 30,000 years. The toxic chemical agents such as mercury,
arsenic, and cadmium retain toxicity undiminished forever.

E waste disposal
 But these scraps are illegally imported by unscrupulous agencies to salvage some
commercially valuable inputs. Instead of spending and managing on the scrap, unethical
organizations sell them to countries such as India. This is strictly in violation of the Basel
Convention of the United Nations Environment Program, which has banned the movement of
hazardous waste. A recent report of the British Environment Agency, has revealed that the
discarded computers, television sets, refrigerators. mobile phones, and electrical equipment’s
have been dispatched to India and Pakistan in large quantity, for ultimate disposal in
environmentally-unacceptable ways and at great risk to the health of the labor. Even in the
West, the electronic junk has been posing problems. Strong regulation including

• Pressure on industries to set up disassembling facilities

• Ban on disposal in landfill sites
• Legislation for recycling requirements for these junk
• Policy incentives for eco-friendly design are essential for our country

The European Union through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

directive has curbed the e-waste dumping by member countries and require manufacturers to
implement methods to recover and recycle the components.

Indian Government expressed its concern through a technical guide on environmental

management for IT Industry in December, 2004. It is yet to ratify the ban on movement of
hazardous waste according to the Basel Convention. A foreign news agency exposed a few
years back, the existence of a thriving e-waste disposal hub in a suburb of New Delhi, operating
in appallingly dangerous conditions. Our country needs regulations to define waste, measures
to stop illegal imports, and institutional structures to handle safe disposal of domestic industrial
scrap.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE DISPOSAL

There has been a lot of complaints through the media, on (a) against the Sterlite Copper
Smelting Plantin Thuthukkudi (1997) against its pollution, and (b) when Indian companies
imported the discarded French Warship Clemenceau for disposal, the poisonous ashextos
compounds were expected to pollute the atmosphere besides exposing the labor to a great risk,
during the disposal. The government did not act immediately. Fortunately for Indians, the
French Government intervened and withdrew the ship. and the serious threat was averted
 Industrial Waste Disposal

DEPLETION OF OZONE LAYER

The ozone layer protects the entire planet from the ill-effects of ultraviolet radiation
and is vital for allliving organisms in this world. But it is eaten away by the Chloro-fluro-
carbons (CFC) such as freonemanating from the refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol can
spray. This has caused also skincancer to sun-bathers in the Western countries. Further NO and
NO2 gases were also found to reactwith the ozone. Apart from engineers, the organizations,
laws of the country and local administrationand market mechanisms are required to take up
concerted efforts to protect the environment.

Ozone Layer Depletion

GLOBAL WARMING

Over the past 30 years, the Earth has warmed by 0.6 degrees C Over the last 100 years,
it has warmed by 1.8 degrees C It is likely to push up temperature according to NASA's studies.
The U.S. administration has accepted the reality of global climate change, which has been
associated with stronger hurricanes, severe droughts, intense heat waves and the melting of
polar ice. Greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide emitted by motor vehicles and coal-fired
power plants, trap heat like the glass walls of a greenhouse, cause the Earth to warm up.
Delegates from the six countries - Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and US met in
California in April 2006 for the first working session of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate These six countries account for about half of the world's emissions
of climate-heating greenhouse gases. Only one of the six, Japan, is committed to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012 under the Kyoto
Agreement.

About 190 nations met in Germany in the middle of May 2006 and tried to bridge vast
policy gaps between the United States and its main allies over how to combat climate change
amid growing evidence that the world is warming that could wreak havoc by stoking more
droughts, heat waves, floods, more powerful storms and raise global sea levels by almost a
meter by 2100.

ACID RAIN

Large emissions of Sulphur oxides and nitrous oxides are being released in to the air
from the thermal power stations using the fossil fuels, and several processing industries. These
gases form compounds with water in the air and precipitates as rain or snow on to the earth.
 Acid Rain

The acid rain in some parts of the world has caused sufficient damage to the fertility of
the land and to the human beings.

HUMAN CENTERED ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

This approach assumes that only human beings have inherent moral worth duly to be
taken care of. Other living being and ecosystems are only instrumental in nature. Utilitarianism
aims to maximize good consequences for human beings. Most of the goods are engineered
products made out of natural resources. Human beings have also (a) recreational interests
(enjoy leisure through mountaineering. sports, and pastimes). (b) aesthetic interests (enjoy
nature as from seeing waterfalls and snow-cladmountains). (c) scientific interests to explore
into nature or processes, and (d) a basic interest to survive, by preservation as well as
conservation of nature and natural resources. Rights ethicists favour the basic rights to live and
right to liberty, to realize the right to a live in a supportive environment. Further, virtue ethics
stresses importance of prudence, humility, appreciationof natural beauty, and gratitude to the
mother nature that provides everything. However, the nature-centred ethics, which ensures the
worth of all living beings and organisms. seems to be more appropriate in the present-day
context. Many Asian religions stress the unity with nature, rather than domination and
exploitation. The Zen Buddhism calls for a simple life with compassion towards humans and
other animals. Hinduism enshrines the ideal of oneness in and principle of ahimsa to all living
beings. It identifies all the human beings, animals, and plants as divine. The eco-balance is the
need of the hour and the engineers are the right experimenters to achieve this.
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