EGE3103

Engineers & Society

Lecture 4
Professional Code of Conduct
Conduct of an engineer…
➢Professional Code of Conduct

➢Compared to other professionals…

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Compare to other professionals…

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
❑Able to describe wider perspective of society,
emphasizing the role of the professional engineer
❑To support the development of skills, knowledge and
qualities which are important as a professional
engineer in Malaysia and in the global marketplace
❑To have knowledge in the obligations, roles and
professional stipulated by the professional body in a
modern society
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Avoid confusion in terminology – 1
• Personal ethics – refer to personal behavior,
character or attitude while not at work or
dealing in work practices.

• Professional ethics – refer to a person’s

behavior and characteristics while performing
professional work, or in the presence of
working colleagues or acquaintances.
Case in point: smoking, drinking, dressing
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Avoid confusion in terminology – 2
• Morality: concerned with conduct and
motives, right and wrong, good and bad
character.

• Ethics is the philosophical study of morality,

i.e. moral philosophy, so when we exercise
m.p. we are subjecting question of morality to
uncertainties or situations where morals arise.

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Avoid confusion in terminology – 3
• Morals is a set of rules of conduct and
standards of evaluation that a culture / society
uses to guide individual / collective behavior
and direct its judgments, as to whether it is
right / wrong or acceptable / unacceptable.
• Codes professional moral conduct (code of
ethics) are part of these rules / standards.

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Importance of ethics in business
• Peter Koestenbaum, American Professor in
Philosophy (1928 – present):
– To be ethical means to live by the stern demands
of reason and not to be governed or swayed by
the seduction of the emotions.
– To be ethical is to be just, consistent, and
predictable.

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The Institution of Engineers Malaysia

The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) – formed in 1959

Functions are:

• To promote and advance the science and profession of

engineering

• Uphold the engineering profession in Malaysia

• Contribute toward nation building

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Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM)

IEM initiated the formation of BEM in 1972.

It is an authoritative body that ensures public interest and safety
in engineering.
Its primary role is to facilitate the registration of engineers and
regulate the professional conduct of registered engineers in
order to safeguard the safety and interest of the public.
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PART IV
CODE OF CONDUCT
2.3 Every registered Person shall conduct
himself honourably, responsibly, ethically
and lawfully..

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Code of Conduct
24. A registered Person shall –
(a) discharge his professional duties with due skill, care,
diligence and good faith;
(b) at all times hold paramount the safety, health and interest of
the public; and
(c) take reasonable steps to reduce foreseeable adverse effects
of professional engineering services on the environment.

25. A registered Person shall discharged his duties to his

employer or client, as the case may be, with complete fidelity.

26. A registered Person shall not maliciously injure or attempt to

maliciously injure whether directly or indirectly, the professional
reputation, prospects or business of another registered Person.
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Code of Conduct
27. A registered Engineer shall not —
(a) canvass or solicit professional employment;
(b) offer any gift or other valuable consideration, or pay a
commission or brokerage fee in order to secure professional
employment;
(c) except as permitted by the Board, advertise in any manner
or form in connection with his profession; or
(d) provide professional engineering services to any person,
unless the scope of such services are clearly defined in a
written agreement between both parties; or
(e) offer, give, solicit or receive, either directly or indirectly, any
contribution which may be reasonably construed as having
the effect of intent to influencing the award of a contract.
Code of Conduct
27A. An Engineering consultancy practice shall not —
(a) canvass or solicit to provide professional engineering services
except as permitted by the Board;
(b) offer any gift or other valuable consideration, or pay a
commission or brokerage fee in order to provide professional
engineering services;
(c) except as permitted by the Board, advertise in any manner or
form any advertisement in connection with the engineering
profession;
(d) provide professional engineering services to any client, unless
the scope of the services are clearly defined in a written
agreement between both parties; or
(e) offer, give, solicit or receive, either directly or indirectly, any
contribution which may be reasonably construed as having the
effect of intent to influencing the award of a contract.
Code of Conduct
29. A registered Person or an Engineering consultancy practice shall
not be a medium of payment made on his client's behalf unless he
is so requested by his client nor shall he, in connection with work
on which he is employed, place contracts or orders except with the
authority of and on behalf of his client.
.
.
33. Every registered Engineer while acting in his professional
capacity shall disclose in writing to his client of the fact if he is a
director or member of or substantial shareholder in or agent for
any contracting or manufacturing company or firm or business or
has any financial
interest in any such company or firm or business, with which he
deals on behalf of his client.
Professionalism in engineering
 Describes the work method or approach of an
engineer, either dealing with people or solving
engineering problem, to the best of his/her
ability – through exercising unbiased
judgment and discretion in work performance
and selection.
 The expected outcome should be to serve the
purpose of the client and not to the detriment
of public health and safety, i.e. value-based
and reflecting commitment to society through
ethical behavior.
Professionalism defined

• “The level of excellence or competence that is

expected of a professional, in their work ethics
and attitude.”
or
• “The conduct, aims, or qualities that
characterize a professional person.”
• In layman’s term: “The skill, good judgment
and rational behavior that is expected from a
person, adequately trained to perform a job
well.”
How to attain professionalism?
• Through rigorous training, character building,
accepting good ethical values.
• Able to formulate and resolve problems
dispassionately or without personal
hindrance.
• Inculcate ethical values through observation,
learning, understanding and eventually
acceptance and adoption of such values.
Professionalism in behaviour
• It means a person who exhibit the following
behaviour towards others:
– Respectful
– Compassionate
– Integrity
– Servicing others (before oneself)
– Dependable / accountable
– Ethical values ingrained
– Commitment to excellence in work output
Qualities and characteristics of a
professional engineer
 Knowledgeable
 Responsive and responsible
 Good communication skills
 Willing to share knowledge and to teach others
 Place customer/client satisfaction first
 Trustworthiness, i.e. can be trusted
 Possesses positive attitude and exudes confidence
 Self-disciplined and self-motivated person
 Humble, e.g. praise your peers not oneself
 Follows exceptional guiding principles, e.g. honesty
and truthfulness
Professional boundaries
 Relationship with others, i.e. do not mix work
and personal/family affairs.
 Communication links, i.e. keep formal and
informal channels apart.
 Self disclosure, i.e. be transparent in all work
dealings.
 Non-exploitation, i.e. do not exceed authority
mandated by superior or higher management.
 Non-breaching in confidentiality, i.e. be discreet
in all work and business dealings, even from close
family members.
Desirable skills or qualification of a
professional engineer
• Combination of logic and flair, i.e. systematic but can
be flexible to adapt.
• Analytical approach to problem-solving, i.e. does not
miss out pertinent details.
• Inventive and resourceful, i.e. able to face and
overcome many constraints.
• Mathematically competent.
• Adept (or proficient) as a communicator.
• Language proficiency, esp in a globalised world.
Responsibilities of PE in society
 To develop new products / systems to satisfy
needs of society.
 To manage waste/pollution to the
environment, i.e. for every input, allowances
are in place for outputs.
 To generate national wealth, i.e. value added
services.
 To manage finite resources and sustainability.
 To ensure occupational health and safety.
Need for lifelong learning
• “A significant measure of an engineering
education is the degree to which it has prepared
the graduate to pursue a productive engineering
career that is characterized by continued
professional growth“.
– Criteria for Accrediting Programs in Engineering in the United States, Section IV.C.2. Effective for
Evaluation During the 1995-96 Accreditation Cycle, Engineering Accreditation Commission,
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, USA.
Engineering is more than just numbers
• An education that only uses classroom
problems where all variables are accurately
known and only one correct answer exists,
misrepresents job situations for engineers,
and stifles creativity.
• A trend toward using open-ended problems in
the engineering classroom is a healthy step in
the direction of more complete and relevant
engineering education.
Challenges faced by practicing
engineers
• Knowing and acknowledging own strengths and
weaknesses
• Getting the job / project, obligation to client
• Know technical issues, constraints (in design,
construction, legal and ethics, etc)
• Understand economic considerations
• Managing the job / project
• Allocate manpower and resources
• Face and overcome external factors
Professional obligations of PE
• In practicing engineering, the PE has to be accountable in his
work (design, construction supervision, economics, social
responsibility), to the following stakeholders:
– Client
– End users
– Fellow consultants
– Contractor, site personnel
– Government officials
– Members of public
Adopting engineering practices
• Best practices
– More suited to critical designs or systems which
can compromise public safety
• Minimum set standards
– Suitable for less critical designs which has no
significant impact to end users
• Acceptable standardized value
– At discretion of designer to choose a value within
a given range of acceptable values
Good engineering practice
• A term applied to engineering and technical activities
to ensure that a company manufactures products of
the required quality as expected by the relevant
regulatory authorities.

• Good engineering practices are to ensure that the

development and/or manufacturing effort
consistently generates deliverables that support the
requirements for qualification or validation.
• As a professional engineer, one has to uphold
the profession of engineering.
• Educate and inform on the latest development
in industry and practice…so that new
graduates are prepared and ready to face new
challenges ahead.
• Remind and to emphasize on the importance
of good and proper conduct of a professional
engineer.

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As a true professional career person:
Shared with fellow academics…
• Positive in outlook.
• Be an optimistic person.
• Know how to prioritize.
• Keep things in balance / perspective.
• Nothing is as important as one’s own health.
• After health, next is family.
• Then other things will fall into place.
• Treat life as a mystery – anticipation is what keeps us alive.
• Enjoy the sun, the wind, the flowers and the people
around you.