Professional Engineering Ethics

Professional
Engineering Ethics
Morality and Ethics

Concerns
the goodness of voluntary

human conduct that affects the self or
other living things
Morality (Latin mores) usually refers to any
aspect of human action
Ethics (Greek ethos) commonly refers only
to professional behavior
What Is Ethics?
Josephson Institute of Ethics
Ethics refers to standards of

conduct . . . that indicate how one
should behave based on . .
.principles of right and wrong. As a
practical matter, ethics is about
how we meet the challenge of
doing the right thing
The Existence of Right and Wrong

Principle:
Certain aspects of right and

wrong exist objectively, independent of
culture or personal opinion.
Accepting this principle is essential for
ethics to discern an objective reality
rather than just define a subjective
standard.
The Four Main Virtues

Prudence
(mind): to think about a

moral problem clearly and completely
Temperance
(emotions):
control
attraction to positive emotions
Fortitude
(emotions):
control
aversion for negative emotions
Justice (will): choose according to
truth and fairness.
Professional Ethics
What
is a profession?
What is ethics?
What is professional ethics?
Ethical theories
Thinking about professional ethics
Professional values
Codes of Ethics
Profession
All professions are occupations, but not all
occupations are professions
Can take a broad or narrow view of what is a
profession
A self-regulated occupational group capable of
legally prohibiting others (including incompetent
or unethical members) from practising is a
narrow view
Profession
Matter of degree there are many emerging
professions.
Obstacle in the way of the OHS professional is
the diverse nature of practice with competing coprofessionals.
You are not a professional until you are a member
of a group of colleagues who have articulated a
set of standards and values and can enforce
them, at the very least, by exclusion from the
group.
What is a professional?
Possesses
specialized knowledge and
skills
Belongs to and abides by the standards
of a society
Serves an important aspect of the public
good
What is a professional
engineer?
Has
a
bachelors
degree
in
engineering from an accredited
school
Performs engineering work
Is a registered P.E.
Acts in a morally responsible way
while practicing engineering
The Engineering Profession

How
we view ourselves:
Problem-solvers
Engineering
is enjoyable; esprit de corps

Engineering benefits people, provides a public
service
Engineering provides the most freedom of all
professions (Florman, 1976)
Engineering is an honorable profession
The Engineering Profession
How the public views engineering:

The Engineers Role
Engineers as Utilitarians
Engineers as Positivists
Applied Physical Scientists
This role does not mesh well with an
overarching social science bias of the public.
Professional Ethics
Purpose
Helps professional decide when

faced with a problem that raises a moral
issue
Complexity Can be many people, with
many issues involved may be involved
history to the issues may be an issue
WHO decides, not just WHAT decided.
Why the Interest in Professional

Ethics?
As occupations become more specialized, the

ethical issues become more specialized
Professional societies have increased efforts to
establish ethical codes to guide members
Increasing public scrutiny, lack of traditional
deference
Regulatory oversight, public protection
What is Engineering Ethics*

The
study of the moral issues and

decisions confronting individuals and
organizations engaged in engineering
The study of related questions about the
moral ideals, character, policies, and
relationships of people and corporations
involved in technological activity.
* from Martin. M. & Schinzinger, R. Ethics in Engineering (3rd Ed.) (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1996, pp. 2-3.
Ethics and Engineering

Where
the ethical issues can arise:
Conceptualization,
Design,
Manufacturing, Sales, Service
Supervision and Project Teams
Project timelines and budgets

Expectations, opinions, or judgments
Products: Unsafe or Less than Useful

Designed for obsolescence
Inferior materials or components
Unforeseen harmful effects to society
Testing,
Other fields where ethics are critical

Medical Ethics, Legal Ethics
Business Ethics (closest to Engineering Ethics)
Scientific Ethics
An applied ethics domain (rather than a theoretical analysis of
philosophy)
Engineering occurs at the confluence of technology, social
science, and business
Engineering is done by people and for people
Engineers decisions have a impact on all three areas in the
confluence
The public nature of an engineers work ensures that ethics
will always play a role

Impacts
of
decisions:
an
engineers
ethical
The Products & Services (safety and utility)

The Company and its Stockholders
The Public and Society (benefits to the
people)
Environment (Earth and beyond)
The Profession (how the public views it)
The Law (how legislation affects the
profession and industry)
Personal Position (job, internal moral conflict)

Typically,
may
good ethical decisions
be just that: good, but rarely great

or ideal
will not always be in the best interest
(irrespective of the timeline) of all
stakeholders
are not automatic but require thought,
consideration,
evaluation,
and
communication (much like the design
process)
Ethics and Morality

Morality
making choices with reasons

Ethics the study of HOW the choices are
made, ie ethics is the study of morality
Often
use ethics and morality
interchangeably
Ethics and Law

Law
the authority is external

Ethics the authority is internal
Much
of law, but not all, is based in

morality
Sometimes law is unethical
Much of what is ethical is unaddressed by
legal rules
Descriptive Ethics
Burgess and Mullen study
Most common cases:
Plagiarism
Confidentiality of data
Faked data
Criticizing colleagues for gain
Holding back, disguising data
Destruction of data
Not reporting incident deliberately
CODE OF ETHICS
Civil engineers should uphold and advance
the integrity, honor and dignity of the civil
engineering profession by:
using their knowledge and skill for the

enhancement of human welfare and the
environment;
being honest and impartial and serving
with
fidelity
the
public,
their
employers/employees and clients;
striving to increase the

competence and prestige of
the
civil
engineering
profession; and
supporting the professional

and technical societies of their
discipline.
FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
Civil 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 duties.
Civil Engineers shall perform services
only in areas of their competence.
Civil Engineers shall issue public
statements only in an objective and
truthful manner.
Civil Engineers shall act in

professional matters for each
employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall
avoid conflict of interest.
Civil Engineers shall build their
professional reputation on the
merit of their services and shall
not compete unfairly with others.
Civil
Engineers shall act in such a

manner as to uphold and enhance the
honor, integrity, and dignity of the civil
engineering profession.
Civil Engineers shall continue their
professional development throughout
their careers, and shall provide
opportunities for the professional
development of those civil engineers
under their supervision.

Professional Engineering Ethics

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Professional

Morality and Ethics

the goodness of voluntary

Ethics refers to standards of

The Existence of Right and Wrong

Certain aspects of right and

The Four Main Virtues

(mind): to think about a

specialized knowledge and

The Engineering Profession

is enjoyable; esprit de corps

The Engineering Profession

How the public views engineering:

Helps professional decide when

Why the Interest in Professional

As occupations become more specialized, the

What is Engineering Ethics*

study of the moral issues and

Ethics and Engineering

the ethical issues can arise:

Project timelines and budgets

Products: Unsafe or Less than Useful

Ethics and Engineering

Other fields where ethics are critical

Ethics and Engineering

The Products & Services (safety and utility)

Ethics and Engineering

good ethical decisions

be just that: good, but rarely great

Ethics and Morality

making choices with reasons

Ethics and Law

the authority is external

of law, but not all, is based in

Criticizing colleagues for gain

Holding back, disguising data

Not reporting incident deliberately

using their knowledge and skill for the

striving to increase the

supporting the professional

Civil Engineers shall hold paramount the

Civil Engineers shall act in

Engineers shall act in such a

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