17.2 Codes of ethics: What are our professional obligations? Flashcards
- Imagine you are a mining engineer who has been engaged by the owner of a mine to design a new shaft extension.
- As part of that design task, you survey the mine and find that part of it runs under someone else’s property.
How might you determine if you are obligated to simply complete the survey and the design for the mine owner who engaged you and who is paying you, and then go on to your next professional engagement?
You may suspect that the mine owner hasn’t notified the landowner that his mineral rights are being excavated out from underneath him.
- Should you do something about that? If so, what? Further, what compels you to do something’?
- Is it personal morality?
- Is there a law?
- How are you responsible, and to whom?
Explain how the chain of questions in the mining engineering example can be lengthened, and the situation made more complicated?
The chain of questions just started can easily be lengthened, and the situation made more complicated:
- For example, what if the mine was the only mine in town and its owner controlled your livelihood, and those of many town residents?
- Or, if you find out that the mine runs under, or perilously close to, an elementary school, does that change things?
Do most professional engineering societies have published codes of ethics? Name some examples.
Yes. Most professional engineering societies do have published codes of ethics.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) both have published codes of ethics.
Compare and contrast the codes of ethics of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE)?
While both codes emphasize integrity and honesty, they do appear to value certain kinds of behavior differently.
What are some examples of ways that the codes of ethics of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) emphasize integrity and honesty, yet appear to value certain kinds of behavior differently?
- The ASCE code enjoins its members from competing unfairly with others, a subject not mentioned by the IEEE.
- The IEEE specifically calls for its members to “fairly treat all persons regardless of such factor. Race, religion, gender… “. There are other differences as well in the styles of language.
- The ASCE presents a set of injunctions about what engineers “shall” do, while the IEEE code is phrased as a set of commitments to undertake certain behaviors.
- The ASCE presents a set of injunctions about what engineers “shall” do, while the IEEE code is phrased as a set of commitments to undertake certain behaviors.
What do the differences in ethical codes of the ASCE and of the IEEE reflect?
The differences in the codes of the ACSE and the IEEE reflect d__ifferent styles of engineering practice in the various disciplines much more than differences in their views of the importance of ethics.
What are some ways that the differences in the codes of the ACSE and the IEEE reflect different styles of engineering practice in the various disciplines?
Civil engineers who are not employed by a government agency work in small companies that are people-intensive, rather than capital-intensive. These firms obtain much of their work through public, competitive bidding.
Describe the attitudes of professional societies regarding whistleblowing.
Professional societies have not always been seen as active and visible protectors of whistleblowers and other professionals who raise concerns about specific engineering or design instances.
Are codes of ethics of domestic professional societies similar to those of foreign professional societies?
The codes of ethics adopted by the professional societies of the ASCE and the IEEE that have been described are those found in the United States and Canada, which are not necessarily the same as those in other parts of the world.
