Engineering Ethics

1. Introduction to the
Ethics of Engineering

2. Objectives
 Explain the nature of ethics and the
difference with other kinds of standards and
values.
 Explain the basic issues and concepts in the
codes of ethics of professional engineering
societies.

3. Introduction
 Engineers are expected to maintain high
standards of ethical conduct, in their
professional lives, by the society and their
profession.
 Specifically, the National Council of
Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES) provides the Model Rules of
Professional Conduct Code.

4. The Nature of Ethics
 Ethics is concerned with standards, rules or
guidelines for moral or socially approved
conduct such as being honest or
trustworthy, or acting in the best interest of
society.
 Ethical standards apply only to conduct
which could have some significant effect on
the lives of people in general.

5. Legal Standards vs. Ethical
Standards
 Legal standards, defined by legal body,
determine what the law is and who
should obey it.
 Ethical standards exist independently
of any particular group of experts.

6. The Nature of
Engineering Ethics
 Engineering ethics is an applied form
of ethical standards which apply to any
human occupation (ethical duties of
honesty, fair dealing with other people,
obeying the relevant laws, …)

7. Model Rules of Professional
Conduct Code
 The Preamble
 The Engineer’s Obligation to Society
 The Engineer’s Obligation to
Employers and Clients
 An Engineer’s Obligations to Other
Engineers

8. The Preamble
1) It is ethically wrong to cause harm to
people
2) “… promote the public welfare.”
3) “… to maintain a high standard of
integrity and practice among
engineers.”

9. The Engineer’s Obligation
to Society
1) While performing services, the engineer’s
foremost responsibility is to the public welfare.
2) Engineers shall approve only those designs that
safeguard the life, health, welfare and property
of the public, …
3) If an engineer’s professional judgment is
overruled resulting in danger to the life, health,
welfare or property of the public, the engineer
shall notify employer or client and authority.

10. The Engineer’s Obligation
to Society
4) Engineers shall be objective and truthful in
professional reports.
5) Engineers shall not express a professional
opinion publicly unless it is based upon
knowledge of the facts and competent
evaluation.
6) Engineers should explicitly identify the parties
on whose behalf they are expressing the opinion,
and reveal the interests the parties have in the
matters.

11. The Engineer’s Obligation
to Society
7) Engineers shall not associate in business
ventures with persons engaging in
dishonest, fraudulent, or illegal business
practice.
8) Engineers who have knowledge of a
possible violation of any of the rules listed
shall provide pertinent information and
assist the state board.

12. The Engineer’s Obligation to
Employers and Clients
1) Engineers shall not undertake technical
assignments for which they are not qualified by
education or experience.
2) Engineers shall approve or seal only those plans
or designs that deal with subjects in which they
are competent.
3) Engineers may coordinate an entire project
provided that each design component is signed
or sealed.

13. The Engineer’s Obligation to
Employers and Clients
4) Engineers shall not reveal professional
information without prior consent, except
when required by law.
5) Engineers shall not solicit or accept
valuable considerations from contractors.
6) Engineers shall disclose to their employers
or clients potential conflicts of interest.

14. The Engineer’s Obligation to
Employers and Clients
7) An engineer shall not accept compensation
from more than one party for services on
one project unless the details are fully
disclosed and agreed.
8) To avoid conflict of interest, engineers
shall not solicit or accept a contract from a
governmental body on which a principal or
officer of the firm serves as a member.

15. An Engineer’s Obligations
to Other Engineers
1) Engineers shall not misrepresent or permit
misrepresentation of their or any of their
associates’ academic or professional qualifications.
2) Engineers shall not give, solicit, or receive any
gifts or commission in order to obtain work.
3) Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously
or falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional
reputations, prospects, practice or employment of
other engineers.

16. Engineering Ethics and
Legal Issues
 Engineers are expected to obey the
general rules and regulations of the
societies which they live in.
 Every engineer needs to have a good
basic grasp of basic transaction legal
matters.

17. Open Forum

18. Ethics: Challenger
 Roger Boisjoly tried to stop the launch of the Space Shuttle
Challenger in 1986. Despite Boisjoly's objections, the ship
was sent up, only to explode just over a minute after take-off,
killing all the astronauts on board.
 Boisjoly had more than 25 years of experience in the
aerospace industry when, in 1985, he found a problem with
the Challenger's seals that he thought could jeopardize the
safety of the mission.
 Although he was asked to soften the urgency of the problem
he had found, Boisjoly continued to voice his concern about
going ahead with the launch. Unfortunately, Boisjoly was left
out of the final decision to send up the shuttle.
http://www.graduatingengineer.com/articles/feature/12-7-99b.html

19. Case Scenario:
Exam Copy
 While preparing for a major engineering
exam, a fellow classmate approaches you
and informs you that he has a copy of the
exam and asks if you would like a copy of
it. You know that if you take the copy of
the exam you will get a perfect score and
most likely end the semester with an “A” in
the course. Will you take the copy of the
exam? Why or why not?

20. Case Scenario:
Leaving Out Data
 You have spent many months in the lab recording test
data on a particular material that you have designed. All
the prior tests indicate that this material can be very
useful in the industrial world. Yet towards the end of the
8th
month of the material research, you discover that at a
relatively high temperature the material will experience
catastrophic failure. This new flaw in the material will
make the material useless. But, if you don’t tell anyone
about this high temperature flaw, you can potentially
make millions of dollars. Do you leave out the data that
basically kills your material? Explain your decision in
detail.