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Engineering ethics

August 23, 2023

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.

Background and origins

Up to the 19th century and growing concerns

 
The first Tay Bridge collapsed in 1879. At least sixty were killed.

As engineering rose as a distinct profession during the 19th century, engineers saw themselves as either independent professional practitioners or technical employees of large enterprises. There was considerable tension between the two sides as large industrial employers fought to maintain control of their employees.[1]

In the United States growing professionalism gave rise to the development of four founding engineering societies: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (1851), the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) (1884),[2] the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (1880), and the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME) (1871).[3] ASCE and AIEE were more closely identified with the engineer as learned professional, where ASME, to an extent, and AIME almost entirely, identified with the view that the engineer is a technical employee.[4]

Even so, at that time ethics was viewed as a personal rather than a broad professional concern.[5][6]: 6 

Turn of the 20th century and turning point

 
The Boston molasses disaster provided a strong impetus for the establishment of professional licensing and codes of ethics in the United States.

When the 19th century drew to a close and the 20th century began, there had been series of significant structural failures, including some spectacular bridge failures, notably the Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster (1876), Tay Bridge Disaster (1879), and the Quebec Bridge collapse (1907). These had a profound effect on engineers and forced the profession to confront shortcomings in technical and construction practice, as well as ethical standards.[7]

One response was the development of formal codes of ethics by three of the four founding engineering societies. AIEE adopted theirs in 1912. ASCE and ASME did so in 1914.[8] AIME did not adopt a code of ethics in its history.[4]

Concerns for professional practice and protecting the public highlighted by these bridge failures, as well as the Boston molasses disaster (1919), provided impetus for another movement that had been underway for some time: to require formal credentials (Professional Engineering licensure in the US) as a requirement to practice. This involves meeting some combination of educational, experience, and testing requirements.[9]

In 1950, the Association of German Engineers developed an oath for all its members titled 'The Confession of the Engineers', directly hinting at the role of engineers in the atrocities committed during World War II.[10][11][12]

Over the following decades most American states and Canadian provinces either required engineers to be licensed, or passed special legislation reserving title rights to organization of professional engineers.[13] The Canadian model is to require all persons working in fields of engineering that posed a risk to life, health, property, the public welfare and the environment to be licensed, and all provinces required licensing by the 1950s.

The US model has generally been only to require the practicing engineers offering engineering services that impact the public welfare, safety, safeguarding of life, health, or property to be licensed, while engineers working in private industry without a direct offering of engineering services to the public or other businesses, education, and government need not be licensed.[14] This has perpetuated the split between professional engineers and those in private industry.[15] Professional societies have adopted generally uniform codes of ethics.

Recent developments

 
William LeMessurier's response to design deficiencies uncovered after construction of the Citigroup Center is often cited as an example of ethical conduct.

Efforts to promote ethical practice continue. In addition to the professional societies and chartering organizations efforts with their members, the Canadian Iron Ring and American Order of the Engineer trace their roots to the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse. Both require members to swear an oath to uphold ethical practice and wear a symbolic ring as a reminder.

In the United States, the National Society of Professional Engineers released in 1946 its Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct, which evolved to the current Code of Ethics, adopted in 1964. These requests ultimately led to the creation of the Board of Ethical Review in 1954. Ethics cases rarely have easy answers, but the BER's nearly 500 advisory opinions have helped bring clarity to the ethical issues engineers face daily.[16]

Currently, bribery and political corruption is being addressed very directly by several professional societies and business groups around the world.[17][18] However, new issues have arisen, such as offshoring, sustainable development, and environmental protection, that the profession is having to consider and address.

General principles

Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public

— National Society of Professional Engineers, [19]

A practitioner shall regard the practitioner's duty to public welfare as paramount."

— Professional Engineers Ontario, [20]

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.[13] 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,[21] which further extend the code and publish specific guidance.[22] The following is an example from the American Society of Civil Engineers:[23]

  1. 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.[23]
  2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.[23]
  3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.[23]
  4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.[23]
  5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.
  6. 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.[23]
  7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision.[23]
  8. 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.[24]
 
The Archimedean Oath (in French) signed by Chemical Engineering students (class of 2019) at EPFL upon graduation.

In 1990, EPFL students elaborated the Archimedean Oath, which is an ethical code of practice for engineers and technicians, similar to the Hippocratic Oath used in the medical world.[25]


Obligation to society

The paramount value recognized by engineers is the safety and welfare of the public. As demonstrated by the following selected excerpts, this is the case for professional engineering organizations in nearly every jurisdiction and engineering discipline:

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: "We, the members of the IEEE, … do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree: 1. to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;"[26]
  • Institution of Civil Engineers: "Members of the ICE should always be aware of their overriding responsibility to the public good. A member’s obligations to the client can never override this, and members of the ICE should not enter undertakings which compromise this responsibility. The ‘public good’ encompasses care and respect for the environment, and for humanity's cultural, historical and archaeological heritage, as well as the primary responsibility members have to protect the health and well-being of present and future generations."[27]
  • Professional Engineers Ontario: "A practitioner shall, regard the practitioner's duty to public welfare as paramount."[20]
  • National Society of Professional Engineers: "Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall: Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public."[19]
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers: "Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties."[28]
  • Institute of Industrial Engineers: "Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by: 2. Being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients."[29]
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers: "To achieve these goals, members shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and protect the environment in performance of their professional duties."[30]
  • American Nuclear Society: "ANS members uphold and advance the integrity and honor of their professions by using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment; being honest and impartial; serving with fidelity the public, their employers, and their clients; and striving to continuously improve the competence and prestige of their various professions."[31]
  • Society of Fire Protection Engineers: "In the practice of their profession, fire protection engineers must maintain and constantly improve their competence and perform under a standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct with balanced regard for the interests of the public, clients, employers, colleagues, and the profession."[32]

Responsibility of engineers

The engineers recognize that the greatest merit is the work and exercise their profession committed to serving society, attending to the welfare and progress of the majority. By transforming nature for the benefit of mankind, engineers must increase their awareness of the world as the abode of humanity, their interest in the universe as a guarantee of overcoming their spirit, and knowledge of reality to make the world fairer and happier. The engineer should reject any paper that is intended to harm the general interest, thus avoiding a situation that might be hazardous or threatening to the environment, life, health, or other rights of human beings. It is an inescapable duty of the engineer to uphold the prestige of the profession, to ensure its proper discharge, and to maintain a professional demeanor rooted in ability, honesty, fortitude, temperance, magnanimity, modesty, honesty, and justice; with the consciousness of individual well-being subordinate to the social good. The engineers and their employers must ensure the continuous improvement of their knowledge, particularly of their profession, disseminate their knowledge, share their experience, provide opportunities for education and training of workers, provide recognition, moral and material support to the schools where they studied, thus returning the benefits and opportunities they and their employers have received. It is the responsibility of the engineers to carry out their work efficiently and to support the law. In particular, they must ensure compliance with the standards of worker protection as provided by the law. As professionals, the engineers are expected to commit themselves to high standards of conduct (NSPE). [1] 11/27/11

Duty to Report (Whistleblowing)

 
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster is used as a case study of whistleblowing and organizational behavior including groupthink.
Main article: Whistleblower

A basic ethical dilemma is that an engineer has the duty to report to the appropriate authority a possible risk to others from a client or employer failing to follow the engineer's directions. According to first principles, this duty overrides the duty to a client and/or employer.[33] An engineer may be disciplined, or have their license revoked, even if the failure to report such a danger does not result in the loss of life or health.[34]

If an engineer is overruled by a non-technical authority or a technical authority they must inform the authority, in writing, the reasons for their advice and the consequences of the deviation from the advice.[35]

In many cases, this duty can be discharged by advising the client of the consequences in a forthright matter, and ensuring the client takes the engineer's advice. In very rare cases, where even a governmental authority may not take appropriate action, the engineer can only discharge the duty by making the situation public.[36] As a result, whistleblowing by professional engineers is not an unusual event, and courts have often sided with engineers in such cases, overruling duties to employers and confidentiality considerations that otherwise would have prevented the engineer from speaking out.[37]

Conduct

There are several other ethical issues that engineers may face. Some have to do with technical practice, but many others have to do with broader considerations of business conduct. These include:[22]

  • Relationships with clients, consultants, competitors, and contractors
  • Ensuring legal compliance by clients, client's contractors, and others
  • Conflict of interest
  • Bribery and kickbacks, which also may include:
    • Gifts, meals, services, and entertainment
  • Treatment of confidential or proprietary information
  • Consideration of the employer's assets
  • Outside employment/activities (Moonlighting)

Some engineering societies are addressing environmental protection as a stand-alone question of ethics.[23]

The field of business ethics often overlaps and informs ethical decision making for engineers.

Case studies and key individuals

Petroski notes that most engineering failures are much more involved than simple technical mis-calculations and involve the failure of the design process or management culture.[38] However, not all engineering failures involve ethical issues. The infamous collapse of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and the losses of the Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter were technical and design process failures. Nor are all engineering ethics issues necessary engineering failures per se - Northwestern University instructor Sheldon Epstein cited The Holocaust as an example of a breach in engineering ethics despite (and because of) the engineers' creations being successful at carrying out the Nazis' mission of genocide.[39]

These episodes of engineering failure include ethical as well as technical issues.

Notes

  1. ^ Layton (1986). pp. 6-9
  2. ^ The AIEE merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) (1912) in 1963 to form the IEEE.
  3. ^ AIME is now the umbrella organization of four technical societies: the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) (1957), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) (1957), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) (1957), and the Association For Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) (1974). Neither AIME, nor its subsidiary societies have adopted a formal code of ethics.
  4. ^ a b Layton (1986) p. 35.
  5. ^ ASCE (2000). p. 10.
  6. ^ Flavell, Eric. . ASCE. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved Nov 27, 2013.
  7. ^ ASME member H.F.J. Porter had proposed as early as 1892 that the engineering societies adopt uniform membership, education, and licensing requirements as well as a code of ethics. (Layton (1986). pp. 45-46)
  8. ^ Layton (1986). pp. 70 & 114.
  9. ^ Layton (1986). pp. 124-125.
  10. ^ Dietz, Burkhard, ed. (1996). Technische Intelligenz und "Kulturfaktor Technik". p. 29. ISBN 9783893254477.
  11. ^ Lorenz, Werner; Meyer, Torsen (2004). Technik und Verantwortung im Nationalsozialismus. p. 55. ISBN 9783830964070.
  12. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ a b Layton (1986)
  14. ^ https://engineers.texas.gov/downloads/lawrules.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ Layton (1986). pp. 6-7
  16. ^ "Board of Ethical Review". National Society of Professional Engineers. 2013. Retrieved Nov 29, 2013.
  17. ^ Transparency International and Social Accountability International (2009). Business Principles for Countering Bribery. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
  18. ^ (Press release). ASCE. 2005-06-17. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
  19. ^ a b "NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers". National Society of Professional Engineers. 2013. Retrieved Nov 29, 2013.
  20. ^ a b PEO. Professional Engineers Ontario Code of Ethics. Section 77.2.i of the Ontario Regulation 941. Retrieved: 2006-10-19.
  21. ^ ICE (2004).
  22. ^ a b ASCE (2000).
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h ASCE [1914] (2006).
  24. ^ "Code of Ethics | ASCE". www.asce.org. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  25. ^ https://www.epfl.ch/about/overview/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Charte-ethique-de-lEFPL.pdf
  26. ^ IEEE (2006). Code of Ethics Canon 1.. Retrieved: 2006-10-19.
  27. ^ ICE (2004). p. 38.
  28. ^ . ASME. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved Nov 29, 2013.
  29. ^ IIE. "Ethics". [1] Retrieved: 2011-6-01.
  30. ^ AIChE (2003). Code of Ethics Retrieved: 2006-10-21.
  31. ^ ANS (2003). Code of Ethics Retrieved: 2011-08-19.
  32. ^ "Code of Ethics - SFPE". www.sfpe.org. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  33. ^ Weil, "Whistleblowing: What Have We Learned Since the Challenger?"
  34. ^ See NSPE, Board of Ethical Review, Cases 82-5 2012-08-08 at the Wayback Machine and 88-6 .
  35. ^ Ontario Regulation 941 Section 72(2)(f)
  36. ^ NSPE (2006-06-30). "Final Report of the NSPE Task Force on Overruling Engineering Judgment to the NSPE Board of Directors" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-08-28. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  37. ^ See the case of Shawn Carpenter.
  38. ^ Petroski (1985)
  39. ^ "Northwestern U. Fires Adjunct Who Taught About Holocaust". www.chronicle.com. 17 January 1997. Retrieved 2021-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

References

Further reading

  • Alford, C.F. (2002). Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power, Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801487804, 192 pp.
  • Fleddermann, C.B. (2011). Engineering Ethics, Prentice Hall, 4th edition. ISBN 978-0132145213, 192pp.
  • Glazer, M.P. (1991).Whistleblower, New York, NY: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0465091744, 306pp.
  • Harris, C.E., M.S. Pritchard, and M.J. Rabins (2008).Engineering Ethics: Concept and Cases, Wadsworth Publishing, 4th edition. ISBN 978-0495502791, 332 pp.
  • Peterson, Martin (2020). Ethics for Engineers, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190609191, 256 pp.
  • Huesemann, Michael H., and Joyce A. Huesemann (2011). Technofix: Why Technology Won’t Save Us or the Environment, Chapter 14, “Critical Science and Social Responsibility”, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, ISBN 0865717044, 464 pp.
  • Martin, M.W., and R. Schinzinger (2004). Ethics in Engineering, McGraw-Hill, 4th edition. ISBN 978-0072831153, 432 pp.
  • Van de Poel, I., and L. Royakkers (2011). Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction, Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-444-33095-3, 376 pp.

External links

 
Wikibooks has more on the topic of: Engineering ethics
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Engineering ethics.

Australia

Ethical Decision Making
Code of Ethics

Canada

EGGP Code of Ethics
  • Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba (APEGM)
Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics (See link on front page.)
  • L'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ)
Code of Ethics of Engineers
The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer
- A Guide to the Ethical and Legal Use of Software for Members of the University Community of the University of Western Ontario

Germany

Ethical principles of engineering profession 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

Ireland

Code of Ethics 2019-12-13 at the Wayback Machine

Sri Lanka

Code of Ethics 2019-05-12 at the Wayback Machine

Turkey

Professional Behavior Principles

United Kingdom

  • Engineering Professors' Council (EPC)

Engineering Ethics Toolkit

Ethics Explorer

Joint Statement of Ethical Principles 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

United States

Online Ethics Center of the National Academy of Engineering 2018-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  • List of links to various professional and scientific societies' codes of ethics
Onlineethics.org
Code of Ethics
Board of Ethical Review and BER Cases
Ethics Resources and References
Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics

International

August 23, 2023
engineering, ethics, field, system, moral, principles, that, apply, practice, engineering, field, examines, sets, obligations, engineers, society, their, clients, profession, scholarly, discipline, closely, related, subjects, such, philosophy, science, philoso. 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 Contents 1 Background and origins 1 1 Up to the 19th century and growing concerns 1 2 Turn of the 20th century and turning point 1 3 Recent developments 2 General principles 2 1 Obligation to society 2 2 Duty to Report Whistleblowing 2 3 Conduct 3 Case studies and key individuals 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links 7 1 Australia 7 2 Canada 7 3 Germany 7 4 Ireland 7 5 Sri Lanka 7 6 Turkey 7 7 United Kingdom 7 8 United States 7 9 InternationalBackground and origins EditUp to the 19th century and growing concerns Edit The first Tay Bridge collapsed in 1879 At least sixty were killed As engineering rose as a distinct profession during the 19th century engineers saw themselves as either independent professional practitioners or technical employees of large enterprises There was considerable tension between the two sides as large industrial employers fought to maintain control of their employees 1 In the United States growing professionalism gave rise to the development of four founding engineering societies The American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE 1851 the American Institute of Electrical Engineers AIEE 1884 2 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME 1880 and the American Institute of Mining Engineers AIME 1871 3 ASCE and AIEE were more closely identified with the engineer as learned professional where ASME to an extent and AIME almost entirely identified with the view that the engineer is a technical employee 4 Even so at that time ethics was viewed as a personal rather than a broad professional concern 5 6 6 Turn of the 20th century and turning point Edit The Boston molasses disaster provided a strong impetus for the establishment of professional licensing and codes of ethics in the United States When the 19th century drew to a close and the 20th century began there had been series of significant structural failures including some spectacular bridge failures notably the Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster 1876 Tay Bridge Disaster 1879 and the Quebec Bridge collapse 1907 These had a profound effect on engineers and forced the profession to confront shortcomings in technical and construction practice as well as ethical standards 7 One response was the development of formal codes of ethics by three of the four founding engineering societies AIEE adopted theirs in 1912 ASCE and ASME did so in 1914 8 AIME did not adopt a code of ethics in its history 4 Concerns for professional practice and protecting the public highlighted by these bridge failures as well as the Boston molasses disaster 1919 provided impetus for another movement that had been underway for some time to require formal credentials Professional Engineering licensure in the US as a requirement to practice This involves meeting some combination of educational experience and testing requirements 9 In 1950 the Association of German Engineers developed an oath for all its members titled The Confession of the Engineers directly hinting at the role of engineers in the atrocities committed during World War II 10 11 12 Over the following decades most American states and Canadian provinces either required engineers to be licensed or passed special legislation reserving title rights to organization of professional engineers 13 The Canadian model is to require all persons working in fields of engineering that posed a risk to life health property the public welfare and the environment to be licensed and all provinces required licensing by the 1950s The US model has generally been only to require the practicing engineers offering engineering services that impact the public welfare safety safeguarding of life health or property to be licensed while engineers working in private industry without a direct offering of engineering services to the public or other businesses education and government need not be licensed 14 This has perpetuated the split between professional engineers and those in private industry 15 Professional societies have adopted generally uniform codes of ethics Recent developments Edit William LeMessurier s response to design deficiencies uncovered after construction of the Citigroup Center is often cited as an example of ethical conduct Efforts to promote ethical practice continue In addition to the professional societies and chartering organizations efforts with their members the Canadian Iron Ring and American Order of the Engineer trace their roots to the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse Both require members to swear an oath to uphold ethical practice and wear a symbolic ring as a reminder In the United States the National Society of Professional Engineers released in 1946 its Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct which evolved to the current Code of Ethics adopted in 1964 These requests ultimately led to the creation of the Board of Ethical Review in 1954 Ethics cases rarely have easy answers but the BER s nearly 500 advisory opinions have helped bring clarity to the ethical issues engineers face daily 16 Currently bribery and political corruption is being addressed very directly by several professional societies and business groups around the world 17 18 However new issues have arisen such as offshoring sustainable development and environmental protection that the profession is having to consider and address General principles EditEngineers in the fulfillment of their professional duties shall hold paramount the safety health and welfare of the public National Society of Professional Engineers 19 A practitioner shall regard the practitioner s duty to public welfare as paramount Professional Engineers Ontario 20 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 13 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 21 which further extend the code and publish specific guidance 22 The following is an example from the American Society of Civil Engineers 23 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 23 Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence 23 Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner 23 Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees and shall avoid conflicts of interest 23 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 23 Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision 23 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 24 The Archimedean Oath in French signed by Chemical Engineering students class of 2019 at EPFL upon graduation In 1990 EPFL students elaborated the Archimedean Oath which is an ethical code of practice for engineers and technicians similar to the Hippocratic Oath used in the medical world 25 Obligation to society Edit The paramount value recognized by engineers is the safety and welfare of the public As demonstrated by the following selected excerpts this is the case for professional engineering organizations in nearly every jurisdiction and engineering discipline Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers We the members of the IEEE do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree 1 to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety health and welfare of the public and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment 26 Institution of Civil Engineers Members of the ICE should always be aware of their overriding responsibility to the public good A member s obligations to the client can never override this and members of the ICE should not enter undertakings which compromise this responsibility The public good encompasses care and respect for the environment and for humanity s cultural historical and archaeological heritage as well as the primary responsibility members have to protect the health and well being of present and future generations 27 Professional Engineers Ontario A practitioner shall regard the practitioner s duty to public welfare as paramount 20 National Society of Professional Engineers Engineers in the fulfillment of their professional duties shall Hold paramount the safety health and welfare of the public 19 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Engineers shall hold paramount the safety health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties 28 Institute of Industrial Engineers Engineers uphold and advance the integrity honor and dignity of the engineering profession by 2 Being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public their employers and clients 29 American Institute of Chemical Engineers To achieve these goals members shall hold paramount the safety health and welfare of the public and protect the environment in performance of their professional duties 30 American Nuclear Society ANS members uphold and advance the integrity and honor of their professions by using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment being honest and impartial serving with fidelity the public their employers and their clients and striving to continuously improve the competence and prestige of their various professions 31 Society of Fire Protection Engineers In the practice of their profession fire protection engineers must maintain and constantly improve their competence and perform under a standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct with balanced regard for the interests of the public clients employers colleagues and the profession 32 Responsibility of engineersThe engineers recognize that the greatest merit is the work and exercise their profession committed to serving society attending to the welfare and progress of the majority By transforming nature for the benefit of mankind engineers must increase their awareness of the world as the abode of humanity their interest in the universe as a guarantee of overcoming their spirit and knowledge of reality to make the world fairer and happier The engineer should reject any paper that is intended to harm the general interest thus avoiding a situation that might be hazardous or threatening to the environment life health or other rights of human beings It is an inescapable duty of the engineer to uphold the prestige of the profession to ensure its proper discharge and to maintain a professional demeanor rooted in ability honesty fortitude temperance magnanimity modesty honesty and justice with the consciousness of individual well being subordinate to the social good The engineers and their employers must ensure the continuous improvement of their knowledge particularly of their profession disseminate their knowledge share their experience provide opportunities for education and training of workers provide recognition moral and material support to the schools where they studied thus returning the benefits and opportunities they and their employers have received It is the responsibility of the engineers to carry out their work efficiently and to support the law In particular they must ensure compliance with the standards of worker protection as provided by the law As professionals the engineers are expected to commit themselves to high standards of conduct NSPE 1 11 27 11 Duty to Report Whistleblowing Edit The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster is used as a case study of whistleblowing and organizational behavior including groupthink Main article Whistleblower A basic ethical dilemma is that an engineer has the duty to report to the appropriate authority a possible risk to others from a client or employer failing to follow the engineer s directions According to first principles this duty overrides the duty to a client and or employer 33 An engineer may be disciplined or have their license revoked even if the failure to report such a danger does not result in the loss of life or health 34 If an engineer is overruled by a non technical authority or a technical authority they must inform the authority in writing the reasons for their advice and the consequences of the deviation from the advice 35 In many cases this duty can be discharged by advising the client of the consequences in a forthright matter and ensuring the client takes the engineer s advice In very rare cases where even a governmental authority may not take appropriate action the engineer can only discharge the duty by making the situation public 36 As a result whistleblowing by professional engineers is not an unusual event and courts have often sided with engineers in such cases overruling duties to employers and confidentiality considerations that otherwise would have prevented the engineer from speaking out 37 Conduct Edit There are several other ethical issues that engineers may face Some have to do with technical practice but many others have to do with broader considerations of business conduct These include 22 Relationships with clients consultants competitors and contractors Ensuring legal compliance by clients client s contractors and others Conflict of interest Bribery and kickbacks which also may include Gifts meals services and entertainment Treatment of confidential or proprietary information Consideration of the employer s assets Outside employment activities Moonlighting Some engineering societies are addressing environmental protection as a stand alone question of ethics 23 The field of business ethics often overlaps and informs ethical decision making for engineers Case studies and key individuals EditPetroski notes that most engineering failures are much more involved than simple technical mis calculations and involve the failure of the design process or management culture 38 However not all engineering failures involve ethical issues The infamous collapse of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the losses of the Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter were technical and design process failures Nor are all engineering ethics issues necessary engineering failures per se Northwestern University instructor Sheldon Epstein cited The Holocaust as an example of a breach in engineering ethics despite and because of the engineers creations being successful at carrying out the Nazis mission of genocide 39 These episodes of engineering failure include ethical as well as technical issues Titan submersible implosion 2023 General Motors ignition switch recalls 2014 Deepwater Horizon oil spill 2010 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster 2003 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 1986 Therac 25 accidents 1985 to 1987 Chernobyl disaster 1986 Bhopal disaster 1984 Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse 1981 Love Canal 1980 Lois Gibbs Three Mile Island accident 1979 Citigroup Center 1978 Ford Pinto safety problems 1970s Minamata disease 1908 1973 Aberfan disaster 1966 Chevrolet Corvair safety problems 1960s Ralph Nader and Unsafe at Any Speed Boston molasses disaster 1919 Quebec Bridge collapse 1907 Theodore Cooper Johnstown Flood 1889 South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club Tay Bridge Disaster 1879 Thomas Bouch William Henry Barlow and William Yolland Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster 1876 Amasa StoneNotes Edit Layton 1986 pp 6 9 The AIEE merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers IRE 1912 in 1963 to form the IEEE AIME is now the umbrella organization of four technical societies the Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration SME 1957 The Minerals Metals amp Materials Society TMS 1957 the Society of Petroleum Engineers SPE 1957 and the Association For Iron and Steel Technology AIST 1974 Neither AIME nor its subsidiary societies have adopted a formal code of ethics a b Layton 1986 p 35 ASCE 2000 p 10 Flavell Eric The ASCE Code of Ethics PRINCIPLES STUDY AND APPLICATION ASCE Archived from the original on 2013 12 03 Retrieved Nov 27 2013 ASME member H F J Porter had proposed as early as 1892 that the engineering societies adopt uniform membership education and licensing requirements as well as a code of ethics Layton 1986 pp 45 46 Layton 1986 pp 70 amp 114 Layton 1986 pp 124 125 Dietz Burkhard ed 1996 Technische Intelligenz und Kulturfaktor Technik p 29 ISBN 9783893254477 Lorenz Werner Meyer Torsen 2004 Technik und Verantwortung im Nationalsozialismus p 55 ISBN 9783830964070 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2015 10 14 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link a b Layton 1986 https engineers texas gov downloads lawrules pdf bare URL PDF Layton 1986 pp 6 7 Board of Ethical Review National Society of Professional Engineers 2013 Retrieved Nov 29 2013 Transparency International and Social Accountability International 2009 Business Principles for Countering Bribery Retrieved 2013 11 29 Report Details Guidelines to Reduce Corruption in Engineering and Construction Industry Press release ASCE 2005 06 17 Archived from the original on 2007 09 30 Retrieved 2006 10 20 a b NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers National Society of Professional Engineers 2013 Retrieved Nov 29 2013 a b PEO Professional Engineers Ontario Code of Ethics Section 77 2 i of the Ontario Regulation 941 Retrieved 2006 10 19 ICE 2004 a b ASCE 2000 a b c d e f g h ASCE 1914 2006 Code of Ethics ASCE www asce org Retrieved 2018 12 14 https www epfl ch about overview wp content uploads 2019 09 Charte ethique de lEFPL pdf IEEE 2006 Code of Ethics Canon 1 Retrieved 2006 10 19 ICE 2004 p 38 Code of Ethics of Engineers ASME 2013 Archived from the original on 2013 12 06 Retrieved Nov 29 2013 IIE Ethics 1 Retrieved 2011 6 01 AIChE 2003 Code of Ethics Retrieved 2006 10 21 ANS 2003 Code of Ethics Retrieved 2011 08 19 Code of Ethics SFPE www sfpe org Retrieved 2017 05 18 Weil Whistleblowing What Have We Learned Since the Challenger See NSPE Board of Ethical Review Cases 82 5 Archived 2012 08 08 at the Wayback Machine and 88 6 Ontario Regulation 941 Section 72 2 f NSPE 2006 06 30 Final Report of the NSPE Task Force on Overruling Engineering Judgment to the NSPE Board of Directors PDF Retrieved 2020 08 28 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help See the case of Shawn Carpenter Petroski 1985 Northwestern U Fires Adjunct Who Taught About Holocaust www chronicle com 17 January 1997 Retrieved 2021 06 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link References EditAmerican Society of Civil Engineers 2010 1914 Code of Ethics Reston Virginia USA ASCE Press Archived from the original on 2011 02 14 Retrieved 2011 12 07 American Society of Civil Engineers 2000 Ethics Guidelines for Professional Conduct for Civil Engineers PDF Reston Virginia USA ASCE Press Archived from the original PDF on 2014 10 21 Retrieved 2013 11 30 Institution of Civil Engineers 2004 Royal Charter By laws Regulations and Rules Archived from the original on 2013 12 03 Retrieved 2006 10 20 Layton Edwin 1986 The Revolt of the Engineers Social Responsibility and the American Engineering Profession Baltimore Maryland USA The Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN 0 8018 3287 X Petroski Henry 1985 To Engineer is Human the Role of Failure in Successful Design St Martins Press ISBN 0 312 80680 9 National Society of Professional Engineers 2007 1964 Code of Ethics PDF Alexandria Virginia USA NSPE Archived from the original PDF on 2008 12 02 Retrieved 2006 10 20 Further reading EditAlford C F 2002 Whistleblowers Broken Lives and Organizational Power Cornell University Press ISBN 978 0801487804 192 pp Fleddermann C B 2011 Engineering Ethics Prentice Hall 4th edition ISBN 978 0132145213 192pp Glazer M P 1991 Whistleblower New York NY Basic Books ISBN 978 0465091744 306pp Harris C E M S Pritchard and M J Rabins 2008 Engineering Ethics Concept and Cases Wadsworth Publishing 4th edition ISBN 978 0495502791 332 pp Peterson Martin 2020 Ethics for Engineers Oxford University Press ISBN 9780190609191 256 pp Huesemann Michael H and Joyce A Huesemann 2011 Technofix Why Technology Won t Save Us or the Environment Chapter 14 Critical Science and Social Responsibility New Society Publishers Gabriola Island British Columbia Canada ISBN 0865717044 464 pp Martin M W and R Schinzinger 2004 Ethics in Engineering McGraw Hill 4th edition ISBN 978 0072831153 432 pp Van de Poel I and L Royakkers 2011 Ethics Technology and Engineering An Introduction Wiley Blackwell ISBN 978 1 444 33095 3 376 pp External links Edit Wikibooks has more on the topic of Engineering ethics Wikiquote has quotations related to Engineering ethics Australia Edit Association of Professional Engineers Scientists and Managers AustraliaEthical Decision MakingEngineers AustraliaCode of EthicsCanada Edit Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia APEGBC Act Bylaws and Code of EthicsAssociation of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta APEGA EGGP Code of EthicsAssociation of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba APEGM Code of EthicsProfessional Engineers Ontario PEO Code of Ethics See link on front page L Ordre des ingenieurs du Quebec OIQ Code of Ethics of EngineersIron RingThe Ritual of the Calling of an EngineerUniversity of Western OntarioSoftware Ethics A Guide to the Ethical and Legal Use of Software for Members of the University Community of the University of Western OntarioGermany Edit Verein Deutscher IngenieureEthical principles of engineering profession Archived 2016 03 04 at the Wayback MachineIreland Edit Engineers IrelandCode of Ethics Archived 2019 12 13 at the Wayback MachineSri Lanka Edit Institution of Engineers Sri LankaCode of Ethics Archived 2019 05 12 at the Wayback MachineTurkey Edit Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and ArchitectsProfessional Behavior PrinciplesUnited Kingdom Edit Association for Consultancy and Engineering ACE Anti Corruption Action StatementEngineering Professors Council EPC Engineering Ethics ToolkitEthics Explorer Institution of Civil Engineers ICE Royal Charter By laws Regulations and RulesInstitution of Engineering and Technology IET Professional ethics and the IETEngineering Council EC Joint Statement of Ethical Principles Archived 2015 02 05 at the Wayback MachineUnited States Edit National Academy of EngineeringOnline Ethics Center of the National Academy of Engineering Archived 2018 02 01 at the Wayback MachineList of links to various professional and scientific societies codes of ethicsOnlineethics orgNational Institute for Engineering Ethics NIEE National Society of Professional Engineers NSPE Code of Ethics Board of Ethical Review and BER Cases Ethics Resources and ReferencesAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE Code of EthicsAmerican Society of Civil Engineers ASCE Code of Ethics Standards of Professional Conduct for Civil EngineersAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME Code of Ethics Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Code of EthicsThe Order of the EngineerThe Obligation of an EngineerSociety of Manufacturing Engineers SME Code of EthicsInternational Edit Global Infrastructure Anti Corruption Centre Transparency International Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Engineering ethics amp oldid 1169191700, 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