Technology

1
Technology Society

• Engineering Ethics
• Chapter 12

2
General Ethics

• Ethics is concerned with standards, rules, or
  guidelines for morally or socially approved
  conduct
• Being honest, trustworthy
• Acting in the best interest of society

3
Ethical Standards

• Only apply to conduct which has some significant
  effect on peoples lives

4
Ethical vs. Legal Standards

• Ethical Standards
• Exist independently of any particular group of
  experts
• Written form summarizes what those standards are
  rather than defining the nature of them

• Legal Standards
• Defined in legal documents by some appointed
  legal body
• Documents and legal experts decide what the law
  is and who should obey

5
Give Way to Ethical Standards

• Personal conflicts with ethical standards
• Must suppress personal standards to resolve in
  favor of ethical standards
• Legal standards must give way to ethical
  standards in case of conflicts

6
Justice

• It is ethically wrong to treat people in unjust
  or unfair ways
• All people should be treated equally

7
Ethics Discussion Quiz 1

• A persons behavior is always ethical when he or
  she
• A. Does what is best for oneself
• B. Has good intentions no matter how things turn
  out
• C. Does what is best for everyone
• D. Does what is most profitable

• Which of the following ensures that behavior is
  ethical?
• A. Following the law
• B. Acting in the best interest of society
• C. Following non-legal standards for socially
  approved conduct
• More than one answer may be correct

8
Engineering Ethics

• Engineers Council for Professional Development
  states
• Engineers shall hold paramount the safety,
  health, and welfare of the public in the
  performance of their professional duties.

9
Other Engineering Ethics

• Personal choices or values are irrelevant to
  engineering ethics
• Conflicts between personal standards and
  engineering ethical standards must be resolved in
  favor of supporting the relevant engineering
  ethical standards

10
More Engineering Ethics

• Engineers duty is to uphold engineering ethics
  standards even if his/her job is at risk
• Good engineering ethics will be in close harmony
  with existing legal codes governing engineering
• Engineers have an ethical obligation to use good
  scientific methods at all times
• Engineering ethics codes include prohibitions on
  unethical behavior while off the job

11
Ethics Discussion Quiz 2 1

• Engineers should follow their professional ethic
  code because
• A. Helps them avoid legal problems (getting
  sued)
• B. Provides a clear definition of what the
  public has a right to expect from responsible
  engineers
• C. It raises the image of the profession, hence,
  gets more engineers pay
• D. The public will trust engineers more once
  they know engineers have an ethics code

12
Ethics Discussion Quiz 2 2

• Engineers should act ethically because
• A. If they do not, they risk getting demoted or
  fired
• B. The boss wants them too
• C. It feels good
• D. That is the way responsible engineers behave

13
Ethics Discussion Quiz 2 3

• The first and foremost obligation of registered
  professional engineers is to
• A. The public welfare
• B. Their employer
• C. The government
• D. The engineering profession

14
Ethics Discussion Quiz 2 4

• Registered professional engineers should
  undertake services for clients only when
• A. They really need the fees
• B. Their own bid is the lowest one
• C. They are fully technically competent to carry
  out the services
• D. Carrying out the services would not involve
  excessive time or effort

15
Risk Benefit Analysis

• Risk
• The perceived extent of possible loss
• Helps assess the risks
• Risk probability of event cost of the event

16
NCEES Model Rules of Professional Conduct
17
The Preamble

• Safeguard life, health, and property, to promote
  public welfare and to maintain a high standard of
  integrity and practice among engineers.

18
Safeguard life, health, property

• Causing harm to people is ethically wrong
• One should take measures that will safeguard or
  preserve people from future harm

19
promote the public welfare

• Duty or obligation to take active, professional
  steps that result in definite benefits and
  improved conditions for the general public

20
maintain a high standard of integrity and
practice

• The code ensures engineers honesty
  trustworthiness
• Maintains high standards of professional conduct
  and scientific expertise

21
Other Preamble Issues

• Engineering registration is a privilege and not
  a right. This privilege demands that engineers
  responsibly represent themselves before the
  public in a truthful and objective manner
• Engineers must compete fairly with others and
  avoid all conflicts of interest while faithfully
  serving the legitimate needs and interests of
  their employers and clients.

22
Engineers Obligation to Society
23
Obligation to Society

• While performing services, the engineers
  foremost responsibility is to the public welfare
• Engineers shall approve only those designs that
  safeguard the life, health, welfare, and property
  of the public while conforming to accepted
  engineering standards
• Engineers must keep wider, long-term issues in
  mind on every project

24
Whistleblowing

• if an engineers professional judgment is
  overruled resulting in danger to the life,
  health, welfare, or property of the public, the
  engineer shall notify his/her employer or client
  and any appropriate authority

25
Truth in Duties

• Engineers shall not express a professional
  opinion publicly unless it is based upon
  knowledge of the facts and a competent evaluation
  of the subject matter

• Engineers shall be objective and truthful in
  professional reports, statements, or testimonies
  and shall provide all pertinent supporting
  information relating to such items

26
The Duty of Full Disclosure

• Engineers shall not express a professional
  opinion on subject matters for which they are
  motivated or paid, unless they explicitly
  identify the parties on whose behalf they are
  expressing the opinion and reveal the parties
  interest in the matters

27
Clean Hands Rule

• Engineers shall not enter business ventures or
  permit their names or their firms names to be
  used by any persons or firm which is engaging in
  dishonest, fraudulent, or illegal business
  practice

28
Final Obligation to Society

• Engineers who have knowledge of a possible
  violation of any of the rules listed in this and
  the following two parts shall provide pertinent
  information and assist the state board in
  reaching a final determination of the possible
  violation

29
Engineers Obligation to Employers and Clients
30
Professional Competence

• Engineers shall approve or seal only those plans
  or designs that deal with subjects in which they
  are competent and which have been prepared under
  their direct control and supervision

• Engineers shall not undertake technical
  assignments for which they are not qualified

31
The Validity of Approvals

• Engineers may coordinate an entire project
  provided that each design component is signed or
  sealed by the engineer responsible for that
  design component

32
Confidentiality Requirement

• Engineers shall not reveal professional
  information without the employers or clients
  prior consent except as authorized or required by
  law

33
Conflict of Interest

• Engineers shall not solicit or accept direct or
  indirect considerations, financial or otherwise,
  from contractors, their agents, or other parties
  while performing work for employers or clients

34
Full Disclosure

• An engineer shall not accept financial or other
  compensation from more than one party for
  services rendered on one project unless the
  details are fully disclosed and agreed by all
  parties

• Engineers shall disclose to their employers or
  clients potential conflicts of interest or any
  other circumstances that could influence or
  appear to influence their professional judgment
  or their service quality

35
Government Conflicts of Interest

• To avoid conflicts of interest, engineers shall
  not solicit or accept a professional contract
  from a governmental body on which a principal or
  officer of their firm serves as a member. An
  engineer who is a principal or employee of a
  private firm and who serves as a member of a
  governmental body shall not participate in
  decisions relating to the professional services
  solicited or provided by the firm to the
  governmental body

36
Engineers Obligations to Other Engineers
37
Obligations to Potential Employers

• Engineers shall not misrepresent or permit
  misrepresentation of their or any of their
  associates academic or professional
  qualifications. They shall not misrepresent
  their level of responsibility or the complexity
  of prior assignments. Pertinent facts relating
  to employers, employees, associates, joint
  ventures, or past accomplishments shall not be
  misrepresented when soliciting employment or
  business

38
More Conflicts of Interest

• Engineers shall not directly or indirectly give,
  solicit, or receive any gift or commission, or
  other valuable consideration, in order to obtain
  work, and shall not make a contribution to any
  political body with intent of influencing the
  award of a contract by a governmental body

39
Reputations of Other Engineers

• Engineers shall not attempt to injure,
  maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly,
  the professional reputations, prospects, practice
  or employment of other engineers, nor
  indiscriminately criticize the work of other
  engineers
• Criticize cautiously and objectively with respect
  to the persons professional status

40
Ethics Discussion Quiz 3 1

• With respect to the Moral Rules of Professional
  Conduct for engineers
• A. The rules are a bad thing because they
  encourage engineers to spy on and betray their
  colleagues
• B. The rules are a useful legal defense in court
  when engineers can demonstrate that they obeyed
  the rules
• C. The rules enhance the image of the profession
  and hence its economic benefits to its members
• D. The rules are important in providing a
  summary of what the public has a right to expect
  from responsible engineers

41
Ethics Discussion Quiz 3 2

• The Model Rules of Professional Conduct require
  registers engineers to conform to all but one of
  the following rules. Which rule is not required?
• A. Do not charge excessive fees
• B. Do not compete unfairly with others
• C. Perform services only in the areas of their
  competence
• D. Avoid conflicts of interest

42
Ethics Discussion Quiz 3 3

• You are a quality control engineer of a
  completely produced U.S. made product. You
  notice one subcontractor used foreign-made bolts.
  The customer urgently needs this product. What
  should you do?
• A. Say nothing and deliver hoping no one notices
• B. Find, or invent, some equivalent violation of
  contract where the customer is responsible. Tell
  them you will ignore the violation if they ignore
  your violation
• C. Tell the customer and let them decide
• D. Put all efforts into trying to find a legal
  loophole in the original specs.

43
Ethics Discussion 3 4

• You are the engineer on a building project that
  is behind schedule. Boss wants you to certify a
  questionable roofing install. What should you
  do?
• A. Certify it negotiate a raise from boss
• B. Refuse to certify it
• C. Tell the clients about it and you will
  certify it if they want you to
• D. Certify it, but keep a close watch on the
  project in case any problems develop

44
Engineering Ethics and Legal Issues
45
Contract Law

• Mutual agreement between two or more parties to
  engage in a transaction which provides benefits
  to each of them
• Mutual consent
• Offer and acceptance
• Consideration

46
Other Contract Stuff

• Legally enforceable agreement requires a definite
  promise by each party to do something specific
• Some benefit received that each did not have
  before
• Does not have to be in writing to be valid

47
Breach of Contract

• An actual violation of the terms in the contract
  must occur
• Items not supplied, supplied but of substandard
  quality, or not supplied until long after a
  deadline
• Party required to provide an equivalent value
  previously offered
• Inability to fulfill contract is under ethical
  and legal imperative to do everything possible to
  provide equivalent value to other party

48
The Letter vs. Spirit of the Law

• Read between the lines in terms of the intent
  of those documents as understood by those who
  formulated them