Professional Responsibilities

1
Professional Responsibilities

• Guidelines, Criteria, Policy?
• Ethics and our Career
• School of Civil and Construction Engineering

2
Which Resource Is Required?

• Guidelines
• Policies
• Standards
• Criteria

3
GUIDELINE

• Document that is NOT MANDATORY but helps to
  streamline a process for more predictable results

POLICY

• Deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and
  achieve rational outcomes.

4
STANDARDS and/or CRITERIA

• Approved or established rules on which a judgment
  or decision should be based.

5
Standard, Policy, or Guideline?
6
Technical Ethical Responsibilities of Engineers

• Most of a civil engineers education focuses on
  technical matters, that is, how to do things,
  and most of the engineers professional practice
  is devoted to applying this technical knowledge
  in service to the needs of society.
• However, another important element of both
  education and practice involves ethics, or how
  to do the right thing.

7
Code of Ethics for EngineersSource NSPE
ASCE

• Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
  the public
• Perform services only in areas of their
  competence
• Issue public statements only in an objective and
  truthful manner
• Act for each employer or client as faithful
  agents or trustees and avoid conflicts of interest

8
Code of Ethics for Engineers (cont.)

• Avoid deceptive acts
• Uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and
  dignity of the engineering profession
• Continue professional development throughout
  careers and provide opportunities for similar
  development for engineers under their supervision
  (ASCE Canon only)

9
If the Ethics Rope Breaks,
Ethics
We all lose !
10
Ethics and Professionalism

• Your reputation is based on your integrity
• What if you are asked to . . . ?
• Your role in society is to protect the public
  health and safety
• Before something goes wrong, let stakeholders
  know
• If something does go wrong,
  dont hide it . . . fix it
• Stick to the contract and the project
  requirements
• Watch out for project impacts
• Try to create win-win solutions

11
ASCE Standards of Professional Conduct

• developed to provide individuals and small
  businesses that dont have the resources or a
  complete set of principles and guidelines to
  govern day-to-day aspects of ethics practices in
  our profession. These guidelines reinforce the
  ASCE Code of Ethics, which all ASCE members are
  expected to practice.

12
Definition of Key Terms (1)

• Stakeholders
• Conflict of Interest
• Significant Professional Relationship

13
Definition of Key Terms (2)

• Family Members
• Insider Trading
• Confidential or Proprietary Information
• Outside Employment

14
Definition of Key Terms (3)

• Bribes
• Kickbacks
• Harassment

15
Ethics Guidelines (1)

• Conflict of Interest
• Ensuring Legal Compliance
• Employees and Public Safety

16
ASCE Ethics Guidelines (2)

• Workplace Quality
• Use and Protection of Employers Assets
• Maintaining Accurate and Complete Records

17
Ethics Guidelines (3)

• Gifts, Meals, Services, and Entertainment
• Confidential or Proprietary Information
• Outside Employment/Activities

18
Ethics Guidelines (4)

• Purchases of Goods and Services
• Bribes and Kickbacks
• Relationships with Competitors

19
Ethics Guidelines (5)

• Relationships with Clients, Outside Contractors,
  and Consultants
• Environmental Protection
• Whistle Blowing

20
Sara's Story

• A Case Study in Engineering Ethics

21
Consider Saras situation from 3 viewpoints

• 1. A personal viewpoint -- consider that you
  are the engineer facing the ethical issue.
• 2. An impersonal viewpoint -- assume you are
  aware of the situation, but not directly
  involved.
• 3. A responsible viewpoint -- assume that you
  are directly responsible for future decisions.

22
Also... Apply Some Questions

• 1. Am I solving this issue in such a way that
  will cause people to trust me?
• 2. Am I keeping my promise -- explicit?
  implicit?
• 3. What is the first step that I must take?
• 4. What do the other people mean by unfair?

23
Sara by the Lake

• Sara has been reported to her States Engineers
  Board for a possible ethics violation
• She reflects on how she got to this point

24
Sara the early years

• Graduated from an ABET-accredited program
• Took the FE Exam
• Worked under the supervision of a licensed
  engineer for almost 4 years
• Just before she took the PE Exam...

25
Sara and The Apartment Complex

• Saras firm was retained to investigate the
  structural integrity of an apartment complex
• STRICT confidentiality required
• Noticed no structural problems
• BUT, she did observe some apparent electrical
  deficiencies

26
To Report, or NOT to Report...

• Sara knew these electrical deficiencies might
  pose a hazard to the occupants
• She knew the client didnt want to hear bad news

27
To Report, or NOT to Report...

• She felt the strain of the strict confidentiality
  requirement
• She did not want to damage the client
  relationship...

28
The Decision...

• She verbally informed the client about the
  problem
• She made an oblique reference to the problem in
  her report

29
Those Nagging Doubts...

• Later Sara learned the client did not disclose
  any of her concerns about the electrical
  deficiencies
• She struggled with whether she should have been
  more persistent in making her concerns known
• She eventually put it out of her mind

30
Questions for Discussion

• What were the main issues Sara was wrestling with
  in this situation?
• Do you think Sara had a right or an
  obligation to report the deficiency to the
  proper authorities?
• Who might Sara have spoken with about the
  dilemma?

31
Questions for Discussion

• Who should be responsible for what happened
  Sara, or Saras employer, or the client, or
  someone else?
• How does this situation conflict with Saras
  obligation to be faithful to her client?
• Is it wise practice to ignore gut feelings that
  arise?

32

• Time Passes..

33
Vendor Bender The Christmas Ham

• As Christmas approached the following year, Sara
  discovered a gift bag on her desk
• Inside the gift bag was an expensive honey-glazed
  spiral cut ham

34
Why Bother?

• This concerned Sara as she felt it might cast
  doubt on the integrity of their business
  relationship
• Several others received gifts from the vendor as
  well

35
The Decision

• After sleeping on it, Sara sent a polite note to
  the vendor returning the ham

36
Questions for Discussion

• Was she really obligated to return the ham?
• Or was this taking ethics too far?
• On the other hand, could she be obligated to
  pursue the matter further than just returning the
  gift she had received?

37
Sara for City Council!

• Sara, now a highly successful principal in a
  respected engineering firm, is urged to run for
  public office
• She agrees to run
• A draft political advertisement is prepared that
  includes her photograph, her engineering seal,
  and the following text

38
Whats in an Ad?

• Vote for Sara! We need an engineer on the City
  Council. That is simple common sense, isnt it?
  Sara is an experienced licensed engineer with
  years of rich accomplishments, who disdains
  delays and takes action now!

39
Questions for Discussion

• Should Saras engineering seal be included in the
  advertisement?
• Should Sara ask someone his or her opinion before
  deciding? Who?

40
The Apartment Complex, Again...

• Saras investigation of the apartment complex so
  many years ago resurfaced

41
The Apartment Complex, Again...

• Sara learned that the apartment complex caught on
  fire, and people had been seriously injured
• During the investigation, Saras report was
  reviewed, and somehow the cause of the fire was
  traced to the electrical deficiencies

42
Thinking it Over

• Sara pondered her situation
• Legally, she felt she might claim some immunity
  since she was not a licensed engineer at the time
  of her work
• Professionally, she keenly felt she had let the
  public down

43
Input from the ASCE Code of Ethics

• Having carefully studied the ASCE Code of Ethics,
  Sara now realized that occasionally some elements
  of the code may be in conflict with other
  elements

44
Input from the ASCE Code of Ethics

• In her case, this was Canon 1 (her obligation to
  protect the health, safety and welfare of the
  public) versus Canon 4 (her obligation to her
  client)

45
Questions for Discussion

• Why do you think that Codes of Ethics conflict
  within themselves?
• What are some ways to recognize a conflict of
  interest?
• List some options whereby Sara might have
  resolved this basic conflict.

46
Sara Before the BOARD

• The meeting with the Licensing Board began early
  the following morning
• The State Licensing Board only enforces their own
  Rules of Conduct and Ethics, but they noted that
  their rules are very similar to the ASCE Code of
  Ethics

47
The BOARD Finds...

• It is important for Sara, or any licensed
  engineer, to realize the engineers paramount
  responsibility is for the safety of the public
• The occupants of the apartment complex were not
  aware of the electrical deficiencies
• Although not an electrical engineer, Sara had
  some knowledge of city building codes and the
  ability to foresee the potential dangers

48
The BOARD Finds continued

• Sara had informed her client of the possible
  electrical deficiencies, but she failed to
  mention possible consequences of ignoring her
  concerns
• Sara could have referred to the ASCE Code of
  Ethics before making a decision

49
From the ASCE Code of Ethics

• Canon 1. Engineers shall hold paramount the
  safety, health and welfare of the public.

50
Questions Discussion
Saras story provided courtesy of ASCE