Code of Ethics
Why is it important to have code of ethics?
- Indicate dedication to professional behavior
- Recognition of professional responsibilities
- Create ethical environment
279
NSPE Code of Ethics
• NSPE Code of Ethics (Full version):
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/EthicsReferenceGuide.pdf
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/ethics-resources/code-ethics-examination
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/ethics-resources/board-ethical-review-cases
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NSPE Code of Ethics (Summarized version)
II. Rules of Practice
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and
welfare of the public.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their
abilities.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an
objective and honest manner.
4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees.
5. Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.
281
NSPE Code of Ethics (Summarized version)
III. Professional Obligations
1. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the
highest standards of honesty and integrity.
2. Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the public
interest.
3. Engineers shall avoid all conduct or practice that deceives
the public.
4. Engineers shall not disclose, without consent, confidential
information concerning the business affairs or technical
processes of any present or former client or employer, or
public body on which they serve.
282
NSPE Code of Ethics (Summarized version)
5. Engineers shall not be influenced in their professional duties by conflicting
interests.
6. Engineers shall not attempt to obtain employment or advancement or
professional engagements by untruthfully criticizing other engineers, or by
other improper or questionable methods.
7. Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly,
the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of other
engineers. Engineers who believe others are guilty of unethical or illegal
Ha practice shall present such information to the proper authority for action.
O 8. Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional
activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek loss for services
arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the
engineer's interests cannot otherwise be protected.
9. Engineers shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is
due, and will recognize the politeness interests of others.
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Check your understanding
• True or false for each statement:
• Engineers may perform services in any engineering field
outside of their areas of competence as long as they
inform their employers or clients.
• Engineers shall not reveal facts, data or information
without the prior consent of the client or employer except
as authorized or required by law.
A ‘New’ thinking being
What’s right and wrong?
• “AI used highly unexpected
strategies to achieve its goal”
• “The system started realising that
while they did identify the threat, at
times the human operator would
tell it not to kill that threat, but it got
its points by killing that threat,”
• “So what did it do? It killed the
operator. It killed the operator
because that person was keeping it
from accomplishing its objective,”
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Can you write a symphony?
Facu Verdun, “I, Robot - Human emotions scene,” YouTube. Jun. 25, 2017. Accessed: Dec. 10, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siHfHUm3HGE 286
Yes, I can!
But…
• ‘Chat-GPT’ is not programmed to
recognize unlawful statements. This
means that it is highly likely that a user
may input unethical language which
may then be outputted by the system.
• For example, racial slurs may be
inputted and reproduced, which is
highly unprofessional.
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Case 1
You are an architectural engineer with one year of experience
working in residential housing design. You have been very
successful and because the department manager is proud of
you in housing design, you have been appointed as a “chief
design engineer”.
Your staff just designed a new bridge; although you have no
experience with bridge design, you are asked to sign off on the
bridge plans because you are the chief engineer.
According to the code of ethics, what will you do? And write the
related NSPE code of ethics.
Answer of Case 1
• I will let the management to know that I have no
experience with designing a bridge. I shall not sign the
design documents but I refer it to the management to
take the necessary action.
NSPE Code II. (2)
Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their
competence.
Case 2
Engineer A, a registered professional engineer in State Z, is discussing
with colleague Engineer B a recently enacted law in their state that
provides design professionals with immunity from liability (=you don’t
take legal responsibility) when they volunteer during a natural or man-
made disasters. Engineer B believes the new law significantly
improves the ability of design professionals to assist communities in
need during times of trouble; Engineer A feels that the new law does
not change an engineer’s ethical obligations.
Who is right?
a. Engineer A
b. Engineer B
Case 2
“Good Smartian law”
The term “Good Samaritan” comes from a Bible
story, where a traveling Samaritan stopped in the
road to help a man who was injured, after he had
been passed by several others.
Good Samaritan laws protect people from being
sued or prosecuted if they help others in need
without expectation of payment or reward. These
laws encourage bystanders to help in emergencies
without fear of legal repercussions.
Answer for Case 2
With or without indemnification, an engineer’s primary obligation is to the
public health, safety, and welfare. Further, although an engineer may be held
harmless before the law when making decisions during public emergencies,
they are committed to practice only in areas of competence and must
conduct themselves honorably. Good Samaritan laws do nothing to change
these obligations, and in fact, taken to the extreme, they might lead an
engineer without sharp ethical presence of mind to attempt a task they would
ordinarily conclude they are not qualified to undertake. In the end, the BER
concludes that although these Good Samaritan laws serve a tremendous
practical benefit, they do not relieve engineers of ethical obligations.
Case 3
The Chamber of Commerce is publishing a guide book contains the big
industrial and construction companies in Qatar in order for other
international companies to contact and work with them in big projects.
Your company is not classified as big but your manager would like it to
be listed so he asked you to write a report to the Chamber of
Commerce and indicate that the company has 30 engineers and 30
foremen. In fact, your company has only 10 engineers and 50 foremen.
When you mention this to your manager, he told you that the foremen
have many years of experience so he considers them as engineers.
According to the codes, what should you write in the report?
Answer of Case 3
• I will talk to the manager and explain that as a
professional engineer I have to write documents only in
a truthful manner.
• NSPE Code II. (3): Engineers shall issue public
statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
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to
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Case 4
Sara is a senior engineer working in the Public Works (Ashghal).
Besides her normal duties she was assigned to be a member
in a committee that selects a contractor for a construction
project. A number of construction companies have submitted
their bids; one of these companies belongs to her brother.
T
(5 , 8)
According to the code, is there any action Sara should take? And
write the code of ethics.
Answer of Case 4
• Sara should reveal her case to the management and she
should not be a member in the committee of selecting
vendors.
NSPE Code III (5): Engineers shall not be influenced in
their professional duties by conflicting interests.
Case 5 - Assignment
• You are the director of the technical department at a
governmental ministry. You formed a committee
responsible for selecting vendors that supply products for
the ministry. The committee has made its
recommendations to you and recommended the best
three vendors; one of the vendors is XTech company,
owned by your brother. It is one of the good companies in
the country.
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Case 5 - Assignment
Discuss the following: Class Discussion
Q1. Based on the attached code of ethics, should you
select your brother’s company? What should you do?
Support your discussion with the related NSPE code of
ethics.
Q2. Discuss the potential consequences on employees and
on society if you choose your brother’s company.
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Case 6
Two researchers, Sara and Ali, are working independently on a problem.
After a great deal of laboratory work, researcher Sara wrote a report
explaining her results. In her report, however, she is unable to correlate
her data to a simple pattern.
Researcher Ali approaches the problem from a more theoretical viewpoint
and discovers that Sara’s data can be described by a well-known
classical formula. Ali reports his findings to Sara in an informal discussion.
A few months later, Sara published a paper explaining all of her data
through the use of the formula suggested by Ali, but she failed to
acknowledge the contribution of Ali.
Was Sara right in her position that since it was only a well-established
formula that was suggested, no acknowledgment was needed?
Answer of Case 6
• Sara should acknowledge the contribution of Ali although it
is an informal discussion.
• NSPE Code III. (9): Engineers shall give credit for
engineering work to those to whom credit is due, and will
recognize the proprietary interests of others.
Downfall: The Boeing case
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2tuKiiznsY 301
New York City’s Citicorp Center Tower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0tcRqf7ciY 302