Engineering and Personal EthicsEngineersSlide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6EthicsEthical BehaviorEthics QuestionsSlide 10What are Professional Ethics?Slide 12NSPE Code of EthicsSlide 14IEEE Code of EthicsIEEE Code of EthicsSlide 17GuidelinesSlide 19Basic StepsSlide 21Core ConceptsSlide 23Slide 24An Ethical SituationReviewEngineering and PersonalEthicsFor use on and off the jobWilliam Loendorf, P.E.Engineers•Engineering is considered to be a "profession" rather than an "occupation" because of several important characteristics.•These are shared with other recognized learned professions, law, medicine, and theology.•They all require special knowledge, special privileges, and special responsibilities. •Professions are based on a large knowledge base requiring extensive training. •Professional skills are important to the wellbeing of society. •Professions are self-regulating, in that they control the training and evaluation processes that admit new persons to the field.Engineers•Professionals have autonomy in the workplace.•They are expected to utilize their independent judgment in carrying out their professional responsibilities. •Finally, professions are regulated by ethical standards.•The expertise possessed by engineers is vitally important to the public welfare. •In order to serve the public effectively, engineers must maintain a high level of technical competence. •However, a high level of technical expertise without adherence to ethical guidelines is as much a threat to public welfare as is professional incompetence. •Therefore, engineers must also be guided by ethical principles.Engineers•The ethical principles governing the engineering profession are embodied in codes of ethics. •Such codes have been adopted by state boards of registration, professional engineering societies, and even by some private industries. •As part of an engineers responsibility to the public, an engineer is responsible for knowing and abiding by these codes.• Application of these codes in many situations is not controversial. •However, there may be situations in which applying the code may raise more difficult issues. •In particular, there may be cases in which terminology in the codes is not clearly defined, or in conflict.Engineers•Questions may arise concerning conceptual issues, in which definitions of terms may be in dispute. •In other situations, factual issues may also affect ethical dilemmas. •Many decisions regarding engineering design may be based upon interpretation of disputed or incomplete information. •In addition, tradeoffs revolving around competing issues of risk vs. benefit, or safety vs. economics may require judgments that are not fully addressed simply by application of these codes.EngineersNo code or codes can give immediate and mechanical answers to all ethical and professional problems that an engineer may face. Creative problem solving is often called for in ethics, just as it is in other areas of engineering.Ethics•What are personal ethics ... and what do they have to do with engineering? •Personal ethics are the standards of human behavior that individuals of different cultures have constructed to make moral judgments about personal or group situations. •Ethical principles have developed as people have reflected on the intentions and consequences of their acts. •Naturally, they vary over time and from culture to culture, resulting in conflict when what is acceptable in one culture is not in another.Ethical BehaviorThe Five Cornerstones of Ethical Behavior•Here are some examples of codes of personal ethics. At this point you might want to compare your own personal code of ethics with the ones listed here.1. Do what you say you will do.2. Never divulge information given to you in confidence.3. Accept responsibility for your mistakes.4. Never become involved in a lie.5. Never accept gifts that compromise your ability to perform in the best interests of your organization.Ethics Questions•Top Ten Questions You Should Ask Yourself When Making an Ethical Decision10. Could the decision become habit forming? If so, don’t do it. 9. Is it legal? If it isn’t, don’t do it. 8. Is it safe? If it isn’t, don’t do it. 7. Is it the right thing to do? If it isn’t, don’t do it. 6. Will this stand the test of public scrutiny? If it won’t, don’t do it. 5. If something terrible happened, could I defend my actions? If you can’t, don’t do it.Ethics Questions 4. Is it just, balanced, and fair? If it isn’t, don’t do it. 3. How will it make me feel about myself? If it’s lousy, don’t do it. 2. Does this choice lead to the greatest good for the greatest number? If it doesn’t, don’t do it. And the #1 question you should ask yourself when making an ethical decision: 1. Would I do this in front of my mother? If you wouldn’t, don’t do it.What are Professional Ethics?•A professional code of ethics has the goal of ensuring that a profession serves the legitimate goals of all its constituencies: self, employer, profession, and public. •The code protects the members of the profession from some undesired consequences of competition (for example, the pressure to cut corners to save money). •While leaving the members of the profession free to benefit from the desired consequences of competition (for example, invention and innovation).What are Professional Ethics?•Having a code of ethics enables an engineer to resist the pressure to produce substandard work by saying: “As a professional, I cannot ethically put business concerns ahead of professional ethics.” •It also enables the engineer to similarly resist pressures to allow concerns such as personal desires, greed, ideology, religion, or politics to override professional ethics.NSPE Code of EthicsNational Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers•Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. •Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. •Engineers must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.NSPE