PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
The Engineer as a Professional
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Engi Engine neer erin ing g is predo predomi mina nant ntly ly an empl employ oyee ee prof profes essi sion on - absen absence ce of a pers persona onall practitioner-client relationship
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Engineers tend to practice their profession as members of teams, led and managed by senior engineers who are employees, even though they also assume the role of employers in many aspects of their relationships with their juniors
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The more senior engineers tend to be concerned concerned with the leadership leadership and management of large resources of men, materials and finance over which they have control
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It is the juniors who are more involved in the detailed technical practice of the profession; and technical direction comes from middle levels of the organizational structure
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Management Management implies implies responsibil responsibility ity and in engineering engineering management, management, the professio professional nal enginee engineerr is responsi responsible ble in a very very direct direct sense for contro controll over the resour resources ces of the community
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Engi Engine neer erin ing g ther theref efor ore, e, is a uniq unique ue prof profes essi sion on in which which
all all of the the mark markss of the the
professional man have crucial importance: o
he must have high-level skills and he must develop different skills as his career advances
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he must have a strong motivation for service because everything he does impinges on the community in some way or other
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The whole community is the ultimate client rather than the individual clients as in the case with other professions
Ethics and Professionalism
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Engineering is closely involved in human relations and in business and commerce
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A great many of the special problems in personal conduct met by engineers are likely to arise from this fact
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Ethics means something more than “law” and “morals” , it carries an additional connotation of “rightness”
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The Code is a statement of the principles of “rightness”, of broad scope and with enough detail to enable an intelligent man to deduce for himself the course of his own professional conduct
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The essence of all professional codes is that the professional man must be worthy, through his conduct, of the trust placed in him by the community and his colleagues
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To act every situation in a manner that will add to the confidence and esteem in which his profession is held by the community
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A profession is no better than its individual members.
If they do not have the
professional attitude and live by the rules of the profession, they have no profession
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Most professional engineers adopt an institutional view of the organizations of the profession:
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deserving, even requiring, the loyalty of each engineer as an expression of his identity as a professional engineer
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organizations are the manifestation of the professional entity and they require the giving of effort, loyalty and financial support without thought to direct personal gain
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Instrumental view of the professional organizations: support is given, sometimes grudgingly, on the basis of an expected return in some tangible form
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The instrumental view should have no place in the value system of the man who aspires to true professional status
Code of Ethics
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In every profession, there are various sets of positive qualities. One, a universal set of qualities which pertain to any job or occupation like dedication, diligence and honesty
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A second set of positive qualities are those which are particular to the job or occupation at hand
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The third category is professional ethics and this is the category of social and moral awareness of the implication or effects of one’s job on the wider community and environment
Ethics
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Ethics is the study of morality. It studies which actions, goals, principles, policies, and laws are morally justified
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It refers to moral values that are sound, actions that are morally required (right) or morally permissible (all right), policies and laws that are desirable
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Accordingly, engineering ethics consists of the responsibilities and rights that ought to be endorsed by those engaged in engineering, and also of desirable ideals and personal commitments in engineering
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Engineering ethics is the study of the decisions, policies, and values that are morally desirable in engineering practice and research
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Morality concerns respect for persons, both others and ourselves
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It involves being fair and just, meeting obligations and respecting rights, and not causing unnecessary harm by dishonesty and cruelty
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In addition, it involves ideals of character, such as integrity, gratitude, and willingness to help people in severe distress
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And it implies minimizing suffering to animals and damage to the environment
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As related to engineering ethics, these skills include the following: 1.
Moral awareness : proficiency in recognizing moral problems and issues in engineering
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Cogent moral reasoning : Comprehending, clarifying, and assessing arguments on opposing sides of moral issues
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Moral coherence: Forming consistent and comprehensive viewpoints based upon a consideration of relevant facts
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Moral imagination : Discerning alternative responses to moral issues and receptivity to creative solutions for practical difficulties
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Moral communication: Precision in the use of a common ethical language, a skill needed to express and support one’s moral views adequately to others
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Moral reasonableness: The willingness and ability to be morally reasonable
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Respect for persons: Genuine concern for the well-being of others as well as oneself
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Tolerance of diversity: Within a broad range, respect for ethnic and religious differences, and acceptance of reasonable differences in moral perspectives
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Moral hope: Enriched appreciation of the possibilities of using rational dialogue in resolving moral conflicts
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Integrity : Maintaining moral integrity, and integrating one’s professional life and personal convictions.
Importance of codes of ethics
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Codes of ethics state the moral responsibilities of engineers as seen by the profession and as represented by a professional society
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Because they express the profession’s collective commitment to ethics, codes are important in stressing engineer’s responsibilities and also the freedom to exercise them •
The essential roles of codes of ethics:
(1) serving and protecting the public (2) providing guidance (3) offering inspiration (4) establishing shared standards (5) contributing to education (6) deterring wrongdoing (7) strengthening a profession’s image
Regulations on professional conducts
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All professional groups have two main characteristics:
(1) Professionals in the same discipline institutionalize themselves into a professional body with recognized standards of academic and practice qualifications for membership.
(2) The professional body has a Code of Ethics to govern the conduct of its members and disciplinary procedures in the event of breach of such Code.
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When we speak of a Code of Ethics, we are not talking about law
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In the Code of Ethics, our concern is with what is morally right or wrong
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Situations which require the Professional Engineer to consider the morality of his actions arise under circumstances in which they may exist conflict of interest between the individual professional and any or all of the entities with which he has to interact i.e. Community, Employer, Clients and/or Peers
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The professional owes a duty of care towards those he serves in ensuring that their interests are protected, and in this respect, there is a guideline which is what the Code of Ethics is all about
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The three Professional Engineering bodies in Malaysia have complementary functions in the regulation of professional conduct
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All three bodies have their own Code of Ethics designed to suit their specific requirements according to the objectives for which ea ch body is constituted
Complementary functions of IEM, BEM & ACEM code of ethics
The three major Professional Engineering bodies to which engineers may be affiliated are:
1. The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM), which is a learned society registered under the Society’s Act. Membership is voluntary but the professional standards set by IEM for membership are accepted by BEM as qualifications for registration as a Professional Engineer (PE). Most PE is IEM members.
2. The Board of Engineers (BEM), which is a statutory body governed by the Engineer’s Act 1967 and with which an Engineer must registered before he/she can be employed or practice as an Engineer.
3. The Association of Consulting Engineers, Malaysia (ACEM), is a non-profit organization comprising of Consulting Engineers. Its objective is to promote the interest of Consulting Engineering as a profession.
All the three bodies have their own Code of Ethics designed too suit their specific requirement according to the objectives of each body constituted.
BEM Code of Professional Conduct are amenable and have clear interpretation because of its legal connotations and would be enforceable in law. Issues of morality and philosophy would be ineffective in law since it is impossible to legislate moral or philosophical principles.Therefore, the BEM code can distinguished between legal and illegal cases. BEM lays down minimum baseline rules which are enforceable in law and must be observed by all engineers registered under the Engineer’s Act.
The IEM Regulations on Professional Conduct tend to be general because IEM members comprise of various engineering disciplines, as well as types of professional employment and businesses. IEM Code embraces many areas involving moral and philosophical considerations
including public safety & health, conservation of resources & environment, upgrading of technology, engineers responsibility and the conduct of affairs between Engineer and employees, clients and peers. There is a provision in the IEM by-laws that disciplinary cases are referred to BEM for appropriate action.
The ACEM Code is designed to order conduct of Consulting Engineers in areas like advertising and promotion of works, fees and other remuneration, competition with other members, submission of bids or proposals and related subject. ACEM members are bound to observe the Codes of both BEM and IEM (if they are also IEM members) and details rules to govern the conduct of Consulting Engineer’s business. The ACEM Code is designed to maintain strict discipline amongst their members to ensure that they maintain their independent professional status without excessive commercial involvement which may give rise to conflict of interest.
IEM Code of Ethics o
The Code of Ethics of IEM, lays down general guidelines for the conduct of members vis-à-vis his relationships and transactions with:
(1) The community (2) The Employer (3) Clients (4) Peers
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The IEM Regulations on Professional Conduct tend to be general because the IEM comprises a very wide cross-section of engineering disciplines as well as types of professional employment and businesses
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IEM
Code
embraces
many
areas
involving
moral
and
philosophical
considerations including public safety and health, conservation of resources and environment, upgrading of technology, assuming responsibility within one’s competence
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The IEM code also includes the do’s and don’ts in the conduct of affairs between Engineer and employee, clients and peers
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While the dos and don’ts are clear cut and easily understood, the moral and philosophical issues can be subject to various interpretation
Board of Engineers Malaysia’ Code of Professional Conduct
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Under Section 15 of the Engineers’ Act 1967, the Board may order the cancellation of the registration of any engineer, if:-
(1) he is guilty of fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude; (2) he accepts illicit commission; (3) he fails to disclose to his client any vested financial interest in his dealings with the client
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This “Code of Professional Conduct” has the force of law and breach of any of the rules embodied in the BEM code may subject the offender to penalties provided for under the Engineer’s Act including the ultimate penalty of deregistration
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Therefore, in viewing the role of the BEM as a regulating body, its power to act in law must be taken into account
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BEM code can at best distinguish between what is legal and what is not, and may be regarded as the baseline or minimum level of ethics that ought to be maintained
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All the rules in the Code except two consist of clear cut “Do’s and Don’ts”
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These rules concern what an Engineer shall or shall not do in the course of his employment or private practice and are extremely clear cut and unambiguous
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All
these rules are concerned with the prevention of situations which may
possibly give rise to conflict of interest between the Engineer, his employer or his clients
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The other two, Rule No. 25 and 26, are more abstract and tend towards issues of morality which may have no useful function in law simply because they are subjective and unenforceable
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Association of Consulting Engineers, Malaysia (ACEM)
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The affairs of the ACE are governed by their memorandum and articles of association
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The Association of Consulting Engineers has prescribed rules in their memorandum and articles of association and these rules are more specific to Engineers who practice as Consultants
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The ACE Code of Ethics is enunciated under the heading “Duties of Members” as set out in Articles 16 to 27 of their articles of association
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A study of these articles will reveal that when it comes to practice matters, the ACE has gone to great lengths to be more specific and detailed than either the BEM or IEM, and have laid down some clear and strict rules
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This is due to a Consulting Engineer’s excessive involvement in business or other commercial ventures, especially those which are of a nature related to his practice
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The ACE Code is designed for areas like, advertising and promotion of works, fees and other remuneration, competition with other members, submission of bids or proposals and related subjects.
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As for moral and philosophical issues, it is covered by Rule 16 which reads:
“Every member, in his responsibility to his clients and the profession, shall have full regard to these rules, to the rules of the professional Institution or Institutions to which he belongs and to the public interest”.
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Code of ACE places an onerous duty on its members to conform to both the IEM and BEM Codes as well as their own specific rules governing the conduct of Consulting Engineering business
Applying global ethics in engineering organizations
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Globalization refers to the increasing integration of nations through trade, investment, transfer of technology, and exchange of ideas and culture
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Global interdependency affects engineering and engineers in many ways as in multinational corporations where moral challenges arises:
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Who loses jobs at home when manufacturing is taken offshore?
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What does the host country lose in resources, control over its own trade, and political independence?
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What are the moral responsibilities of corporations and individuals operating in less economically developed countries?
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Technology transfer is the process of moving technology to a novel setting and implementing it there
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Technology includes both hardware(machines and installations) and technique (technical, organizational, and managerial skills and procedures)
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A novel setting is any situation containing at least one new variable relevant to the success or failure of a given technology: example, the setting may be a foreign country
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Appropriate technology refers to identification, transfer, and implementation of the most suitable technology for a new set of conditions and it includes social factors
