Ethical Issues in Engineering

By,

Seemanta Bhowmick

What is Engineering Ethics?

Ethics is the study of the characteristics of morals,and involves the moral choices made by theindividuals as they interact with other persons.Engineers need to be aware of ethics as theymake choices during their professional practice ofengineering.

Engineering ethics will be defined as the rules andStandards governing the conduct of engineers intheir roles as professionals

Ethical Behavior

The Five Cornerstones of Ethical Behavior

Do what you say you will do. Never divulge information given to you in

confidence. Accept responsibility for your mistakes. Never become involved in a lie. Never accept gifts that compromise your ability

to perform in the best interests of your organization.

Ethical Issues Faced By Engineers

Technical incompetence or misrepresentationof competence Conflicts of interest Discrimination, favouritism, or harassment Misuse of resources, client and company Failure to protect public health, safety or

welfare Improper relations with clients or contractors Improper political or community involvement Mishandling sensitive information

Continuation ....

Failure to protect the environment Poor quality control or quality of work Corporate corruption – pay bribes, collusive

practices Administrative corruption – accept bribes, gain

political favors

Professional Codes of Ethics

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

Conclusion

It is imperative for the engineers to accept the responsibility for their actions, while practicing their occupation, and demonstrate, through their behavior, that engineering ethics is the heart of the profession.

Engineering ethics must be the roadmap of the behavior of engineers while they are leading the society to the challenges of facing the future in the effort to achieve a more meaningful life.

Thank you!