Lecture 7

Dr. Khaled Bakro

Engineering Ethics

Introduction to Engineering and Profession Ethics

Objectives After reading this chapter, you will be

able to Know why it is important to study engineering

ethics. Understand the distinction between

professional and personal ethics. See how ethical problem solving and

engineering design are similar.

Introduction

Ethics rules and ideas for human

behavior. They tell us what we ought to do.Engineering Ethicsthe systematic study of the rules

and ideals of the engineering profession.

Ethics – Definition

The rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession.

Study of morality and the moral choices that we all have to make in our lives.

Why Is Engineering Ethics Important?

People rely heavily on engineers to provide them with safe and reliable goods and services.

Engineers must perform under a certain standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.

Mistakes made by unethical and/or incompetent engineers do not just cost money, they could cost many lives.

Why important?

Growing dependency on technology and science.

Disastrous Consequences.

Public trust and expectation.

Closely related to public and environment.

What are ethics not?

Laws that carry a criminal penalty Detailed instructions for every possible

situation Flexible and changing depending on each

unique person or situation

Where do ethics come from?

Values of a society Values of a school, business, or organization Values from family and heritage Values of an individual

What Is a Code of Ethics Primarily, a code of ethics provides a framework for ethical

judgment for a professional. The key word here is “framework.” No code can be totally

comprehensive and cover all possible ethical situations that a professional engineer is likely to encounter. Rather, codes serve as a starting point for ethical decision making.

A code can also express the commitment to ethical conduct shared by members of a profession. It is important to note that ethical codes do not establish new ethical principles.

They simply reiterate principles and standards that are already accepted as responsible engineering practice.

A code expresses these principles in a coherent, comprehensive, and accessible manner.

Finally, a code defines the roles and responsibilities of professionals

Code of Ethics (IEEE)( Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers)

1. to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;

2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;

3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;

Code of Ethics (IEEE)4. to reject bribery in all its forms;5. to improve the understanding of technology, its

appropriate application, and potential consequences;

6. to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitation;

7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;

Code of Ethics (IEEE)

8. To treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age or national origin;

9. To avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;

10. To assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.

Fundamental Canons

Engineers in their professional duties, shall:1. Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful

manner.4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents .5. Avoid deceptive (خادع) acts.6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and

lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Rules of Practice

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

Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence.

Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.

Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.

Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.

Professional Obligations 1 Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by

the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the

public interest. Engineers shall avoid all conduct or practice that

deceives the public. 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. Engineers shall not be influenced in their

professional duties by conflicting interests.

Professional Obligations 2 Engineers shall not attempt to obtain employment or

advancement or professional engagements by untruthfully criticizing other engineers, or by other improper or questionable methods.

Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of other engineers.

Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek indemnification for services arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the engineer’s interests cannot otherwise be protected.

Engineers shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is due, and will recognize the proprietary interests of others.

The Code of Ethics of the National Society

of Professional Engineers The National Society of Professional

Engineers (NSPE) ethics code is very detailed. The NSPE

ethical code of conduct is used in making judgments about engineering ethic-related cases that are brought before the NSPE’s Board of Ethics Review.

Engineer’s Creed

The NSPE engineer’s creed is:• To give the utmost of performance;• To participate in none but honest enterprise;• To live and work according to the laws of man and the highest standards of professional conduct; and • To place■ service before profit,■ the honor and standing of the profession before personal advantage, and■ the public welfare above all other considerations.In humility and with need for Divine guidance.

These are additional definitions that should be

studied carefully Academic Dishonesty Plagiarism Conflict of Interest Contract Professional Responsibility

Possible sources of conflict Personal integrity vs. corporate loyalty

business interests such as cost. Career Deadline Insufficient knowledge

Reality...

You will face ethical conflicts when you go out there.

Your decisions is final and irreversible. Your action WILL have impact on our society. Unfortunately, solutions to ethical conflicts

are not simple.

Fundamental Question???

“Can we do it?”

“SHOULD WE DO IT?”

REMEMBER!!! You are professional. You are a member of a profession that has

many worthy accomplishments. You and your profession can do much to help,

to improve the quality of life.

REMEMBER!!! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE --- DON’T FAIL

When faced with a problem, how do you:

• learn the details about the problem?• get ideas for possible useful solutions?• determine the positive and negative impacts of

• minimize the possibility of “harm”?

a given solution?

Answer: COMMUNICATE

REVIEW YOUR WORK

• Is your design safe?

• Can it be implemented easily?

• Does it fix the problem?

• Is it cost effective?

FINISH THE JOB:DOCUMENT YOUR WORK

• Reviews

• Update All Materials

• Date Everything

FINISH THE JOB:DOCUMENT YOUR WORK

•Hold Paramount the 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 a faithful agent or trustees•Avoid deceptive acts•Conduct themselves honorably, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession

YES! According to NSPE:

Engineers shall not allow their associates to misrepresent their qualifications, or the qualifications of prior assignments or projects.

The Software Engineers at Microsoft knew full well that the product was not Y2K ready and were already working on patches to repair any errors

Engineers should also hold the public safety paramount!

By allowing windows NT to be sold as Y2K ready the engineers allowed many networks around the world to be built on that assumption hence putting at risk these networks (The US Military uses Windows NT for some of its defense functions)

Can choose to be ethical!

Summary

Now that you have reached this point in the text You should understand the importance of

engineering ethics and why you should live by these codes of ethics

You should understand the engineer’s creed and reasons why you should take the pledge.