Excerpt from ASME Professional Practice Curriculum - Engineering Ethics
Six (6) Downloadable Audio  Ethical Premises
Ethical misconduct seems to be the stuff of everyday headlines and news shows - we are bombarded with stories about the moral failings of our political leaders, top athletes, and entertainers. Engineers are also subject to public scrutiny: consider the attention that the media has given to cases such as the Challenger disaster, the Kansas City Hyatt-Regency Hotel walkways collapse, and the Exxon oil spill. New and expanding technological capabilities confront us with ethical temptations and dilemmas. For example, never before have we had to consider the ethical issues of human cloning, or ponder the possibility of a worldwide banking collapse. Computer-assisted design permits architects and engineers to refine their calculations so that they construct buildings with the thinnest, least expensive materials, reducing margins of error. Technology allows us to introduce innovations into our homes and work places, but we don't always take time to conduct research on the social, economic, and medical impacts they may have on our lives. The 21st century promises to bring enormous ethical challenges. As a response to this concern, a new discipline, engineering ethics, is emerging.
What exactly is ethics? In the literal context, ethics can be defined as "a body of moral principles." Professional ethics and conduct constitutes a set of rules and behaviors which facilitates effective interaction on professional matters. In this respect, ethical rules are very much like laws or standards that govern social and professional interactions. Ethical behavior may broadly be equated with the respect for one's colleagues, and for their rights.
Engineering is similar to professions such as law and medicine in that it has specialized knowledge, the privilege of self-regulation, and a responsibility to the public. We use our training and abilities to benefit society, and society expects that we will oversee and regulate the performance of our fellow engineers. Thus, our education and our professional practice must consider the ethical dimensions of engineering.
Professional ethics are not just a personal preference established and governed by the individual engineer. Because of the importance of professional behavior, most companies and professional societies have drafted codes of ethics to which their members are required to commit. Overall, the codes tend to be very similar. The ASME codes Policy 15-7 are based on several fundamental principles, which provide guidance to professional engineers in commonly-encountered situations.
Nevertheless, there are many "gray areas" that can challenge engineers as they struggle to behave in an ethical and moral manner.
At an Early Career Forum, during the 2007 ASME Summer Annual Meeting, Sunday, June 10, in Toronto, Canada, three (3) experts on Ethics addressed six premises (A-F) of ethical problems engineers face in today's workplace.
Premise A (11:03 mins)
Ethical decision-making should be used for technical decisions as well as business decisions, although the rules and items to consider will depend on whether it is a technical decision or a business decision.(Presented by: Bernard Ennis, P. Eng., Manager, Standards and Practice, Professional Engineers Ontario)
PowerPoint Slides
Premise B (10:30 mins)
Any given locale or local populace may have customs and practices which create an ethical climate that influences local decision-making; although, the Code of Ethics provided for ASME members does not vary based on location. (Presented by: James D. Lesikar II, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Principal Operations Research Analyst L-3 Communications/Titan Group)
PowerPoint Slides
Premise C (12:34 mins)
Many employers have developed codes of conduct which their employees are required to acknowledge, although these typically direct the employee to follow all applicable laws, codes, and regulations, and thus absolve the company of any liability for an employee who violates these rules. (Presented by: Andrew Taylor, P.E., Senior Lead Engineer Entergy Nuclear Inc.)
Premise D (10:12 mins)
An engineer should work within a given work system to ensure that technical decisions are made in an ethical manner, and should ensure that any concerns are brought to the appropriate levels of company management. However, an engineer should be prepared to bring concerns to the appropriate outside agencies if required by a particular situation. (Presented by: Bernard Ennis, P. Eng., Manager, Standards and Practice, Professional Engineers Ontario)
PowerPoint Slides
Premise E (10:47 mins)
Engineering decision-making is often not a black & white situation. The engineer must be able to review past decisions to determine if a reversal of course and corrective actions are required. (Presented by: James D. Lesikar II, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Principal Operations Research Analyst L-3 Communications/Titan Group)
PowerPoint Slides
Premise F (10:30 mins)
Situations may arise where your direct supervisor uses unethical decision-making, and you must be prepared to take appropriate action when this occurs. (Presented by: Andrew Taylor, P.E., Senior Lead Engineer Entergy Nuclear Inc.)
Premises A - F: Full Length (1:04:22 mins)
PowerPoint Slides
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