Engineering Code of Ethics

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All Engineers Follow a Code of Ethics

Codes of ethics are guiding principles established to set a standard of conduct in society.
They help them maintain honesty and integrity in the society by enforcing morality and
humanity. All professionals in their capacity have their standard code of ethics that helps
them maintain that standard of conduct.

An engineering code of ethics is a set of principles that establishes professional

conduct and moral guidelines that professional engineers are obligated to follow.
These principles require engineers to protect the public safety, put the interests of
clients and employers ahead of their own, and conduct themselves in an honest
and ethical manner at all times. Engineering codes of ethics help foster public trust
in the engineering profession which allows engineers to innovate and develop new
technologies to improve our modern society.

Just like any other profession, engineers need guidelines and standards help them
conduct themselves ethically in the performance of their jobs. This article explains what a
code of ethics is and why they are an invaluable part of the engineering profession.

What Is a Code of Ethics for Engineers?

A code of ethics for engineers is a set of guiding principles that establish standards of
behavior and moral guidelines for engineers in their line of duty. Every state engineering
board requires professional engineers to follow their code of ethics to protect the public
and ensure engineers perform their services in an ethical and honest manner. All national
engineering societies, such as NSPE, IEEE, ASCE, ASME, AAES, ABET, and AICTE,
have their own code of ethics that members are obligated to follow.

One way we can think about an ethical code for engineers, which differs from other
professions, is that it serves as a commitment to society and the engineering profession.
Engineers are obligated to work in an ethical manner and uphold professional standards
at all times.

The principles included in the code of ethics serve as a protection for those who rely on
the work engineers do. The code is essentially a social contract that provides a guarantee
that the design was prepared by a professional who put the public’s interests first.This
commitment is the foundation that public trust and confidence in the engineering
profession are built on.

Engineers are required to protect the public safety by following national standards and
only performing work in areas where they are competent. This ensures all work is done
properly and safely. Historically, this focus on safety has produced a remarkable track

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record – given the thousands of engineering projects completed over the years, there are
very few engineering disasters and accidents.

The primary purpose of codes of ethics in engineering professions is to protect the public
and uphold professional standards. The NSPE (National Society of Professional
Engineers) has created a document called “Ethics” which outlines conduct expected from
any person taking up the profession of engineering.

Why Do Engineers Follow Codes of Ethics?

There are several reasons why engineers follow a code of ethics. Some of these reasons
include; maintaining safety, integrity and honesty, upholding proper decision making in
issues of dilemma and maintaining discretion in their jobs.

1. Maintaining Safety

The work of engineers entails working on projects that impact the lives of members of
society. Many times, their work involves building structures that people use daily.
Therefore, engineers need to have a code of ethics that guide them in their daily work to
ensure that they uphold the best interest of society.

Engineering code of ethics ensures that engineers put the safety of the members of the
society first when doing their work. It means that an engineer will work with standard and
approved material and that they will follow the set engineering procedures during their
career.

2. Integrity and Honest

Engineers, like all other professions, require integrity and honesty in their jobs. Codes of
ethics enable them to be accountable for their actions. They act as guiding principles for
determining what is right or wrong.

A code of ethics for engineers ensures that they remain honest in all their transactions.
Even when faced with a dilemma or other pressures in their duty, when they adhere to the
code of ethics, they will remain honest. By following the code of ethics, engineers can be
frank with their clients, and at all times ensure that they keep the interests of the clients in
mind.

3. Builds Public Trust and Confidence in the Profession

Engineering codes of ethics should be considered a crucial part of the engineering

profession because it helps create faith among the population that engineers are ethical
people who will do what is right even when no one else is looking. It also provides
assurance to others in different fields like construction, manufacturing, software
development, etc., that they have someone on their side with respect to safety or quality
standards.

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Without these guidelines in place, every engineer would need to develop his or her own
set of rules which could lead to problems such as not knowing what constitutes
appropriate behavior and how important decisions should be made about design
specifications without first consulting relevant stakeholders.

4. Protects Clients and Employers

The code of ethics also ensures that engineers maintain discretion when dealing with
their clients’ information. Generally, the principle of ethics places client’s personal
information privileged, and engineers must ensure that that information remains so.

They should not disclose any details regarding the client such as their name, age, gender,
location or even the project at hand. The engineers must preserve such information
unless the client states otherwise. Likewise, the engineer should not disclose any
information regarding their employer unless otherwise stated.

5. Ensures Ethical Decision Making in Areas of Uncertainty

A dilemma or a predicament refers to a situation where there is a difficult choice to make
between two or more alternatives. Dilemmas are relatively common occurrences in
everyone’s lives. Occasionally, people have to make difficult decisions in life where the
other options present as equally destructive.

Like all people, engineers face dilemmas in their line of duty. A code of ethics guides
engineers in making these difficult decisions by ensuring that they choose what is moral.
They give a clear guideline into what decision is ethical and serves the interests of the
society rather than individual gain.

What Are the Fundamental Principles of Engineering Code of

Ethics?
Every engineer in their line of duty is expected to:

Uphold the safety, welfare and health of the society at all times
Be truthful and honest when issuing public statements
Offer their services in their areas of expertise only
Be honest and trustful with their employers and clients
Be honorable, responsible, lawful and ethical in their professional capacity to ensure
good reputation and honor among the society
Treat all people with fairness with respect and dignity regardless of their personality,
gender, race or other personal identification issues
Use their knowledge and skills for the improvement of humanity
Anticipate the current needs of society and fulfill them

Every engineer has to follow and uphold these basic principles in their jobs without fail. In
the event of a conflict or dilemma in fulfilling these basis codes, the engineer is bound to
enforce the code based on the importance of each stakeholder.

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Engineering Societies – Codes of Ethics
1. National Society of Professional Engineers

Engineers have a responsibility to uphold their profession’s high standards. To do so, they
must be honest and ethical in their professional conduct. This includes the following
principles derived from the National Society of Professional Engineer’s (NSPE) Ethical
Oath for Engineers:

Understand that engineering work has both social and technical dimensions; use
judgment to balance these different aspects when making decisions or solving
problems
Consider potential consequences – financial, environmental, societal – before
acting on any matter related to one’s work as an engineer
Ensure only qualified personnel perform tasks requiring specialized skills

2. American Society of Civil Engineers

In the ASCE Code of Ethics, engineers are also obligated to:

Adhere to all federal and state laws pertaining to engineering work activities
Observe those practices that constitute sound professional conduct; ensure such
work is accomplished in a competent manner so as not compromise life or property.

The code states that it must be understood what an engineer’s obligations represent at
law before signing any contract with another party. In addition, professionals should
always act honestly and ethically when dealing with other parties (such as clients). Finally,
they have a responsibility not only for their own actions but also protecting public health
from harm caused by products created through engineering processes.

3. American Society of Mechanical Engineers

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code of ethics for engineers was
created to promote and advance ethical practices among its members. The society’s
board first began drafting such a document in 1913, which has since been revised several
times. Today, this code outlines seven principles that are expected to be followed by all
engineering professionals: integrity; responsibility; objectivity; fairness; confidentiality;
honesty and truthfulness. These represent core values at the base of most professional
codes of ethics in engineering or other fields related to STEM education.

Engineering Code of Ethics and Stakeholders

There are five key stakeholders to which engineers have a responsibility. Below is a list of
these stakeholders in their order of priority:

1. Society
2. Natural environment
3. Professionalism

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 4. Employers and Clients
5. Peers

When faced with a dilemma, an engineer should make a decision based on this list. He
should place the needs of the society first, then work his way down the list as follows.

1. Engineers and Society

The engineering code of ethics places society first. It ensures that the engineers put the
needs and interests of the society first before those of their employers, clients or
themselves. The necessary code of ethics for engineers to society are:

Place the safety and welfare of society first at all times;

Improve humanity’s quality of life in their duties;
Dispense truthful opinions that are honest, true and well-founded to the public;
Treat all people in the society equally and fairly regardless of their identity or
societal status;
Endure no tolerance for issues of corruption, bribery, and fraud. They must report
any incidences of corruption, bribery or fraud to their superiors;
Respect social diversity and uphold these considerations in the implementation of
their duties;
Aspire to be of service following civil norms;
Report any misconduct to their superiors or authority significantly if the wrongdoing
harms the safety, health, or welfare of the society; and
Assess the capabilities, shortcomings and inference of the existing and future
technology in their line of duty.

2. Natural Environment and Engineering

The natural environment is another important stakeholder in the hierarchy of the
engineering code of ethics. All engineer has to protect the environment and ensure the
sustainability of the environment for the society and future generations.

The necessary code of ethics for engineers to the natural environment include:

Adhering to the laws of sustainable development at all times;

Utilizing resources carefully, and minimizing the depletion of these resources;
Balancing the societal, environmental and economic implications of their work; and
Alleviate the adverse societal, economic and ecological effects to ensure that there
is a balance.

3. Engineering Professionalism
Another essential stakeholder of the code of ethics for engineers is their professionalism.
Engineers must respect their professions and conduct themselves professionally at all
times. The necessary code of ethics for engineers to their career are:

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 Conducting themselves with honor, integrity and dignity in their professional
capacity;
Ensuring that they adhere to the legal requirements during their engineering
practice;
Promote fair competition and condemn unfair competition;
Be truthful with their professional qualifications and experience;
Encourage mentorship and healthy knowledge sharing with current or future
engineers to ensure they pass on good skills;
Engage in professional development to ensure that they better their skills; and
Give the public some form of education on the importance of engineering to society.

4. Employers and Clients

All engineers have to know that they are dependent on their employers or their clients to
perform their duties. For this reason, they follow a code of ethics when dealing with either
of these parties. They should:

Be honest and truthful to their employers or clients at all times, and conduct
themselves with integrity and honest;
Discuss clearly with their clients or employers any existing, potential conflict of
interests that may arise in their duties;
Discuss with clarity and timeliness any issues of risk associated with the
implementation of their duties;
Keep their clients or employer’s personal information confidential;
Provide their services only in their areas of expertise;
Inform clients or employers of any consequences that may arise if the needs of the
public are overruled; and
Review all work products before signing, approving or sealing them to promote
responsibility.

5. Peers

Finally, engineers are bound by a code of ethics when dealing with their peers. Here, the
necessary regulation of ethics ensures that engineers:

Only expect credit for their professional effort;

Acknowledge the works and actions of other engineers;
Ensure safety and adequate health requirements in their workplaces;
Work with honesty and fairness in their professional capacity;
Respect and honor other engineers during all engagements and collaborations;
Encourage the development and education of other engineers to ensure that they
maintain a reputable profession in the future;
Enhance equality and respect in their supervision duties;
Provide only professional comments on the nature of duties of other engineers; and
Report any violations of the code of ethics to the relevant bodies for proper action.

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Why Study Engineering Ethics?
Every engineer needs to study engineering ethics before they engage in any act of
service. The lead reason behind this is to ensure that engineers uphold the interest of the
above-stated stakeholders in dispensing their duties. Engineers need to endure that they
put the needs of others first before their own when dispensing their duties.

Engineers also study the engineering code of ethics to ensure that they maintain
professionalism-any professional needs to maintain a standard, which is what the code of
ethics does. When engineers follow these codes, they maintain high levels of
professionalism, ensuring that their profession remains respectable.

Ethical Dilemmas in Engineering

Engineers may come across these dilemmas when they have to make decisions about
design specifications without first consulting relevant stakeholders. For example, an
engineer might be working on a project that will provide power for a school and there is
no way it can run both heating systems during winter months because one has been
deemed too expensive. The engineer must decide which system gets prioritized but he or
she wants to ensure as many people enjoy warmth and safety throughout the year so
each time this dilemma arises they would prioritize differently making their decision
ethically unjustifiable.

By the time engineers complete their education and are out in the field, they have already
been having to make ethical decisions. However, these dilemmas can become more
nuanced as an engineer’s career progresses. As a result of this complexity, there is no
one-size fits all answer for every dilemma.

Conclusion
The engineering code of ethics refers to a basic set of principles that establishes a
standard of conduct for engineers in their duties. The code of ethics ensures that
engineers preserve society in all their endeavors.

By following these codes, engineers ensure that they uphold the interests of the society
and other key stakeholders in their work. It helps create and impact sustainable
development and safety for society as a whole.

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