Professional Ethics

(HS-219)
Handout 2

Maheen Tufail Dahraj

Lecturer & Ph.D. Scholar (Applied Linguistics)
Department of Humanities
NED University of Engg. & Tech. Karachi
Code of Ethics

A code of ethics provides a

framework for ethical judgment
for a professional. No code can
be totally comprehensive and Codes simply reiterate principles
cover all possible ethical and standards that are already
situations that a professional accepted as responsible
engineer is likely to encounter. engineering practice. A code
expresses these principles in a
coherent, comprehensive, and
accessible manner and also defines
the roles and responsibilities of
professionals.

A code can also express the

commitment to ethical conduct
shared by members of a
profession and it is important to
note that ethical codes do not
establish new ethical principles.
Objections to Codes

Relatively few practicing engineers are members of professional

societies and they don’t necessarily feel compelled to abide by their
codes.

However, many engineers who are members of professional

societies are not aware of the existence of the society’s code, or if
they are aware of it, they have never read it.

There are also objections that the engineering codes often have
internal conflicts, but they don’t give a method for resolving the
conflict.
PEC Code of Ethics

1. "Allah commands you to render back your trust to those to whom they are, and that
when you judge between people, you judge with justice. Allah admonishes you with what
is excellent.“
2. "Give full measure and weight justly and defraud not men of their things, and act not
corruptly in the land, making mischief.“
3. "And let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably, Be just; that is nearer to
observance of duty."
4. "Fulfill the obligations“
5. "And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain
access thereby to the judges, so that you may swallow up a part of the property of men
wrongfully while you know.“
6. "And speak straight words.“
7. "Avoid most of suspicion for surely suspicion in some cases is sin; and spy not nor let
some of you backbite others.“
8. "And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge. Surely the hearing and sight and
heart, of all these it will be asked.“
9. "And help one another in righteousness and piety, and help not one another in sin and
aggression, and keep your duty to God.“
10. "And whose affairs are decided by counsel among themselves.“

Taken from https://www.pec.org.pk/code_of_ethics.aspx

Code of Conduct

Code of conduct clarifies an

organization’s mission, values
and principles, linking them
with standards of professional
conduct.

Written codes of conduct or ethics

become the benchmarks against
which individual and organizational
performance can be measured.
 CODE OF CONDUCT

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4
Article 5
Article 6
Article 7
Article 8
Article 9
Article 10
Article 11
Article 12
Article 13
Article 14
Article 15
Article 16
Article 17
Article 18
Article 1

 This Code of Conduct may be called the Pakistan

Engineering Council Code of Conduct.
 This shall come into force at once.
 This shall apply to all members of the Pakistan
Engineering Council.
 Article 2 HONESTY AND DIGNITY

To maintain, uphold and advance the honor and dignity of the engineering
professional in accordance with this Code, a member shall:

 uphold the ideology of Pakistan;

 be honest, impartial and serve the country, his employer, clients and the public at large with
devotion;
 strive to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession;
 use his knowledge and skill for the advancement and welfare of mankind;
 promote and ensure the maximum utilization of human and material resources of Pakistan for
achieving self-reliance;
 and not sacrifice the national interest for any personal gain.
 Article 3 PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY

A member shall be guided in all professional matters by the highest

standards of integrity and act as a faithful agent or a trustee for each of
his client and employer.
A member shall :
 be realistic and honest in all estimates, reports, statements and testimony and
shall carry out his professional duties without fear or favor;
 admit and accept his own errors when proved and shall refrain from distorting
or altering the facts justifying his decision or action;
 advise his client or employer honestly about the viability of the project
entrusted to him;
 not accept any other employment to the detriment of his regular work or
interest without the consent of his employer;
 not attempt to attract an engineer from another employer by false or
misleading pretenses;
 not restrain an employee from obtaining a better position with another
employer; and
 not endeavor to promote his personal interest at the expense of the dignity
and integrity of the profession.
Article 4 SAFETY AND PUBLIC WELFARE

A member shall have utmost regard for the safety, health and welfare of
the public in the performance of his professional duties and for that
purpose he shall:

 regard his duty to the public welfare as paramount;

 seek opportunities to be of service in civic affairs and work for the
advancement of the safety, health and well-being of the community;
 not undertake, prepare, sign, approve or authenticate any plan, design or
specifications which are not safe for the safety, health, welfare of a person or
persons, or are not in conformity with the accepted engineering standards and
if any client or an employer insists on such unprofessional conduct, he shall
notify the authorities concerned and withdraw from further service on the
project; and
 point out the consequences to his client or the employer if his engineering
judgment is over-ruled by any non-technical person.
 Article 5 PROFESSIONALISM

A member shall avoid all acts or practices likely to discredit the dignity or honor
of the profession and for that purpose he shall not advertise his professional
services in a manner derogatory to the dignity of the profession. He may,
however, utilize the following means of identification.

 professional cards and listing in recognized and dignified publications and classified section of
the telephone directories,
 sign boards at the site of his office or projects for which he renders services; and
 brochures, business cards, letter-heads and other factual representations of experience,
facilities, personnel and capacity to render services.

A member may write articles for recognized publications but such articles should
be dignified, free from ostentations or laudatory implications, based on factual
conclusions and should not imply other than his direct participation in the work
described unless credit is given to others for their share of the work.

A member shall not allow himself to be listed for employment using exaggerated
statements of his qualifications.
Article 6 dissemination OF KNOWLEDGE

A member shall endeavor to extend

public knowledge and appreciation of
engineering profession, propagate the
achievements of the profession and
protect it from misrepresentation and
misunderstanding.
Article 7 dissemination OF KNOWLEDGE

A member shall express an opinion of an

engineering subject only when founded
on adequate knowledge, experience and
honest conviction.
Article 8 C0MPETENCE

A member shall undertake engineering

assignments only when he possesses
adequate qualifications, training and
experience. He shall engage or advise for
engaging of the experts and specialists
whenever the client's or employers' interest
are best served by such service.

A member shall not discourage the necessity

of other appropriate engineering services,
designs, plans or specifications or limit-free
competition by specifying materials of
particular make or model.
Article 9 CONFIDENTIALLY

A member shall not disclose confidential

information concerning the business
affairs or technical processes of any
present or former client or employer
without his consent.
 Article 10 FAIR COMPETITION

A member shall uphold the principles of appropriate and adequate

compensation for those engaged in engineering work and for that
purpose he shall not:

 undertake or agree to perform any engineering service free except for civic,
charitable, religious, or non-profit organizations or institutions;
 undertake professional engineering work at a remuneration below the accepted
standards of the profession in the discipline;
 and accept remuneration from either an employee or employment agency for
giving employment.

A member shall offer remuneration commensuration with the

qualifications and experience of an engineer employed by him.

A member working in any sales section or department shall not offer

or give engineering consultation, or designs, or advice other than
specifically applying to the equipment being sold in that section or
department.
Article 11 ETHICAL CONDUCT

A member shall not accept compensation, financial

or otherwise, from more than one party for the
same service, or for services pertaining to the
same work unless all interested parties give their
consent to such compensation.

A member shall not accept:

 financial or other considerations, including free

engineering design, from material or equipment
suppliers for specifying their products; and
 commissions or allowances, directly or indirectly,
from contractors or other parties dealing with his
clients or employer in connection with work for which
he is professionally responsible.
Article 12 FAIR COMPETITION

A member shall not compete unfairly with another member or

engineer by attempting to obtain employment, professional
engagements or personal gains by taking advantage of his superior
position or by criticizing other engineers or by any other improper
means or methods.

An engineer shall not attempt to supplant another engineer in a

particular employment after becoming aware that definite steps have
been taken towards other's employment.

A member shall not accept part-time engineering work at a fee or

remuneration less than that of the recognized standard for a similar
work and without the consent of his employer if he is already in
another employment.

A member shall not utilize equipment, supplies, laboratory or office

facilities of his employer or client for the purpose of private practice
without his consent.
Article 13 PROFESSIONALISM

A member shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or

falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation,
prospects, practices or employment of another engineer
or member.

A member engaged in private practice shall not review

the work of another engineer for the same client, except
with knowledge of such engineer or, unless the
connection of such engineer with work has been
terminated;

Provided that a member shall be entitled to review and

evaluate the work of other engineers when so required
by his employment duties.

A member employed in any sales or industrial concern

shall be entitled to make engineering comparisons of his
products with products of other suppliers.
Article 14 COMPILENCE OF LAWS

A member shall not associate with or allow the use of

his name by an enterprise of questionable character nor
will he become professionally associated with engineers
who do not conform to ethical practices or with persons
not legally qualified to tender the professional service
for which the association is intended.

A member shall strictly comply with the bye-laws,

orders and instructions issued by the Pakistan
Engineering Council from time to time in professional
practice and shall not use the association with a non-
engineering corporation, or partnership as a cloak for
any unethical act or acts.
Article 15 LOYALTY

A member shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is
due, recognize the proprietary interests of others and disclose the name of
a person or persons who may be responsible for his designs, inventions,
specifications, writings, or other accomplishments.

When a member uses designs, plans, specifications, data and notes supplied
to him by a client or an employer or are prepared by him in reference to
such client or the employer's work such designs, plans, specifications, data
and notes shall remain the property of the client and shall not be duplicated
by a member for any use without the express permission of the client.

Before undertaking any work on behalf of a person or persons for making

improvements, plans, designs, inventions or specifications which may
justify copyright or patent, a member shall get ownership of such
improvements, plans, designs, inventions or specifications determined for
the purpose of registration under the relevant copyright and patent laws.
Article 16 dissemination OF KNOWLEDGE

A member shall disseminate professional knowledge

by interchanging information and experience with
other members or engineers and students to provide
them opportunity for the professional development
and advancement of engineers under his
supervision.

A member shall encourage his engineering

employees to improve their knowledge, attend and
present papers at professional meetings and provide
a prospective engineering employee with complete
information on working conditions and his proposed
status of employment and after employment keep
him informed of any change in such conditions.
Article 17 COMPILENCE WITH LAW

A member employed abroad shall order

his conduct according to this Code, so
far as this is applicable, and the laws
and regulations of the country of his
employment.
Article 18 TRUTHLESS

A member shall report unethical

professional practices of an
engineer or a member with
substantiating data to the Pakistan
Engineering Council and appear
as a witness, if required.
Codes of the Engineering
Societies
In the 20th century, the codes of engineering
societies were mostly concerned with issues
of how to conduct business.

Later, these codes spelled out the duties that

engineers had toward their employers. Less
emphasis was given to issues of service to
the public and safety.

In 21st century, most of the codes emphasize

commitments to safety, public health, and
even environmental protection as the most
important duties of the engineer.
Case Study
Sudocom is a small company that provides communications consultancy to local businesses. They are hired by
Sealion Finance, a financial services company with 40 staff, to develop an internal communications network
for the sharing of non-sensitive information. There is already an intranet for storing and sharing the details of
clients and staff, but the CEO of the company wants an easy and less formal way for staff to communicate,
along the lines of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The aim is to foster team spirit as well
as streamline discussion of non-confidential information. When Sudocom discuss the work with the CEO of
Sealion Finance, Jane Foster, it emerges that she wants minimal security on the new network, limited to a
simple password access system. Sudocom inform her that for a system like this, their communication engineers
would normally include various other security measures that would make it far more difficult for intruders to
access the system. Jane Foster feels that because the system is only designed for non-confidential information,
the supplementary measures will not be required. Moreover, the CEO wishes to avoid the effects of the extra
security on the performance of the system. To allay Sudocom’s professional concerns, Jane Foster assures
Sudocom and their engineers that staff will be instructed to only use the new system for non-sensitive
information. All confidential data will be shared using the old intranet, which incorporates much more
substantial security measures. These discussions have left one of the communication engineers very concerned
about Jane Foster’s specification. The CEO appears to have placed a great deal of weight on the ability of her
employees to refrain from discussing confidential information on the new communications network. In the
communication engineer’s experience of developing such systems it is hard to predict precisely how staff will
use the network. The engineer feels that the CEO is taking greater risks than she might otherwise, because she
is in a position of control. The engineer thinks that she is overestimating her ability to influence the
communications of her staff, and that the new system should incorporate extra security measures to guard
against the accidental discussion of confidential data. The engineer believes that if she was not the CEO of the
company she would probably not judge the risks to be acceptable.
Dilemma
You have been hired by the CEO of a company to
develop an internal communications system for non-
confidential information. You feel that it is important
to include substantial safety features, but the CEO is
confident – over-confident, in your opinion – in her
ability to ensure that staff members restrict their
communications to non sensitive information.

Q: What should you do now?

Two Codes of Ethics

The IEEE code is short

and deals in generalities.
It doesn’t mention a duty
to one’s employer.

The NSPE code is much

longer and more detailed.
Ethical Problems
Resolving Internal Conflicts in
Codes

There is no implication in any code of ethics that all clauses are

equally important. Rather, there is a hierarchy within the code.
Some clauses take precedence over others, although there is
generally no explicit indication in the code of what the hierarchy is.

For example: In clause 1.4, the NSPE code indicates that engineers
have a duty to their employers, which implies that the engineer
should go ahead with the unsafe design favored by his employer.
However, clause 1.1 make it clear that the safety of the public is
also an important concern of an engineer.
Can Codes and Professional
Societies Protect Employees?

The codes of the professional societies

can be used by employees as
ammunition against an employer who is
sanctioning them for pointing out
unethical behavior or who are being
asked to engage in unethical acts.

Since not all engineers are members of

professional societies and the
engineering societies are relatively
weak, so the pressure that can be
exerted by organizations is limited.
Other Types of Codes of Ethics

Many organizations have developed

codes of ethics for various purposes
similar to those of the professional
engineering organizations.
For example, codes for the ethical use
of computers have been developed, and
student organizations in universities
have framed student codes of ethics.

Since most practicing engineers are not

members of professional organizations,
it seems that for many engineers, there
is little ethical guidance in the course of
their daily work. So, this problem has
led to the adoption of codes of ethics by
many corporations.
National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE)

Preamble

Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of

this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards
of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on
the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by
engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity and must
be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare.
Engineers must perform under a standard of professional behavior that
requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.
National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE)

Rules of Practice
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
5. Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.

Further reading from ‘Engineering Ethics’ by Fledderman, pg. 167‐169

National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE)
Professional Obligations

1. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
2. Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the public interest.
3. Engineers shall avoid all conduct or practice that deceives the public.
4. 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.
5. Engineers shall not be influenced in their professional duties by conflicting interests.
6. Engineers shall not attempt to obtain employment or advancement or professional engagements by
untruthfully criticizing other engineers, or by other improper or questionable methods.
7. Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional
reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of other engineers. Engineers who believe others are guilty
of unethical or illegal practice shall present such information to the proper authority for action.
8. 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.
9. Engineers shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is due and will recognize the
proprietary interests of others.

Further reading from ‘Engineering Ethics’ by Fledderman, pg. 169‐171

Case Study
Read the case study “The Citicorp Center
Case” from the book ‘Engineering Ethics’ by
Fledderman, pg. 157‐159 and answer the
following question:

Which articles of PEC and NSPE are

violated and followed in this case study?
Explain.