CIVIL ENGINEERING

LAWS, CONTRACTS,
SPECIFICATIONS,
AND ETHICS
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
ETHICS AND THE LAW
Ethics is a set of standards by which a particular group decides to regulate its behavior. It is a system
of moral principles by which human actions and proposals may be judged as good or bad.

It is also called moral philosophy.

In a broad sense, it is the discipline concerned with:

• What is morally good or bad?

• What is morally right or wrong?

• Moral Duty and Obligation

It is a group of moral principles or set of values relating to the conduct of an individual and his
profession.

Thus, gangsters and syndicates for a particular purpose, whether lawful and unlawful, do have their
own professional ethics.
ETHICS AND THE LAW
Ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos (Latin “mores”) which means the “characteristic way of
acting” which is proper to man as a rational being.

It is the study of the characteristics of morals, and involves the moral choices made by individuals as
they interact with other persons.

Engineering Ethics will be defined as the rules and standards governing the conduct of engineers in
their roles as professionals.

It is important for engineering students to study engineering ethics so that they will be prepared to
make (sometimes difficult) ethical decisions during their professional careers.
ETHICAL VALUES
• Are values that people use to determine what is right and wrong in different, random situations.

• Different people have different ethical values. (compassion, love, joy, forgiveness, etc)

• E.g. Some people value compassion.

• Compassion is the ability to see, feel, and respond to people’s suffering.

• I wish I could help everybody, but that is definitely impossible. But I can help the people right next to me.
ETHICAL VALUES
A person must know the difference between right and wrong.

• A single person doing the right things all the time does not exist

• A human being has two sides like a coin which has two sides. His decision making capability
decides the ethical values whether it is right or wrong.

• Sometimes, a YES can lead to a disaster or to a good one.

• In the same way, if you answer NO, it can lead to a good result or a bad one, depending on the
situation.
SITUATION
ETHICAL THEORIES BASED ON
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOLARS
Utilitarianism – John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873)

• Considers a balance of good and bad consequences for everyone affected (society)

• Actions are good that serve to promote human well-being

• Cost-Benefit analysis is an application of Utilitarianism

• Consideration of most benefit to the most people outweighs needs of a few individuals

• Its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects

• In the language of Utilitarian, we should choose the option that “maximizes utility”, i.e. that action
of policy that produces the largest amount of good
ETHICAL THEORIES BASED ON
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOLARS
Duty Ethics – Immanuel Kant (1724 0 1804)

• Duty-based or Deontological Ethics are concerned with what people do,

not with the consequences of their actions

• Do the right thing. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.

• Don’t do the wrong things.

• Avoid them because they are wrong

• There are duties that should be performed (e.g. duty to treat others fairly or not to injure others)
regardless of whether these acts do the most good or not.
ETHICAL THEORIES BASED ON
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOLARS
Right Ethics – John Locke (1632 – 1704)

• People have fundament rights (like life, liberty, & property)

that others have a duty to respect.

• In the rights ethical theory the rights set forth by a society

are protected and given the highest priority.

• Rights are considered to be ethically correct and valid

since a large or ruling population endorses them.
ETHICAL THEORIES BASED ON
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOLARS
Virtue Ethics – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics

• Actions are considered right if they support good character traits (virtues) and wrong if they support
bad character traits (vices).

• Closely tied to personal honor.

• The virtue ethical theory judges a person by his character rather than an action that may deviate
from his normal behavior. It takes the person’s morals, reputation and motivation into account when
rating an unusual and irregular behavior that is considered unethical.
ETHICAL ANALYSIS
A chemical plant near a small city discharges a hazardous waste into the ground water. If the city takes
water from wells, the water supply for the city will be compromised and significant health problems for
the community may result.

Ethical Analysis

• Right and Duty ethics indicates that pollution is unethical, since it causes harm to many of the
residents.

• A Utilitarian analysis would probably also come to the same conclusion, since the economic
benefits of the plant would almost certainly be outweighed by the negative effects of the pollution
and the costs required to ensure a safe municipal/city water supply.

• Virtue ethics would say that discharging wastes into ground water is irresponsible and harmful to
individuals and so should not be done.

In this case, all of the ethical theories lead to the same conclusion.
PROFESSION
It is referred to a free act of commitment to a way of life. The act or fact of professing – when a person
occupies a special social role that carries with it stringent moral requirements.

It referred to anyone who professed to be duly qualified.

It also means that an occupation which one professes (admits, agrees) to be skilled and to follow.

It is a vocation in which professed knowledge of some branch of learning is used in its application to
the affairs of others.
THE ENGINEER
Major development in today’s society has also been brought about by the activity of engineering
(i.e. moon landing, satellites reaching the farthest parts of our solar system, exploration of the deepest
parts of our oceans)

An engineer is a living proof of man’s capacity to create something

(i.e. planning and constructing modern roads, dams and port facilities; studying of the sources and
uses of electrical energy; setting up of industrial systems, developing and designing new machines;
analyzing sewerage and water disposal)

In doing so brings about the greatest economic and social advancement.

However, if improperly exploited, may cause the destruction of mankind (i.e. nuclear weapons, bio-
chemical weapons, etc.)

Thus, the role of an engineer in the society becomes exceptional.

Since the role of an engineer is paramount, we subject ourselves to certain professional responsibility
established under the Canons of Professional Ethics.
ETHICAL VALUES
A person must know the difference between right and wrong.

• A single person doing the right things all the time does not exist

• A human being has two sides like a coin which has two sides. His decision making capability
decides the ethical values whether it is right or wrong.

• Sometimes, a YES can lead to a disaster or to a good one.

• In the same way, if you answer NO, it can lead to a good result or a bad one, depending on the
situation.
ENGINEERING ETHICS
Is a field of system of moral principles that apply to the practice of engineering.

It examines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to their clients, to fellow engineers, and to
the profession.
CODE OF ETHICS COMMONLY HOLD
• Engineers and other professionals to have a duty to hold the health and safety of the public as a
primary concern which is usually, the first cannon of any code.

• Other duties are summarized in order of importance with most important first e.g. safety is more
important than conflict of interest.
CIVIL ENGINEERING
CODE OF ETHICS IN
THE PHILIPPINES
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Civil engineers should uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the civil engineering
profession by:

1) Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment;

2) Being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers/employees and
clients;

3) Striving to increase the competence and prestige of the civil engineering profession; and

4) Supporting the professional and technical societies of their discipline.

FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
1) Civil Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to
comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their duties.
2) Civil Engineers shall perform services only in areas only in areas of their competence.
3) Civil Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4) Civil Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or
trustees, and shall avoid conflict of interest.
5) Civil Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not
compete unfairly with others.
6) Civil Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and
dignity of the civil engineering profession.
7) Civil Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and shall
provided opportunities for the professional development of those civil engineers under their
supervision.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
The standard practice is for Civil Engineers to be given the responsibility for studying, conceiving,
designing, observing construction, and assisting in the programming for operating and maintaining
engineering works.

Ethical Case Analysis

Popoy is a civil engineer by profession with a special training in transportation engineering. His client
asked him to prepare a residential structural plan “just like the guy down the road.” Popoy obtained the
plans, copied them and signed, sealed and dated them. What fundamental canon/s did Popoy
violated?

• Canon 1 – CE shall approve or seal only those design documents, reviewed or prepared by them,
which are determined to be safe for public health and welfare in conformity with accepted
engineering standards.

• Canon 2 – CE shall perform services only in areas of their competence.

PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
The intense pressure to get good grades in college often leads to temptations to cheat on exams or
assignments.

Cheating is an issue that is likely to have arisen in educational settings even before you began your
study of engineering. It can take many forms, including copying someone else’s work or using codigo
during assessments and exams.

Although it can be analyzed using utilitarian or rights and duty ethics, it is perhaps easiest to
examine cheating using virtue ethics.

Honesty is a virtue. It facilitates trust between individuals whereas dishonesty causes friction. We
should seek to enhance virtues such as honesty within ourselves and others, so virtue ethics clearly
tells us that cheating is unethical.
END