▪ An Engineer’s Ethical and Professional Responsibility

▪ What are engineering ethics?

▪ Engineering is a valuable and studied profession, which means that engineering
activities benefit society as a whole and that engineering abilities require talent and
time to perfect. Engineers are required to uphold the highest standards of honesty and
integrity as members of this profession (National Society of Professional Engineers,
2007). Engineers must operate with honesty, impartiality, justice, and equity because
their work directly and significantly affects the quality of life of everyone. They must
also be committed to safeguarding the public's health, safety, and welfare (National
Society of Professional Engineers, 2007). With so many engineers in the world, a
global code of professional ethics and accountability was developed. It set forth
expectations for professional conduct and mandated that engineers abide by the
strictest ethical standards. This was done to ensure that the service quality engineers
offer is constant across different sectors, nations, methodologies, and practices.

▪ Code of Ethics of Engineers

▪ The National Society of Engineers is the group in charge of establishing the standards
of conduct that engineers must adhere to. The six guiding principles established by
this organisation are listed in the code. The code of professional ethics and obligations
for engineers was examined in order to determine its advantages, disadvantages, and
unforeseen effects. The code's strengths are the numerous instructions it offers that
emphasise the value of engineers' services and, consequently, how engineers ought to
behave given their crucial role. According to the code, an engineer's labour is vital to
society's welfare and goes beyond the scope of regular work. All engineering
organisations should adopt ethical engineering methods because failure should always
be avoided.

▪ A discipline-specific set of ethical standards may apply to engineering specialities,

including aeronautical, electrical, mechanical, chemical, etc. Having a universal set of
moral principles is advantageous since disciplines can interpret them to make them
relevant to their operational needs, even though the absence of specialised ethical
rules is a problem. One glaring omission from the paper is the absence of ethical
principles for a worldwide environment. Engineers might not all work with external
contractors the same way they do with internal contractors. As a result, the code needs
to incorporate a general set of rules for doing operations on a global scale.

▪ 7 REASONS ETHICS MATTER IN ENGINEERING

▪ Trust is required between engineers and the public, which is why it’s crucial for you
to understand the importance of acting ethically. Here are seven reasons why ethics
matter in engineering.
▪ 1. Promotes Safety

▪ The NSPE’s code of ethics requires you to prioritize public safety in your work.

▪ For instance, you’re expected to notify employers and clients when their judgment is
overruled because of dangerous circumstances or when documents don’t conform
with applicable standards. Doing so can prevent harm to individuals and communities
and ensure your work meets the highest safety and reliability standards.

▪ In addition to ethical considerations, there’s a business case for safety in the

workplace. Prioritizing safety not only protects employees and customers but also
improves productivity and reduces costs associated with accidents and injuries.
According to Liberty Mutual’s 2021 Workplace Safety Index, U.S. employers spend
more than $1 billion per week on serious, nonfatal workplace injuries.

▪ 2. Enhances Quality

▪ Engineering ethics are also critical to improving your quality of work. According to
NSPE’s code of ethics, you should only perform tasks that closely align with your
education and experience.

▪ This is important when working toward an engineering leadership position. For

instance, as an organizational leader, you’ll often manage individuals who are experts
in areas you know little about. You’ll need to shift from a specialist to a generalist
management style by focusing on relationships, adding value by enabling work,
considering the bigger picture, and relying on executive presence. The goal is to
enable specialists on your team to do their highest-quality work.

▪ The “leader as architect” concept—discussed in the Harvard Business School Online

course Organizational Leadership taught by HBS professors Anthony Mayo and
Joshua Margolis—refers to your role in enabling work to happen rather than doing it
yourself.

▪ “Since leaders can’t personally make those conditions happen for each person every
day across a big organization, they don the hat of the architect,” Mayo says
in Organizational Leadership. “And their work is to use a set of organizational
components to create and sustain motivation, competence, and coordination.”

▪ 3. Improves Public Opinion

▪ Ethics also help improve public opinion about engineering professions.

▪ For example, the NSPE’s code of ethics requires you to be honest in your public
communications through objective, truthful statements free of private interest,
deception, or misrepresentation. Honesty in public relations is crucial to building
 trust. It’s even more critical for you as an engineer because your decisions directly
affect the public’s safety and well-being.

▪ In an era where communication skills are increasingly valued, it’s crucial to act
ethically in your interactions with the public. Doing so can help improve perceptions
about the engineering industry and demonstrate your commitment to ethical,
responsible behavior.

▪ 4. Safeguards the Company’s Interests

▪ Adhering to engineering ethics can also help protect your company’s interests.

▪ The NSPE’s code of ethics discourages you from disclosing sensitive or confidential
company information without explicit consent, obtaining employment or
advancement with improper methods, and unethically harming other engineers’
professional reputations.

▪ By adhering to these principles, you can help protect your firm’s interests—as well as
your team's—and ensure you contribute to its success.

▪ 5. Fosters Sustainability

▪ Engineering ethics promote sustainability by requiring you to consider your work's

long-term impact on the environment and society. Additionally, sustainability is vital
to modern business because it can improve your organization’s reputation, increase
growth opportunities, and boost financial performance.

▪ If you struggle to understand sustainability's context in your role as an engineer,

consider the triple bottom line, a concept that asserts businesses should go beyond
financial performance and measure their social and environmental impacts. If you
consider profit, people, and the planet in your daily work, you’re more likely to
follow the industry’s ethical standards around sustainability.

▪ 6. Protects Other Engineers

▪ Engineering ethics aren’t just meant to protect employers, clients, and the public.
They also help protect individual engineers by discouraging all industry professionals
from engaging in unethical or illegal behavior for their benefit.

▪ The NSPE’s code of ethics (pdf) specifically states that “engineers shall not attempt to
obtain employment or advancement by untruthfully criticizing other engineers.” It
also specifies that “engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely,
directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment
of other engineers.”
▪ These guidelines are especially important when considering your team’s performance
and productivity. Fostering an environment that promotes employee engagement can
prevent negative dynamics from corrupting your workplace.

▪ 7. Secures Company Assets

▪ Engineering ethics help ensure your team members and organizational leaders act in
ways that protect your company’s intellectual property and confidential information.

▪ The designs, inventions, and writings created by your team are often recognized as the
property of either your client or the individual responsible for those assets. You must
acknowledge such ownership agreements prior to beginning work. In doing so, you
can prevent theft and misuse of your company’s assets and protect its investments.

▪ Duties and Responsibilities of an Engineer

1.Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the
performance of their professional duties.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence; they shall
build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete
unfairly with others.
3. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers
and shall provide opportunities for the professional and ethical development of those
engineers under their supervision.
4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts
of interest.
5. Engineers shall respect the proprietary information and intellectual property rights
of others, including charitable organizations and professional societies in the
engineering field.
6. Engineers shall associate only with reputable persons or organizations.
7.Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner and
shall avoid any conduct which brings discredit upon the profession.
8. Engineers shall consider environmental impact and sustainable development in the
performance of their professional duties.
9. Engineers shall not seek ethical sanction against another engineer unless there is
good reason to do so under the relevant codes, policies and procedures governing that
engineer’s ethical conduct.
10. Engineers who are members of the Society shall endeavour to abide by the
Constitution, By-Laws and Policies of the Society, and they shall disclose knowledge
of any matter involving another member’s alleged violation of this Code of Ethics or
the Society’s Conflicts of Interest Policy in a prompt, complete and truthful manner to
the chair of the Committee on Ethical Standards and Review.
 ● Conflicts Between Business Demand and Professional Ideals
A business is started for the purpose of earning profit, whether it is good or bad / right or
wrong. Profit is invested for growth, expansion and diversification of the organization and
used to manage the extra yearly expenditure due to inflation. Profit can be generated by the
help of following factors:
a) Clear vision, mission and objectives
b) Team work and organization building
c) Good marketing policies
d) Create monopoly in the market
e) Treating employees with humanity
f) Good financial policy
g) New creative and innovative ideas
h) Healthy competition with competitors
Above mentioned factors help organizations to earn profit ethically. Few organizations
earn profit by unethical means like black marketing, insider trading, tax evasion, unfair
treatment to employees by not giving salary/wages and assigning excessive workload,
violating government policies related to company act or environment protection act for
profit etc. We know that business always demands profitability but not sacrificing the
professional ideals which is based on ethics. Therefore, professional ideals might not
always be same with business objectives which is mainly profit oriented. A business
manager must have a strong sense of ethics and morality. If it is so, then a conflict arises
automatically between business demands and professional ideals. An organization which
is inspired by ethical conduct can earn profit for a long term. On the other hand,
organization which is inspired by profit making ideology may not be ethical and cannot
sustain in the market for a long time. Therefore, ethics and morality driven organizations
are sure to be stable and successful in a long run.

● Whistle Blowing
Whistle blowing is an attempt by a member or former member of an organization to disclose
unethical practices executed by an organization or an employer or a supervisor. It reveals the
information regarding illegal or unethical practices to the higher authority within the
organization or to outside world for preventing such practices with the intention of saving
public interest.

Motives of Whistle Blowing

~ Try to implement ethical conduct
~ Highlight the ethical issues and challenges of organization for present and future
~ Highlight the threat for public and society
~ Try to motivate towards ethics and morality
Following are the features of Whistle Blowing:
Individual Act: Whistle Blowing is an act of individual person or a group of persons.
Moral Motives: Whistle Blowing is executed for the public interest or societal benefit, not
for some self-centred motive
Responsible Belief: Whistle Blower thinks with a belief that a particular activity in an
organization is unethical which should be reported for public interest.
Calling Attention: Whistle Blower tries to attract attention of appropriate authority for
unethical activities.
Expecting Positive Response: Whistle Blower expects a positive response from his/her
organization or outside agency.
Voluntary Act: Whistle Blowing is a voluntary act with no legal obligation or pressure to
blow the whistle for wrong doing activities.
Several Types: Whistle Blower may be an insider or an outsider of organization who protests
against a person or group or employer or government.

Different types of Whistle Blowing

Internal Whistle Blowing
If the unethical activities are reported to the higher authority within the organization, it is
internal whistle blowing. Here whistle blowers want the unethical activity should be
investigated as per the organization’s rule and process.
External Whistle Blowing
If the unethical activities are reported to outside agencies, like media, public interest groups,
enforcement authorities etc., it is external whistle blowing.
Personal Whistle Blowing
If a person or a group of person is affected by immoral or unethical exploitation, then the
disclosure is called as personal whistle blowing.
Corporate Whistle Blowing
If the disclosure is related with the immoral or unethical activities of the organization, then it
is called corporate whistle blowing.
Government Whistle Blowing
If the disclosure is related with the immoral or unethical activities of government officials or
department, then it is called government whistle blowing.

Whistle Blowing: Is it morally justified?

Whistle blowing is a brave act of conscience that can bear huge personal loss. It has been
observed that whistle blowers are the loyal and trustworthy employee of the organization
having a strong belief of ethical principles. Sometimes, we can say that external whistle
blowing is wrong because employees have a contractual duties and responsibilities to be loyal
to employer and keep all information of organization confidential. When employees accept
offer letter, they assure employer not to disclose information by the help of an agreement. If
an employee blows the whistle means he/she violates agreement and thereby violates the
rights of employers. First of all, before disclosing the unethical issue to outside, whistle
blower should try to prevent the unethical activities through internal channels of organization.
On the other hand, if the whistle blower has not sufficient and clear evidence of unethical
activity, he/she should not blow the whistle because it can cause serious harm to the
organization.

Advantages
~ An insider of an organization identifies the unethical activity through whistle blowing
process compare to an external investigation agency.
~ Early warning through the process can help to take preventive measure for unethical
activity.
~Whistle blower can be protected from humiliating behaviour from others in case of early
detection by appropriate authority.
~Taking whistle blowing as a serious matter, organization would prevent unauthorized leaks
to the media.
Problems
~ Whistle blowing may break the feeling of loyalty of the other employees in the
organization.
~ In some cases, whistle blowing discourages the initiatives of bold and quick decisions of
the organization.
~Threat of whistle blowing may be used to blackmail the higher authority or colleagues in the
organization.
~In most of the cases whistle blowers are harassed by the higher authority of the
organization, face the situation of isolation or powerlessness and emerge in the feeling of
depression and frustration.

Initiatives of Creating Whistle Blowing Culture

Proper Policy Formulation: A strong policy regarding commitment towards ethical
behaviour should be developed.
Promote the Policy: The policy should be promoted through annual reports, newsletters etc.
Support from Top management: Top management must give a backup for maintaining the
culture of truth, honesty and loyalty.
Inspect and Follow Up: Promote inspection and follow up initiatives are required for all
allegations through whistle blowing.

Case Study of Satyendra Dubey

Satyendra Dubey, a Civil Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, was an employee of
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). He was assigned in a project of ‘Golden
Quadrilateral’ to connect four cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai) of India. He was
posted at Koderma, Jharkhand as project director. Also, he was given a charge of releasing
funds for under-construction highway in that project. He found that contract was given on the
basis of fake documents. He identified a lot of issues like manipulated project report giving
huge advances to contractors, dividing project among many petty contractors without any
technical ability. Dubey also found that actual contracted firm Larsen & Toubro had assigned
the project to small sub-contractors with low technical expertise, controlled by local mafia.
Government engineers, officials from Larsen & Toubro, local hooligans were also involved
in the corruption of looting public money. He wrote a letter to NHAI Project Director but he
did not get any result. He sent the same letter repeatedly to the Chairman of NHAI, but no
action was taken. Also, lot of negligence was observed by the officials to pass the letter and
proof of corruption to NHAI. After writing a letter to PM, Prime Minister Office (PMO) did
not bother to investigate and consider the case. Later on, PMO handed over the letter and
explanation by Dubey to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. But still he was
ignored after all those incidences. At last, he was killed in Gaya in 2003. However, it is one
of the best cases of whistle blowing and its extreme impact on whistle blower.

▪ Environmental Ethics.
Environmental ethics is defined as the application of ethical standard to the relationships
between human being and nonhuman entities. In other words, it is a moral study of
identifying right or wrong thing with regards to the environment. There are different schools
of thought for environmental ethics:
Anthropocentrism: It emphasizes on human based ethics, giving priorities only to the well
being of humans. It states that human beings have the complete right to take decisions about
the environment.
Biocentrism: It emphasizes on the thought that all forms of life (human beings, plants, and
animals) have their own inherent right to exist.
Egocentrism: It emphasizes on the concept that Earth and its resources have moral values
and should be treated as community.
Challenge of Environmental Ethics.
Rachel Carson was the first to draw attention to this. She highlighted the damage caused to
other life forms and also to public health by commercial farming practices aimed at
producing high yield and profits. She also warned that the use of high level of pesticides
would make its way into the food chain, causing health hazards. Lynn White has pointed out
that the way we deal with the environment is unethical and faulty.

▪ Sustainable Development.
Sustainable development indicates to an optimum level of development which meets the
basic needs of present generation without compromising the needs and expectations of future
generations to satisfy their needs and demands. Effective environmental protection is a vital
part of sustainable development process. With an aim of preventing environmental pollution
as far as possible, government should take initiatives to stop air, water and land pollution by
developing suitable technology and process through research. There are two broad objectives
of sustainable development:
1. Maximizing the probability of achieving sustainable development.
2. Minimizing the possibilities of environmental pollution.

So, sustainable development emphasizes towards better quality of life for all members of the
society, and it focuses on three following aspects –
a. Social Development
b. Environmental Protection
c. Economic Development.

▪ Research Ethics.
Research is fundamental to human development. It is normally an interdisciplinary and
creative endeavor. Fundamental research is essentially aimed at creating new knowledge.
Applied research has the objective of creating useful products and services from the
knowledge gained through fundamental research. Research, in any form, must finally benefit
humanity. Research ethics provides guidelines for the responsible conduct of research.
Objectives of Research.
1. Create new knowledge.
2. Use the created knowledge to develop products and services that are useful to society.
3. Understand yourselves and the world around you so that you can easily and sensibly
negotiate and overcome problems.

Research Skills.

1. Critical Thinking
2. Problem Silving
 3. Analysis
4. Dissemination.
Ethical Aspects.
Honesty and integrity must be observed in conducting and reporting research results. There
are many reasons why a researcher should follow ethical norms while conducting research.
● To promote the aims of research, the researcher should follow the norms. Any
fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of research data is unethical.
● Values such as trust, mutual respect, fairness etc. are also required as most research
work today involves cooperation, and collaboration by different people from different
disciplines and institutions and even countries.
● Research guidelines also include the researcher’s accountability to the public in terms
of misconduct, conflict of interest etc.
● Ethics in research also helps to promote moral and social values in general.

Issues in Research Ethics.

● While research is essential to understand and exploit nature sensibly, it can also lead
to unwanted results. For instance, research in nuclear energy is beneficial in terms of
providing the much needed energy for many human endeavours, but it can also result
in the development of nuclear bombs.
● The researcher has to have a high level of honesty and integrity.
● Plagiarism should be avoided.

▪ Bioethics
Bioethics deals with the issues of biology and medicine. It is defined as the philosophical
study of ethical questions arising out of developments in biology and medicine. More
specifically, it studies ethical questions arising out of the relationship among life sciences,
medicine, law, politics, and religion. Bioethics covers a wide range of areas such as abortion,
euthanasia, surrogacy, suicide, genetic engineering, cloning, and health-care issues.
● Abortion.
Abortion, also called medical termination of pregnancy, is ending the life of a foetus
before birth. While this is allowed before a certain period into pregnancy, it has
become a serious issue in India because of a spurt in female foeticide. The ethical
questions arising out of this are –
1. Does one have the right to take the life of a child?
2. Can abortion be ethical?
3. Which is more desirable – legal protection for the child or a mass movement to
educate the parents?

● Euthanasia.
Euthanasia or mercy killing is the termination of life for a variety of reasons. In some
countries, it is legal for terminally ill patients. The arguments are that it relieves the
 person from extreme pain or the quality of life of the person is so poor that continuing
life in that form is worthless. The ethical aspects are –
1. Can the quality of life be a sufficient reason to allow a person or his/her relative to
end his/her life?
2. Can suffering from pain eternally be a reason for allowing mercy killing?
3. To what extent should the quality of life deteriorate for one to decide that life is
not worth living?

● Surrogacy.
Surrogacy, meaning substitute, is a term used to refer to the concept of someone
substituting for the mother and taking the burden of pregnancy and delivery. Once the
task is over, the role of the surrogate mother ends. The ethical issues are –
1. In many cases, there is exploitation of poverty among people in poor countries
who take to surrogate motherhood for very meager fees. There is also the question
of middleman who earns a lot of money in the process.
2. The child’s feelings towards the parents and to the surrogate mother could be a
tricky issue in some cases.

● Cloning.
Cloning is biological photocopying. You have an original life form that is studied and
a similar one is made by a process that is not a natural process of biological
reproduction. Ethical issues have been raised by the medical fraternity itself about the
procedure for cloning humans. Major objections have come from religious leaders
who believe that it interferes with a divine process.

● Genetic Engineering.
It deals with genes, their transplantation and creation of new life forms, and crossing
species boundaries. While research in genetics can lead to very positive results in the
form of new therapy for many illnesses, it can also lead to dangerous results. A major
concern is the long-term effect on health and environment of the species on the planet.