Standards of Engineering Ethics and Professionalism in the World

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The development of engineering ethics can be traced to the turn of the 20^th century when the mother engineering associations formulated ethical codes. The engineering ethics refer to the guidelines and principles applied by engineers in their professional practice. Adoption of the first code of ethics was by The Institute of Civil Engineers of England in 1910.From then on it has been established and practiced in most states.

The engineers are required by the law to join professional organizations and obtain professional licenses before they can practice in line with the requirements of other professions such as law, medicine, and accounting. This paper will compare the difference that exists in several codes of ethics around the world as well as how they can be professionally applied from different perspectives. In addition to this the paper will seek to determine how the impact of religion of some of the engineering codes.

Ever since the professionalization of engineering, there have been conflicts between professional engineers and technical engineers with each group fighting for recognition of supremacy. Professional organizations have strived to incorporate codes of ethics in their rules while technical societies of engineers do not adopt uniform codes of ethics. They prefer to educate their members on the importance of ethics.

Engineering ethics often emerge from major disasters and catastrophes in landmark structures. The collapse of the Quebec Bridge in 1907 saw the emergence of the Order of the engineer in America and the iron ring in Canada. Members take an oath to observe the code of ethics and put on a ring to remind them constantly of the commitment to upholding ethics.

In the recent past, review of the code of ethics and introduction of engineering ethics as a course in engineering classrooms has been precipitated by misfortunes such as the collapse of The Hyatt Hotel in Kansa and The Challenger disaster. Most professors are not comfortable teaching the course, which involves literature because they are more familiar with teaching quantative and qualitative concepts.

Engineering organizations and professional bodies in most countries of the world share similar principles regarding ethics, with the core principles being that public interest should always be put before individual interest. The major issues facing the enforcement of engineering ethics are corruption and high rates of bribery.

New issues such as environmental conservation are also emerging. Whistle-blowing (reporting your employer or client in case of activities that may risk public welfare) has remained a gray area in engineering ethics. Engineers are usually in a dilemma whether to uphold the code of ethics and report or to remain loyal to their companies and keep their jobs.

In America for instance, the code of the Civil Engineers’ society places emphasis on the wellbeing of the public in terms of safety and health. It also requires proficiency and competence in the fieldwork, truth, and faithfulness in dealing with clients, fair competition, upholding the name of the profession, anti-corruption attitude, continuous career development, and provision of opportunities to apprentices or those under their tutelage.

Stringent enforcement of professional ethics takes place in The United States of America. This is largely due to the fact that it suits and actions in court by way of public interest litigation. In 1969, the government launched an inquiry into the activities of B.F Goodrich Engineering Company following reports by an employee that it had falsified a brake report after conducting flight tests. Three engineers were indicted in 1989 for storing, handling, and disposing hazardous wastes. They were involved in development of chemical weapons for the army.

Until recently, France did not have a code of ethics for engineers or an engineering ethics course for students. This is mainly due to failure of organization due to divisions within the profession and failure of programs to conduct academic research into the discipline.

The first code of engineering ethics was adopted by The National Council of Engineers and Scientists of France(CNISF) in 1997.Like other engineers, when it comes to whistleblowing they are torn between public responsibility and fidelity to their employers.

The fact that the word engineer has two different meanings (a distinguished professional and a graduate engineer) has made development of engineering ethics problematic. The adopted code proved to be weak because it lacked enforcement procedures and engineers can only join CNISF institutionally through professional associations. Most engineers have chosen not to adopt the code and have chosen other ways to observe engineering ethics.

On the other hand, in Germany, the engineers association, VDI sought recognition of the profession by demanding to have the title Doktor bestowed upon them. This boosted their prestige and led to respect within the society and faster entrenchment of engineering ethics to uphold the reputation of the profession.

In Australia professionalism in engineering is highly regarded and ethics are strictly observed, The institution of engineers views the code as a contract between the engineer and the public that the engineer will prioritize public interest and welfare in exchange for which the public is not to interfere with the regulation of the engineering profession. Development of professionalism has occurred through instituting proceedings against engineers in their individual capacity. This process is similar to the one in Canada.

In Russia, formally known as The USSR, the communist revolution stripped engineers off their professional autonomy stagnating development of engineering codes of ethics. The same case applies in China where due to a tyrannical political regime, technical organizations and professional societies do not have a uniform code of ethics. The Chinese Mechanical Engineers Society is guided by regulations that are akin to a professional code.

The approach in Hong Kong is different from the rest of China since I was a former crown colony of The British and so the code is based on The U.K model. The Hong Kong Institute of Engineers achieved a milestone in 1980 by organizing a conference on ethics. The Hong Kong code is unique in that it makes an exception whereby an engineer is working outside Hongkong.It stipulates that such an engineer should abide by the engineering standards of that other country.

In India, members of the professional body have to sign a statement declaring that they shall uphold the code of ethics, conduct honorable research, and promote preservation of human dignity. There is no formal written code of conduct sine the individual pledge is considered the ultimate symbol of commitment to ethics as it is stronger than any written code.

In Japan, there is no distinct seperation between engineering and science. This is because they are considered a similar enterprise. Engineering ethics are considered to be of the same capacity with those of other scientists, and thus have not developed a lot.

Taiwan is another distinct example. Its professional code of ethics departs from the Western outlook and merges social-cultural aspects of The Taiwan people it acknowledges the diverse roles of an engineer at a personal and professional level. Teamwork and collective responsibility is emphasized.

Due to respect of hierarchy of age in their culture, younger engineers are to respect established engineers and request for their advice. The elderly engineers should couch and guide the younger engineers on the core values of ethics. Engineers should engage in community service and charity work for the public.

In Africa, there are professional engineering bodies in countries such as South Africa and Kenya. For instance in Kenya, the formulation of a code of ethics is underway since a bill has been enacted to pave way for the code. The South African Society of civil engineers already has a code in place. Corruption remains the biggest problem in entrenching engineering ethics in Africa because even the bidding and tendering processes are tainted.

Religion controls various aspects of our lives including our choice of fashion.education and even profession. It affects engineers in different ways. It will affect the choice of projects he chooses to work on, the type of research he or she conducts, interaction with other engineers and his views on the effects of the project he chooses to work on.

The other aspect involves the response of society towards the work of an engineer and the purpose for such work. Depending on the religious view of the society, a project maybe approved for sponsorship or rejected.

For instance, Christians may be unwilling to support an engineer intending to develop an atomic bomb. Religion will therefor influence engineering ethics because if the society considers something unethical from a religious point of view, there is no way in which an engineer can go ahead to do as it will end up besmirching the name of the profession.

In states, which have state religions, such religions end up controlling the professionalism of the engineering practice since the engineer must subscribe to the ethics established by such a religion. Whereas there is no state religion in Israel, the heavy Jewish presence means that a professional whether in law, medicine, or engineering cannot engage in any activities deemed unethical by that religion. In Saudi Arabia where Islam is a state religion, contravening principles of Muslim law would be unethical.

Environmental issues and the concept of sustainable development are emerging areas in the field of engineering ethics. There is a drive to preserve and conserve the environment for both the present and future generations. Engineering ethics have to become stricter, perhaps the best way to do this would be by formulation of a uniform code of ethics for all engineers across the globe just as we have uniform technical codes.

International engineering transactions are on the rise with contractors being hired to embark on various construction projects. An international regulatory framework and common standard has to be established so that engineers are not confused on the ethical standards required of them when they embark on jobs abroad. This can be formulated with the help of international engineering organizations such as The World Federation of Engineering Organizations.

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Standards of Engineering Ethics and Professionalism in the World

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