Ethical Situations Engineers May Face Workshop

1
Ethical Situations Engineers May FaceWorkshop

• Steve Starrett, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE

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. NSPE Code of Ethics Preamble
2
NSPE Code of Ethics

• Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
  the public.
• Perform services only in areas of your
  competence.
• Issue public statements only in an objective and
  truthful manner.

3

• Act for each employer or client as faithful
  agents or trustees.
• Avoid deceptive acts.
• Conduct yourself honorably, responsibly,
  ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the
  honor, reputation, and usefulness of the
  profession.

More details in Rules of Practice and
Professional Obligations
4
1st Situation

• Video clips Highly paid professional actors and
  actresses.
• Review Engineer is meeting with a Design Engineer
  about his firms qualifications to design a
  structure. Engineers are most generally selected
  on qualifications and not a low bid process.
• Clip follows

5

6
What did you notice?What are issues?

7
What did you notice?

• Long standing friendship
• Significant gift (pair of tickets on 5th row at
  bowl game)
• Gift handed with qualifications
• Review Engineer used to getting gifts
• Review Engineer did not review qualifications
• Review Engineer highly interested in tickets
  (benefits self, not client)

8

• Design Engineer used to giving gifts to various
  people
• Design Engineer happy about new contract
• Design Engineer, seems nice, may be highly
  qualified

9
Issues

• Design engineer may not be qualified
• Best engineer not likely selected
• Failed - Act for each employer or client as
  faithful agents or trustees.
• Failed - Conduct yourself honorably, responsibly,
  ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the
  honor, reputation, and usefulness of the
  profession.
• Failed - ASCE Code Engineers shall act in such a
  manner as to uphold and enhance the honor,
  integrity, and dignity of the engineering
  profession and shall act with zero-tolerance for
  bribery, fraud, and corruption.
• Gifts are common problem. 5 limit the answer?
  Gifts are offered for a reason.

10
2nd situation

• 2 engineers are working on design plans.

11
Scene 1

• Engineers have respect for each other
• Working as a team
• Design situation, crunching numbers

12
Scene 2

• No errors
• Calculations verified
• Design not working
• Parameter over EPA limit
• New design will cost a lot of money
• Engineers recognize additional cost involved
• Redesign - Safe thing to do
• Manager not going to like it

13
Scene 3

• Manager now involved
• Engineers and Manager have respect for each other
• Engineers. We found problem
• Need to create new design
• Manager. Delays already costing a lot of money
• Engineers. Drinking water .. Not safe
• Manager doesnt think problem will be caught
• Manager not arguing on technical points

14
(No Transcript)
15

• 2nd engineer thinking, crud, we engineers are in
  a bad situation here
• Engineers remained calm
• Manager overrides engineers because of costs,
  unlikely to get caught

16
Issues

• Engineers believe creating a hazard to local
  drinking water.
• Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
  the public.
• Will soon be authoring technical reports,
  requesting permits.
• Issue public statements only in an objective and
  truthful manner.
• Know negatively impacting health over acceptable
  levels
• Avoid deceptive acts.

17
Options for engineers?

• Try manager again
• Build team of support, discuss with Manager
• Solve problem without a lot of extra cost
• Follow chain-of-command in whistleblowing
• Quote Code of Ethics to managers

18

• ASCE Code - Engineers whose professional judgment
  is overruled under circumstances where the
  safety, health and welfare of the public are
  endangered, or the principles of sustainable
  development ignored, SHALL INFORM their clients
  or employers of the possible consequences.
• Level of Shall Inform arguable

19
3rd situation

• Engineering team is presenting new plant to local
  inspectors
• Inspectors must approve plant before business
  operation begins
• Engineers on left, inspectors on right
• Play Inspector(1)

20
Inspector1
21
Scene 1

• Engineer states plant up and running well
• Lead Inspector suggesting transport of gray water
  should be performed by a pump system instead of a
  gravity flow system
• Play Inspector(2)

22
(No Transcript)
23
Scene 2

• Lead engineer confident gravity system works well
  for this plant
• Inspector has something going on about pumps,
  still sticking with suggesting pumps, more
  reliable
• Play Inspector(3)

24
(No Transcript)
25
Scene 3

• Multiple engineers explain again gravity system
  more reliable than pumps, they are correct and
  right on this topic
• Inspector not listening, now states pumps
  required!
• Play Inspector(4)

26
(No Transcript)
27
Scene 4

• Other inspectors bullied by the lead inspector,
  not going to touch his authority
• Lead inspector demanding pumps not based on
  technical issues (brother-in-law sells pumps??,
  incompetent, huge ego??)
• Lead inspector threatening no approval without
  change
• No supervisors above lead inspector to go to,
  this is the man the engineers need approval from

28

• Engineers not sure change is even possible,
  change doesnt make technical sense, waste of
  money and time, decreases reliability of plant
• Engineers options refuse change, make change,
  lie about making change to get inspector off the
  property
• Not good choices, all have consequences
• What would you do?

29
Issues for Plant Engineers

• Act for each employer or client as faithful
  agents or trustees.
• Avoid deceptive acts.
• Conduct yourself honorably, responsibly,
  ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the
  honor, reputation, and usefulness of the
  profession.

30

• Thank you very much to the Spring, 2007 on-campus
  class of CE 703 Responsibility of Engineering.

Emily Frey not present.
31
Overall Suggestions

• Select friends, co-workers with high ethical
  standards
• Keep NSPE code handy
• Solve like an engineer
• Consult with others
• What would your family think about your actions?
• Onlineethics.org, take a class