Engineering Ethics and

Professionalism
ELO10: ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALISM
Objectives
Create an increased awareness of ethical behaviour
Present the ECSA Code of Conduct for Registered Persons
Presenting engineering case studies that illustrate ethical
(or unethical) decisions.
What is Ethics and Professionalism ?
Morals are principles of right and wrong.
Ethics are moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting
of an activity.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and
recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.
Laws are binding codes of conduct; formally recognized and enforced.
Professionalism describes the qualities, skills, competence and behaviours you
are expected to bring to your profession.
ECSA requires that accredited educational institutions include the assessment
of “engineering professionalism in their curriculum.
ECSA ELO 10: Engineering Professionalism
Demonstrate critical awareness of the need to act professionally
and ethically and to exercise judgment and take responsibility
within own limits of competence.
Range Statement: Evidence includes case studies typical of
engineering practice situations in which the graduate is likely to
participate. Ethics and the professional responsibility of an engineer
and the contextual knowledge specified in the range statement of
Exit Level outcome 7 is generally applicable here.
Why is ELO 10 Important?
It is important for engineering students to study engineering ethics so that they
will be prepared to make ethical decisions during their professional careers.
Ethical decisions are often difficult and the engineer may find him/herself
under pressure from management, clients, etc. to act unethically
Engineering ethics is defined as the rules and standards governing the conduct
of engineers in their roles as professionals.
These rules and standards are outlined in the ECSA Rules of Conduct for
Registered Persons: Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act No. 46 of 2000).
Herbert Hoover
(Mining Engineer & 31st US President, 1923-1933)
“The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other
professions is that his works are out in the open where all can
see them.
His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his
mistakes in the grave like the doctors.
He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the
lawyers.
He cannot, like the politician, screen his shortcomings by
blaming his opponents and hope that the people will forget.
The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do
not work, he is damned forever.”
 Where ethical issues arise
Competency to perform engineering work Company Policy
Supervision and Project Teams Corporate Commitment / Loyalty
Project timelines and budgets Confidentiality (with company, to clients)
Expectations, opinions, or judgments Conflict of Interest and Disclosure
Product Design: Unsafe or Less than Useful Intellectual property
Designed for obsolescence Relationships with colleagues
Inferior materials or components Harassment
Unforeseen harmful effects to society Whistle-blowing
Deviation from Design Codes Corruption: bribes and kick-backs
Engineering Management:
Health and Safety: OSH Act, NOSA
Quality Management: ISO 9001
Environmental Management: ISO 14001
Impacts of an engineer’s ethical decisions
 The Products & Services (safety and utility)
 The Company and its Stockholders
 The Public and Society (benefits to the people)
 Environment (Earth and beyond)
 The Profession (how the public views it)
 The Law (how legislation affects the profession and industry)
 Personal Position (job, internal moral conflict)
 Examples
The Space Shuttle Challenger (Use Outside Design Limit: Failed O Ring)
Bhopal—Union Carbide (Toxic Gas Leak: the world's worst industrial disaster)
Volkswagen ( Engineered Cheat: Emissions Scandal)
The Ford Kuga (Design Flaw: Fires)
Chernobyl Nuclear Reactors (Hurried Test: uncontrolled nuclear reaction)
Kansas City Hyatt Hotel (Engineering Hack: Suspended walkway collapse, Worst
Structural Disaster in US History)
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (Management and Maintenance: Worst human-
caused environmental disaster)
Codes of Conduct
Codes of ethics have been established by various professional engineering
bodies, such as
 the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE),
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
the ECSA Code of Conduct for Registered Persons
ECSA Rules of Conduct
Expresses the duties and obligations of a professional engineer.
Does not create new moral and ethical principles
Are not comprehensive enough to cover all possible ethical dilemmas that an
engineer might encounter.
The rules serve as starting points for making ethical decisions.
It is not a legal document, so a professional will not necessarily be arrested for
violating its provisions.
Violating the rules of conduct will require disciplinary procedures which may
result in loss of professional status.
Objectives of the Rules of Conduct
Registered Persons are to ensure that they:
Apply their knowledge and skills in the interest of the public and the environment;
Execute their work with integrity and in accordance with the generally accepted norms of
professional conduct;
Respect the interest of the public and honour the standing of the profession;
Strive to Improve their professional skills and those of their subordinates;
Encourage excellence within the engineering profession;
Do not prejudice public health and safety.
 ECSA Competency Standard
Purpose: Defines the competence required for registration
Group C: Impacts of Engineering Activity
as a Professional Engineer
Outcome 6: Recognise and address the reasonably foreseeable social,
Group A: Knowledge-based engineering problem solving cultural and environmental effects of complex engineering activities.
Outcome 1: Define, investigate and analyse complex Outcome 7: Meet all legal and regulatory requirements and protect the
engineering problems. health and safety of persons in the course of his or her complex engineering
activities.
Outcome 2: Design or develop solutions to complex
engineering problem. Group D: Exercise judgement, take responsibility and act ethically
Outcome 3: Comprehend and apply advanced Outcome 8: Conduct engineering activities ethically.
knowledge: principles, specialist knowledge, jurisdictional
and local knowledge. Outcome 9: Exercise sound judgement in the course of complex
engineering activities.
Group B: Manage Engineering Activities
Outcome 10: Be responsible for making decisions on part or all of complex
Outcome 4: Manage part or all of one or more complex engineering activities.
engineering activities
Group E: Continuing Professional Development
Outcome 5: Communicate clearly with others in the Outcome 11: Undertake professional development activities sufficient to
course of his or her engineering activities. maintain and extend his or her competence.
Questions?