MN 421:

ENGINEERING PROCEDURES,
ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL
CONDUCT
Instructor: Dr. Lema, MWJ

Office : Lab 6 (CoES-UDom)

E-mail: drlemaofficial@gmail.com
Mob (1): +255 767 390906
Mob (2): +255 787 300906

Description
This course is designed to develop engineering
students an understanding of your professional
duties and responsibilities and introduce ethical
issues to you as you perform your daily
professional practice and conduct.

Objectives
To provide engineering students with an
understanding of your duties and responsibilities
as professionals through gaining knowledge of the
philosophies of ethics, professional practice and
ethical conduct

Learning Outcomes
An understanding of your professional duties and
responsibilities.
The knowledge of the philosophies of the ethics,
professional practice and ethical conduct.
An understanding that, as professional engineers,
you must take your responsibility seriously not
just for the quality of the jobs but for the safety
and well-being of the public at large.

Course Contents
Introduction to engineering ethics and
professionalism;
Moral and ethical theories and methods;
Professional responsibility;
Risk and moral responsibility;
Corrupt forms;
Gender issues in engineering;
Codes of ethics;
International issues in engineering ethics.
Case studies

References
Martin N.W. Schinzinger R.S (1989). Ethics in
Engineering-MCcraw Hill Co.
Institution of Engineers Tanzania (1999) CODE of
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Engineers and
Engineering Practice, Dar Es Salaam. Engineering
Practice, Dar Es Salaam
Engineers Registration Board (1999)
Civil service department (2000). Code of Ethics and
Conduct for Public Service in Tanzania
Selected Internet RESOURCES (eg.
http//ethics.tamu.ed/ethics/ethics/,etc)

COURSE ASSESSMENT

CONTINOUS ASSESSMENT
2 ASSIGNMENTS (10%):
(1-individual+1-group)
2 TESTS (30%):
1-WEEK 7 + 1-WEEK 14
1-UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION (60%)

LECTURE ONE (1)

INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING
ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM

Definition of Engineering

Definition by the Engineering Council, UK

the profession directed towards the skilled application
of a distinctive body of knowledge based on
mathematics, science and technology, integrated with
business and management, which is acquired through
education and professional formation in a particular
engineering discipline.
Engineering is directed to developing, providing and
maintaining infrastructure, goods and services for
industry and the community.
The outcome of engineering is a product, or perhaps a
process or service.

Definition by the US Accreditation Board of

Engineering and Technology (ABET)
Engineering is the profession in which a knowledge
of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by
study, experience, and practice is applied with
judgment to develop ways to utilize economically, the
material and forces of nature for the benefit of
mankind.

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Description of Engineering

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The 31st

By Herbert Hoover,
President of the USA, 1929-33

Its a great profession.

There is the fascination of watching a figment of
the imagination emerge through the aid of science
to a plan on paper.
Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or
energy.
Then it brings jobs and homes to men.
Then it elevates the standard of living and adds to
the comforts of life.
That it the engineers high privilege. .

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 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 hard in substance.
He cannnot bury his mistakes in the grave like the
doctors.
He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the
judge like lawyers.
He can not, like the architects, cover his failures
with trees and vines.
He can not, like the politicians, screen his
shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope
people will forget.
The engineer simply can not deny he did it. If his
works do not work, he is damned
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 On the other hand, unlike the doctor, he is not a

life among the weak.
Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose.
Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread.
To the engineer falls the job of clothing bare bones
of science with life, comfort, and hope.
No doubt as years go by the people forget which
engineer did it, even if they ever knew.
Or some politician puts his name on it.
Or they credit it to some promoter who used other
peoples money
But the engineer himself looks back at the
unending stream of goodness which flows from his
successes with satisfactions that few professions
may know.
And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the
accolade he wants.
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Professionalism

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Definition
Professionalism is the use of skills and knowledge
that conforms to the technical and ethical standards
of a profession, for the good of the community.
A necessary prerequisite to professionalism is the
acquisition of skills and knowledge through academic
training provided by tertiary education institutions,
among others.

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Ethics

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Definition
Ethics is understood to be the field of human
behavior dealing with moral duty or obligation.
In any community or society there are governing
principles or values which are used to judge the
appropriateness of the conduct or behavior of its
members. These are sometimes referred to as
morals.

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Engineering Ethics

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Engineering ethics is:

(1) the study of moral issues and decisions confronting
individuals and organizations involved in
engineering, and/or
(2) the study of related questions about moral conduct,
character, ideals, and relationships of people and
organizations involved in technological development.
These ethics are guided by principles and values;
i. These principles are usually presented broadly as
guidance of an idealistic or inspirational nature.
ii. Alternatively, the principles are presented as a
detailed and specific set of rules couched in legalistic
or imperative terms to make them easily enforceable.
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Professions like engineering that have been given the

privilege and responsibility of self-regulation have
tended to opt for the former alternative, espousing
sets of underlying principles as codes of ethics and
professional conduct which form the basis and
framework for responsible professional practice.
The ethics of engineering is wider in scope than the
ethics of engineers.
It also applies to the decisions made by others
engaged in the technological enterprise, including
scientists, managers, production workers and their
supervisors, technicians, technical writers,
government officials, lawyers, and the general public.

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Technical and ethical standards, on the other hand,

are set and regulated by respective professional
bodies.
Without ethics professional practice ceases to be
professional and, indeed, it may be correct to say that
without ethics there is no professionalism.
A professional is normally proud to exhibit good
professionalism, unless there are extenuating
circumstances which deprive the practice of the ethics
ingredient.
Engineers are hired by clients (and employers)
specifically for their specialized expertise.
Generally, the client knows less about the subject
than the engineer.

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Therefore, engineers have ethical obligations to their

clients, because the client often cannot assess the
quality of the engineer's technical advice.
These obligations are part of engineering ethics, the
set of behavioral standards that all engineers are
expected to follow.

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Need for Interaction Rules

Engineers work in teams, and the products of their
work impact the society as a whole.
There is need for a set of interaction rules outlining
the expected sets of behavior between the engineer,
other individuals, and society as a whole.
The engineer has obligations to society and the
society has obligations to the engineer.

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The Interaction Rules

Etiquette - consisting of codes of behavior and
courtesy;
Law - a system of rules established by authority,
society, or custom. Unlike etiquette, violations of law
carry penalties;
Morals - accepted standards of right and wrong that
are usually applied to personal behavior.
Ethics - consisting of general and abstract concepts of
right and wrong behavior culled from philosophy,
theology, and professional societies.
There is a complex web of interaction rules governing
our behavior.
In some cases, all the interaction rules agree.
For example, murder is illegal (unlawful), immoral,
unethical, a violation of human rights, and certainly
bad etiquette.
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The Interaction Rules

There can, thus, be conflicts between the law and
morality for the following reasons:
The legal system has not considered the situation.
Encoding some moral standards into law would be
unenforceable.
Laws must be impartial and treat everyone the same.
Laws must govern observable behavior.
Laws may be enacted by immoral regimes.

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Traits of a successful Engineer

Success in engineering careers brings personal
fulfillment and financial reward.

There are no guarantees in life that performing well in

your engineering courses will guarantee success in the
real engineering world.
Ultimate success is achieved by mastering many traits,
of which academic prowess (expertise/competence) is
one.

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Enhanced chances of success in an engineering

career entails the following traits:

Interpersonal skills
Communication skills
Leadership
Competence
Logical thinking
Quantitative thinking
Follow-through
Continuing education

Maintaining a professional
library
Dependability
Honesty
Organization
Common sense
Curiosity
Involvement in community
Creativity
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Some Traits of a Creative Engineer

Stick-to-it-iveness
Asks why
Is never satisfied
Learns from accidents
Makes analogies
Generalizes
Develops quality and
quantitative
understanding

Has good visualization

skills
Has good drawing
skills
Possesses unbounded
thinking
Has broad interests
Collects obscure
information
Keeps an engineering
tool-box
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Scientists vis--vis Engineers

Although engineers use knowledge generated by
the scientific method, they do not routinely use the
same.
Scientists are concerned with discovering what is,
whereas engineers are concerned with designing
what will be.

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The scientific method

Develop hypotheses (possible explanations) of a

physical phenomenon.
Design an experiment to critically test the
hypotheses.
Perform the experiment and analyze the results
to determine which hypothesis, if any, is
consistent with the experimental data.
Generalize the experimental results into a law or
theory.
Publish the results.

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The engineering method

Identify and define the problem.

Assemble a design team.
Identify constraints and criteria for success.
Search for solutions.
Analyze each potential solution.
Choose the "best" solution.
Document the solution.
Communicate the solution to management.
Construct the solution.
Verify and evaluate the performance of the
solution.

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END OF LECTURE 01
14.04.2016

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