PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

AND
CODE OF CONDUCT
HS 3003 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND CODE OF CONDUCT Cr-1

Course Outcome :At the end of the course, the students will be able to

CO1. understand the relevance of ethics and morals in

engineering

CO2. apply moral theory in decision making

CO3. appreciate the vulnerability to failure of engineering pro

cesses

CO4. comprehend the finer aspects of safety and risk with refer
ence to the responsibilities of engineers.

CO5. understand the link between responsibility, rights and acc

ountability

CO6. understand the global impact of engineering profession

Morals and Ethics in Engineering

Senses of ‘Engineering Ethics’ –

Variety of moral issues- Moral Autonomy-
Kohlberg’s theory
-
Gilligan’s theory
-
Professions and Professionalism.
Engineering as Social Experimentation
Engineering as Experimentation- Engineers as responsible Experi
menters- Industrial Standards
–
Titanic disaster as
Case Study.
Engineer’s Responsibility for Safety
Safety & Risk- Assessment of Safety and Risk- Risk Benefit Analysis-
Reducing Risk. Global Issues
Computer Ethics- Role in Technological Development- Engineers as
Managers Engineers as Expert Witnesses and Advisors.

–
Recommended Book :

1. Mike Martin and Ronald Schinzinger, “Ethics in Engineering”,

McGraw Hill, New York, 2005.

2. Charles E Harris, Michael S Pritchard and Michael J Rabins,

“ Engineering Ethics Oncepts and Cases” Thompson Learning, 2000

3. Charles D Fleddermann, “Engineering Ethics”, Prentice Hall, New

Mexico, 1999.

4. Edmund G Seebauer And Robert L Barry, “ Fundamentals of Ethics

for Scientists and Engineers ‘’, Oxford University Press, 2001
Ethics:

 Personal ethics is a foundation of

professional ethics.
 Principles,
 There is a difference between
Morale, professional ethics and personal
Believes, ethics.

Standards,
 Obvious difference; professional
…etc ethics has to do with the ethical
standards accepted by a
professional community.
Ethics:
 Engineering Ethics: is about
 how we have to act and live as an

engineer,
 Principles,  what we have to consider when

Morale, making decisions,

Believes,  according to what standards are
these actions right or wrong.
Standards,
…etc Shortly Engineering ethics is how
engineers morally act as an
Engineer. This is professional
ethics NOT personal ethics.
According to what standards are these actions
right or wrong?

 Case 1:
Mary discovers that her plant (factory) is discharging a substance
into the river that is not regulated by the government. She
decides to do some reading about the substance and finds that
some of the studies suggest that it is carcinogen. As an engineer,
she believes she has an obligation to protect the public, but she
also wants to be a loyal employee. The substance will probably
be very expensive to remove, and her boss advises, “Forget
about it until the government makes us do something. Then all
the other plants will have to spend money too, and we will not be
at a competitive disadvantage.” What should Mary do?
According to what standards are these actions
right or wrong?

 Case 2:
Tom is designing a new chemical plant. One of his
responsibilities is to identify the valves to be used in a
certain portion of the plant. Before he makes his final
decision, a salesperson for one of the firms that
manufactures valves invites Tom to a golf game at the
local country club. Should Tom accept the offer?
According to what standards are these actions
right or wrong?
 Consider the cases as
a professional  What you have to consider
engineer. when making decisions in
those cases.

 According to what
standards are these actions
right or wrong in those
cases.
Things to consider and standards:

 What are your OBLIGATIONS

/ RESPONSIBILITIES as a
professional engineer?
Things to consider and standards:
 NSPE Codes (National Society of Professional Engineers)
 As a professional engineer it is your obligation / responsibility to
obey NSPE codes.

Therefore;

 Engineering Ethics (NSPE codes): shows you how

you have to act and live as an engineer. What you
have to consider when making decisions. According
to NSPE codes these actions are right or wrong.
Where to find NSPE codes?
 http://www.ie.emu.edu.tr
Lecturers
 Orhan Korhan
IE 355
Outline, NSPE codes etc.

or in your textbook: page 376 (3rd edition)

What is a Profession?
 Paid occupation, especially one that requires advanced
education, characteristics and training.
Professionals vs. Non-professionals
1. Education: Typically requires extensive period of training, and this
training is of an intellectual character. This training based on theory.
This theoretical base is obtained through formal education
(universities). Today, most professionals have at least bachelor’s
degree.
2. Have knowledge and skills that are vital to the well being of the larger
society. (Ex. doctor, lawyer, accountant).
3. Professions have monopoly on the demand of professional services.
This control achieved in two ways. First, only those who have
graduated from a professional school should be allowed to hold the
professional title. Secondly, influence the community that there should
be a licensing system for those who want to enter the profession.
4. Often have an unusual degree of autonomy in the workplace. Ex.
doctors must determine the most appropriate type of medical treatment
for their patients, and lawyers must decide the most successful type of
defense for their clients.
5. Claim to be regulated by ethical standards, usually embodied in a code
of ethics. Most professions regulate themselves for the public benefit.
Differences:
 Personal Ethics  Common Morality  Professional Ethics
is the set of ones is the set of moral is the set of standards
own ethical ideals shared by adopted by
commitments. most members of a professionals in so far
culture or society. as they see themselves
acting as professionals.
It can be different from
personal ethics and
common morality.

Ethics =Morality
The following examples shows some of the possible relationships
between professional, personal, and common morality.

 An engineer refuses to design military hardware

because she believes war is in-moral.
This refusal is based on personal morality.

 A civil engineer refuses to design a project he

believes will be contrary to the principles of
sustainable (maintain) development.

This refusal is based on personal morality and

professional code of ethics.
Aims of studying ethics

 Moral Imagination: To minimize the chances of being taken by surprise,

engineers must exercise great imagination in considering possible
alternatives and their likely consequences.

 Recognizing (Moral) Ethical Issues:

 Analyzing Concepts:

 Eliciting (Bring out) a Sense of Responsibility:

 Addressing un-clarity, un-certainty, and disagreement.

Case: The Forklifter (PAGE 24 or page320 in 3rd edn)

Engineering student Bryan Springer has a high

paying summer job as a forklift operator. This job
enables him to attend university without having to
take out any student loans. He was now staring at
a 50-gallon drum filled with used machine coolant,
wondering what he should do.
Just moments ago, Bryan's supervisor, Max
Morrison, told him to dump half of the used coolant
down the drain. Bryan knew the coolant was toxic,
and he mentioned this to Max. But Max was not
swayed.
Case: The Forklifter (cont.)
Max: The toxins settle at the bottom of the drum. If you pour out half
and dilute it with tap water while you're pouring it, there's no
problem.
Byran: I don't think that's going to work. Besides, isn't it against the
law?
Max: Look, kid, I don't have time for chat about a bunch of laws. If I
spent my time worrying about every little regulation that comes
along, I'd never get anything done -- and neither will you. Common
sense is my rule. I just told you --Toxins settle at the bottom, and
most of them will stay there. We've been doing this for years, and
nothing's happened.
Byran: You mean no one's said anything about it? That doesn't
mean the environment isn't being harmed.
Max: You aren't one of those "environmentalists," are you? You
students spend too much of your time with "theory”. It's time to
"get real" -- and get on with the job.
Case:The Forklifter (cont.)
Byran: But....
Max: But nothing. Time to get real-and get on with the job. You know,
you're very lucky to have a good paying job like this, kid. In three
months you'll be back in your university. Meanwhile, how many other
students do you think there are out there wondering if they'll be able
to afford to go back -- students who'd give everything to be where
you are right now .
Max then left, fully expecting Bryan to dump the used coolant. As
Bryan stared at the drum, he pondered his options.
What options do you think he has? What do you think he should do?
The Theory of Moral Development is a very interesting subject
that stemmed from Jean Piaget's theory of moral reasoning.
Developed by psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, this theory made
us understand that morality starts from the early childhood years
and can be affected by several factors.
Lawrence Kohlberg (1958) agreed with Piaget's
(1932) theory of moral development in principle
but wanted to develop his ideas further.

He used Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell

people stories involving moral dilemmas. In each
case, he presented a choice to be considered, for
example, between the rights of some authority
and the needs of some deserving individual who is
being unfairly treated.

One of the best known of Kohlberg’s (1958)

stories concerns a man called Heinz who lived
somewhere in Europe.
Heinz’s wife was dying from a particular type of
cancer. Doctors said a new drug might save her. The
drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and the
Heinz tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist
was charging ten times the money it cost to make
the drug, and this was much more than the Heinz
could afford.
Heinz could only raise half the money, even after
help from family and friends. He explained to the
chemist that his wife was dying and asked if he could
have the drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money
later.
The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered
the drug and was going to make money from it. The
husband was desperate to save his wife, so later that
night he broke into the chemist’s and stole the drug.
Kohlberg asked a series of questions such
as:

1. Should Heinz have stolen the drug?

2. Would it change anything if Heinz did not love
his wife?
3. What if the person dying was a stranger, would
it make any difference?
4. Should the police arrest the chemist for
murder if the woman died?