The Ingenieurs Australia Society Code of Ethics defines the values and principles that shape the conduct and decisions members make in engineering practice. The Ingenieurs Australia Society has adopted as applicable to its members the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) Code of Ethics which is reprinted below: WFEO MODEL CODE OF ETHICSIn the course of engineering practice, professional engineers will: 1.1 Refrain from fraudulent, corrupt or criminal practices 1.2 Be objective and truthful 1.3 Practise fairly and with good faith towards clients, colleagues and others 2.1 Practise in a careful and diligent manner in accordance with their areas of competence 2.2 Practise in accordance with accepted engineering practices, standards and codes 2.3 Maintain and strive to enhance the body of knowledge in which they practise 3.1 Practise so as to enhance the quality of life in society 3.2 Strive to contribute to the advancement of the body of knowledge within which they practise, and to the profession in general 3.3 Foster the public’s understanding of technical issues and the role of engineering
4.1 Create and implement engineering solutions for a sustainable future 4.2 Be mindful of the economic, societal and environmental consequences of actions or projects 4.3 Promote and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the community and the environment. GUIDELINESThe primary purpose of a Code of Ethics is to protect the public and to set a high standard of proprietary conduct among engineering practitioners. Ethical practice requires judgment, interpretation and balanced decision-making in context. These Guidelines underpin the ethical values expressed in the Code of Ethics and provide examples of the application of those values in practice. They are not exhaustive, nor should they be interpreted as a full or exhaustive list of the ethical situations and circumstances that engineers might face. Rather, the Guidelines provide a framework for ethical decision making in the practice of engineering. 1. DEMONSTRATE INTEGRITY1.1 Refrain from fraudulent, corrupt or criminal practices Corruption is “the abuse of power to obtain personal gain”. Corruption is not limited to money or goods. It might be to gain fame or popularity or boost an ego. Combating the disastrous effects of corruption in the global engineering and construction industry is a top priority because if corruption can be diminished, the poor of the world will be helped most. Taking a bribe in an infrastructure contract equates to stealing a road! It means that less money is available for the provision of the infrastructure itself. Similarly, corrupt or unreasonable industrial practices are a form of corruption, as they also reduce the amount of infrastructure that can be provided for a given amount of money. In practice, engineers must exhibit a zero tolerance attitude to fraudulent, corrupt or criminal practices. This means:
1.2 Be objective and truthful Honesty, integrity, continuously updated competence, devotion to service and dedication to enhancing the life quality of society are cornerstones of professional responsibility. Within this framework, you should be objective and truthful and include all known and pertinent information on professional reports, statements and testimony. In practice, this means:
1.3 Practise fairly and with good faith towards clients, colleagues and others As an engineer, you have a responsibility to provide loyal service to your clients and employers for whom you should apply your knowledge and skills with fairness, honesty and in good faith. You have an obligation to exercise fairness in dealing with others and to provide support and assistance when required. This includes engaging, or advising to engage, experts or specialists when such services are deemed to be in the client’s or employer’s best interests. In practice, this means:
2. PRACTISE COMPETENTLY2.1 Practise in a careful and diligent manner in accordance with their areas of competence There are three key components to engineering practice, with the Code of Ethics being just one of those components. The other two key components are competence and performance. The Code of Ethics defines what it means to be a professional and sets standards of behaviour, competence refers to the ability to perform the activities within an occupation to the standards expected in employment and performance is associated with how these activities ought to be carried out or accomplished in an effective manner. You need to understand the distinction between working or providing advice in an area of competence and working competently. Working in an area of competence requires you to operate within the limits of your qualifications and experiences. Working competently requires principally the application of sound judgment. In practice, this means:
2.2 Practise in accordance with accepted engineering practices, standards and codes The work you undertake will be subject to various statutory regulations and compliance issues. It is important that you identify what codes and/or standards of compliance and/or legislation you are required to adhere to in respect of a particular project. This should form part of the Brief, which should also allocate responsibility for such compliance. Where statutory codes do not exist, it may be necessary to develop appropriate standards based on internationally recognised sound practice. In practice, this means:
2.3 Maintain and strive to enhance the body of knowledge in which they practice The requirement to practice within one’s area of competence is more than simply duty to a standard of care. Engineers have a responsibility to remain abreast of developments and knowledge in their area of expertise, that is, to maintain their own competence. Should there be a technologically driven or individually motivated shift in the area of practice, it is the engineer’s duty to attain and maintain competence in all areas of involvement including being knowledgeable with the technical and legal framework and regulations governing their work. In practice, this means:
3. EXERCISE LEADERSHIP3.1 Practise so as to enhance the quality of life in society Engineers are sometimes perceived by many in the community as being major contributors to many of the problems in the world, particularly environmental. Having been painted with that brush, engineers are expected to be fundamental in solving or correcting those problems. But the major problems of the world in an overall sense are not those created by engineers or that can be solved by engineers alone. War, greed, misery, ignorance and political interference, plus natural disasters and human induced pollution and destruction of resources are in fact the main causes of the progressive impairment of the environment. Rarely do major problems in society turn solely upon the application of engineering development. But engineers are active members of society and ought to be deeply involved in the promotion of sustainable development. They ought to use their talent, knowledge and imagination to assist society in removing those evils and improving the quality of life for all people. In practice, this means:
3.2 Strive to contribute to the advancement of the body of knowledge within which they practice, and to the profession in general A Code of Ethics is based on shared values and a shared responsibility to uphold those values. In practice, this means:
3.3 Foster the public’s understanding of technical issues and the role of engineering As engineers we possess knowledge and skills on which others rely. Our future is ultimately dependent on engagement and trust from our community. It is important that we meet these community expectations by practising in ways which maintain and enhance community trust in the values and expertise of the engineering profession. When clients or others question your reasoning, or otherwise request an explanation, there is an expectation that you will be willing and able to explain why you have arrived at your particular outcome, especially as checking and justifying what we do are embedded in the way the engineering task develops. The notion of explaining one’s reasoning and seeking peer review is thought by many to be fundamental to professional integrity, but in no way denies the appropriateness of legitimate differences of reasoned opinion arrived at in a proper and professional manner. In practice, this means:
4. PROTECT THE NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIROMENT4.1 Create and implement engineering solutions for a sustainable future Issues regarding the environment and sustainable development know no geographical boundaries. Sustainability is not just about the environment, but also about sustaining our social and economic future. It is not about targets, or quotas, but about strategies. It is not just about technologies, but also about transitional processes. No matter how progressive the innovations in management and technology, they can only move society so far towards sustainability. Modification of consumption behaviour, integrating political and societal aspirations and policies, and advancing the knowledge and skills to enhance the protection and restoration of natural systems all remain important issues to be addressed. Sustainable development is the challenge of meeting current human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waster management while conserving and, if possible, enhancing the Earths’ environmental quality, natural resources, ethical, intellectual and working affectionate capabilities of people and socioeconomic bases, essential for the human needs of future generations. Growth in demand and the use of non-renewable energy resources is creating important environmental challenges around the world. These challenges range from a mixture of local or regional environmental concerns such as land degradation, water quality, waste management and urban air quality to global environmental dilemmas such as GHG emissions and the interconnected occurrence of global warming. In practice, this means:
4.2 Be mindful of the economic, societal and environmental consequences of actions or projects. Proper observance of the principles of sustainable development will help considerably to eradicate world poverty. Sustainability is a system or process which can be maintained indefinitely and which revolves around integrating conservation and development on a long-term basis to provide social and economic benefits, without compromising the needs of future generations. Engineers of all nations should know and respect the environmental ethics. In practice, this means:
4.3 Promote and protect the health, safety and well being of the community and the environment. The obligation to protect the health, safety and well being of the community is often dependent on engineering judgments, risk assessments, decisions and practices incorporated into structures, machines, product, processes and devices. Engineers ought to control and make sure that what they are involved with conforms to accepted engineering practices, standards and applicable codes, and would be considered safe based on peer adjudication. Laudable though the aim of acting in the interests of the community above all else might be, there is a danger in making simplistic statements that say categorically that our duties and responsibilities lie in only one direction, implying by such statements that we have a duty to override (and not balance) legal, fiduciary and contractual responsibilities if they conflict with that ‘grand’ duty. In practical terms, those legal duties and obligations will arise principally in two specific contexts. First, there will be duties and obligations of engineers to their clients. Second, there will be duties and obligations of those engineers who are employees to their employers. In some cases there may be a conflict/tension between legal duties and ethical obligations. Engineers who have reason to believe that there is a threat to public health and safety as a result of an engineering activity, or its products, processes etc. not conforming to the above stated conditions ought to bring the matter to the attention of the relevant authority. In practice, this means:
As engineering professionals, we use our knowledge and skills for the for the benefit of world, in order to create engineering solutions for a sustainable future. In doing so, we strive to serve our communities ahead of any personal or sectional interests. To do so successfully requires ethical behavior. Simply put, ethical behavior is about making choices. In line with our obligations as professionals, we wish to ensure that the choices that we make as engineers enable us to do things which are ‘good’. In addition, we wish to ensure that we do these ‘good things’ in a manner which is ‘right’. WFEO Explanatory Notes:The WFEO Model Code of Ethics is designed to assist member organisations in guiding ethical behavior by formulating their own Codes of Ethics. A Code of Ethics must do two things. First, it must provide guidance on the Values we must adhere to in professional practice if we are to make the ‘good’ choices referred to above. Second, a Code of Ethics must set out the Principles we must follow in applying those values, in order to do things in a manner which is right. The exercise of professional judgment is often difficult and complex. The inherent nature of ‘professionalism’ is that as engineers we always have a duty to others and an obligation to ‘do the right thing’. Exactly who the ‘others are’, and what the ‘right thing’ is, will be a matter of continual balance. We are expected to get the balance right. We also know that each situation may be different, requiring specific choices depending on the circumstances. A Code of Ethics will not give us all the answers nor tell us what to do under all circumstances. Ethical behaviour reflects an individual’s perceptions of right and wrong, guided by their conscience and the values they adhere to. In drafting the WFEO Model Code of Ethics, considerable care has been taken to try and get the balance of obligations right, without making statements that could be misleading (and cause problems for members) when interpreted narrowly. Imposition of duties upon members which they cannot realistically satisfy and the inclusion of provisions which restrain commercial activity and have a negative effect is not the function of a code of ethics. The values and principles in the WFEO Model Code of Ethics are those which are deemed to be applicable universally to the practice of engineering. The WFEO Model Code of Ethics provides a framework for analysis and decision making about the appropriateness of particular conduct or behaviour. As engineering practitioners our (preferred) future is dependent on engagement and trust from our community. An engineer who practises in accordance with the Model Code of Ethics and the Guidelines will meet these community expectations of responsibility. The general question of the duties engineering practitioners owe to the community are best captured in an ethics awareness program. Member organisations of WFEO are encouraged to develop a Code of Ethics for their organisation based on the values and principles set down in the Model Code and to impart the values and principles that individuals need to assist their decision making process through ethics support programs. The Guidelines appended to the Model Code set out the principles which underpin each value and give examples of each principle in practice. |