2009). This gives a strong idea of where the ethical onus lies in the practice of engineering. Another rather more expansive case study can be derived form the current state of bridges in the United States, and the general state of disrepair of many bridges that are still n regular heavy use (Harris et al. 2009). A rating system has been developed that determines when a bridge should be put out of commission, but it is not especially definitive in terms of assessing load restrictions or mandating repairs prior to continued use, and thus is largely ineffective in much of what it aims to accomplish (Harris et al. 2009). While also ultimately an issue of the failure of an engineering project in its pragmatic intents, this case is considerably different to that of the Aberdeen incident in terms of the degree and type of responsibility borne by engineers. It is not simply a matter of legal negligence, but of true watchfulness and an application of engineering knowledge and theory for the protection of the public interest -- in terms of life and in terms of cost -- that guides ethical practice in the design and application of engineering projects and control...

Ethics come into play in most human activities and decisions, and endeavors as important as those undertaken in the engineering field are certainly no exception. The above paper has attempted to impart a broad view of the ethical issues that affect engineering practice, with a mention of the different perspectives and concerns that are a part of this practice.
References

Harris, C., Pritchard, M. & Rabins, M. (2009). Engineering ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

IEEE. (1996). IEEE Guidelines for Engineers Dissenting on Ethical Grounds. Accessed 12 December 2010. http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/ethcodes/EnglishCodes/IEEEguidelines.aspx

NSPE. (2010). Code of Ethics. Accessed 12 December 2010. http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html

TAMU. (2010). Introducing Ethics Case Studies Into Required Undergraduate Engineering Courses. Accessed 12 December 2010. http://ethics.tamu.edu/