Professional responsibilities and ethical obligations in engineering practice

Engineering Ethics

According to the official website of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, the mission of TSPE is to promote the ethical, competent and licensed practice of engineering, and to enhance the professional, social and economic well being of its members. Ethically, all engineers must fulfill their professional duties, in a way that puts the safety, health and welfare of the public first. They must perform services only in areas of their competence, issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner, act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustee, avoid deceptive acts and conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the engineering profession. (TSPE, 2002)

Engineers thus have a responsibility to the public, to their fellow professionals, to the law, to their employers, and also to the other professionals whom they work with to realize their professional capacity. Additionally, engineers should disclose all known or potential conflicts of interest that could influence or appear to influence their judgment or the quality of their services. They must, when in government service, not influence the adoption of one contract or another by the federal government. In all areas of employment, engineers must be upfront about any uncertainty they might have regarding a project, and never falsify their qualifications. They should admit any errors they make, and never accept outside work to the detriment of their current area of employment, and inform current employers of such extra work, lest conflicts of interest occur. They should never sign a contract that forces them to uphold poor standards of engineering.