Engineering ethics is the field of ethics describing the obligations of those who are professional engineers to their clients or employers, and their obligations to society as a whole. Unlike most professions, where the professional's first duty is to the customer (the lawyer's client, or the doctor's patient, for example), the first duty of a professional engineer is to the welfare of the public.

History

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the application of scientific principles to practical industrial or construction problems was virtually unknown, with most machines or buildings being designed and constructed by craftsman. For example, most cathedrals were designed by stonemasons, and there were several spectacular failures of such structures due to what is now understood to be overloading. However, as the understanding of science and its relationship to the world improved, scientific principles were applied to industrial design and construction, with the result that technological innovations such as the steam engine rapidly raised the profile of designers who had little experience in the craft of building structures and machines, but an excellent understanding of how such structures worked. For example, James Watt had limited exposure to the Newcomen steam engine, but had developed the scientific principles regarding the vaporization of water by his studies on behalf of distillers.

However, as machines became more powerful, they often became more dangerous. Watt's design was originally intended to be used at very low pressures, but high-pressure versions of his engine were quickly developed for use in applications such as locomotives and steamships. This greatly increased the risk that the boiler would breach it's containment, particularly if the boiler were poorly constructed, badly maintained, or operated in excess of its design limits. Boiler explosions were a common occurrence throughout the 19th century. As a result, Watt perhaps became the first engineering ethicist, as he refused to work on high pressure systems even though he understood the principles involved better than anyone, as he feared their misuse.

As the 19th century progressed, structures became longer and higher, and machinery continued to become more complicated. Although the designers were now better trained in how the scientific principles regarding material strength could be safely applied, there were still spectacular failures, either due to faulty design or sub-standard materials. For example, the opposition to the Brooklyn Bridge being a suspension structure was largely based on the failure of suspension bridges during previous decades.

However, as engineering failures increased in the early part of the 20th century, there was increasing pressure on those in the engineering profession to take steps to control what appeared to be the enthusiasm of engineers to take risks that were not borne out by the science. It was also seen that in most cases, the risks taken by engineers were not borne by their clients, but by the general public and by workers. The sinking of the Titanic and the collapse of the first Quebec Bridge were quickly shown to be the result of poor design with little consideration for the safety of passengers and workers.

Most trustworthy engineers had already seen the risks associated with their profession, and the 19th century saw the origins of the engineering profession through the development of voluntary associations, such as the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom, or the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. However, by the 1920s in North America, professional validation was seen to be a requirement and most American states and Canadian provinces either required engineers to be licensed, or passed special legislation reserving title rights to organization of professional engineers. The Canadian model was to require all persons working in fields of engineering that posed a risk to life, health, property, the public welfare and the environment to be licensed, and all provinces required licensing by the 1950s. The U.S. model has generally been only to require those practicing independently (i.e. consulting engineers) to be licensed, while engineers working in industry need not be licensed.

Principles

The basic principle of engineering ethics is that a professional engineer has the duty to report a possible risk from failing to follow the engineer's directions to the appropriate authority. This duty overrides any duty to a client, and an engineer may be disciplined, or have their license revoked, even if the failure to report such a danger does not result in the loss of life or health. In most cases, this duty can be discharged by advising the client of the consequences in a forthright matter, and assuring the client takes the engineer's advice. However, the engineer must ensure that the remedial steps are taken and, if they are not, the situation must be reported to the appropriate authority. In very rare cases, where even a governmental authority may not take appropriate action, the engineer can only discharge the duty by making the situation public. As a result, whistleblowing by professional engineers is not an unusual event, and courts have almost always sided with engineers in such cases, overruling duties to employers and confidentiality considerations that otherwise would have prevented the engineer from speaking out.

The engineer's duty to report is directly related to the possible consequences of the failure to follow the engineer's advice. For example, if construction defects will merely decrease the building's service life, reporting the problem to the owner will be sufficient. However, if collapse of the structure could be a consequence, there is essentially no limit to how far the engineer must go to warn the public.

Engineering | Ethics