Professional Documents
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Ethics
Ethics
Ethics
As stated in the opening to the Preamble to the Code of Ethics for Engineers of the
profession. In order to ensure a level of professional reliability and integrity, this Code of Ethics
was created to guide engineers toward the right path whenever certain situations arise that would
possibly put into question an engineer’s ethical standing. Following the Code of Ethics would
allow an engineer to perform their duties with honesty, impartiality, fairness and equity while
ensuring that public health, safety and welfare are protected as well. This standard of behavior
set forth for an engineer calls for the observance of ethical conduct throughout an engineer’s
career. As seen in The Truesteel Affair, Robert Williams, a structural engineer working for a
company contracted to create trusses for a shopping center, encounters several ethical dilemmas
which call into question his ethical fortitude. I will discuss several points of the movie at which
Mr. Williams failed to observe the fundamental canons of the Code of Ethics, and I will also
make a few suggestions as to how he could have better handled these ethical quandaries.
The first violation I noted was a breach of Section II.1.a, which states “If an engineers’
judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their
employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate.” When Mr. Williams
discovered that his order to re-weld the outgoing trusses was overturned, it became his
responsibility to notify the builder as well as his professional organization of the incident. By
unlawful practice of engineering by a person or firm.” Again, when Mr. Williams discovered the
underhanded actions of his employer, he should have been willing to terminate his relationship
with Truesteel immediately. Instead, under threat of unemployment, Mr. Williams delayed any
The third violation breached Section II.1.f, “Engineers having knowledge of any alleged
violation of this Code shall report thereon to appropriate professional bodies and, when relevant,
also to public authorities, and cooperate with the proper authorities in furnishing such
information or assistance as may be required.” This violation falls not onto Mr. Williams
himself, but onto the colleague that he discussed the situation with at a local bar. Once his
colleague became aware that such a violation could possibly be taking place in Mr. Williams’
firm, the colleague should have reported the matter to their professional organization. By not
acting on such information, despite being approached under the guise of friendship and
confidentiality, the colleague endangered his own career by not alerting the proper authorities.
The fourth violation in the movie was of Section II.4.a, “Engineers shall disclose all
known or potential conflicts of interest that could influence or appear to influence their judgment
or the quality of their services.” This matter refers to the employment situation of Mr. Williams.
When his employer threatened him with unemployment if Mr. Williams alerted the authorities of
Truesteel’s misdeeds, an immediate conflict of interest arose between Mr. Williams’ career and
his following the Code of Ethics. Such a situation merits immediate disclosure to one’s
The fifth violation I noticed was of Section III.1.a, “Engineers shall acknowledge their
errors and shall not distort or alter the facts.” By masking the errors made in the welding of the
trusses to be used in the construction of the shopping mall, Mr. Williams clearly engaged in an
act of deception. Such behavior is definitely against the spirit of the Code of Ethics.
The sixth violation I saw was of Section III.5, “Engineers shall not be influenced in their
professional duties by conflicting interests.” While being a similar violation as the fourth, I
believe this should be emphasized for its importance. Mr. Williams also weighed the future of
the firm, including the employment of the many welders, designers, drivers and others, against
reporting the mis-welded trusses. While it can be considered a noble thing to worry about his
fellow workers, Mr. Williams’ obligation to ensure public welfare should definitely have
The seventh violation that I noted in The Truesteel Affair was of Section III.7, “Engineers
who believe others are guilty of unethical or illegal practice shall present such information to the
proper authority for action.” When Mr. Williams discovered that the mis-welded trusses were
being shipped to the construction site against his orders, he should have immediately reported the
actions to his professional authorities. Such misconduct is intolerable and displays a lack of
moral and ethical standing. Instead, Mr. Williams allowed himself to be talked out of taking
The eighth violation that I saw was of Section III.8.b, “Engineers shall not use
This final violation is slightly more vague that the others. I believe that Mr. Williams, by virtue
of his continued employment with Truesteel, effectively blindfolded himself to the unethical
practices of his employer. Believing himself to still be within the bounds of the Code of Ethics,
suspension of his engineering license. Even more detrimental, Mr. Williams’ engineering career
suffered due to widespread knowledge of the incident which was distributed as an article in his
professional journal. It is clear from watching this movie that even the smallest infraction of the
fundamental canons of the Code of Ethics can haunt an engineer’s career for a very long period,
as these breaches can be easily disclosed to colleagues and professional associates through
Clearly the ramifications of unethical decisions outweigh the immediate consequences of making
the ethical choices when an engineer’s career is in question, and that should always be at the