Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

➢ Codes of ethics did not often focus on right

➢ There is usually overlap between rights and
duties
➢ The engineers has duties to society to blow
whistle for safety and also has the rights to
do it despite the objections of their higher
managements
➢ In this chapter, we will discuss the
engineer’s responsibilities in more detail
and also look at the rights of engineers,
especially with regard to conflict of interests
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
❑ ATC system was an innovative
method for controlling train
speed and access to stations.

❑ Speed on the track were

automatically maintained by
monitoring the location o the
train and detecting allowed
speed information

❑ The problem there is no fail

safe and accident happened
caused 5 injured but no
fatalities Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
➢ In the spring of 1972, three engineers working
for BART were fired for insubordination(‫)تمرد‬.
➢ During the course of their work on the
project, the three had become concerned
about the safety of the automated control
system
➢ They were not satisfied with the test
procedures being used by Westinghouse, the
contractor for the BART train controls.
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
➢ They claimed Anonymous report to higher administration
which then leaked to press, the company discovered them
after investigation
➢ On March 2 and 3, 1972, all three engineers were offered the
choice of resignation or firing.
➢ They all refused to resign and were dismissed on the grounds
of insubordination, lying to their superiors (they had denied
being the source of the leaks), and failing to follow
organizational procedures.
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
➢ They all suffered as a result of their dismissal.

➢ None was able to find work for a number of months, and

all suffered financial and emotional problems as a result.

➢ They sued BART for $875,000, but were forced to settle

out of court, since it was likely that their lying to superiors

would be very detrimental to the case. Each received just

$25,000. Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
- As the legal proceedings were taking place. The IEEE
asserted that each of the engineers had a professional
duty to keep the safety of the public paramount and
that their actions were therefore justified.
- Based on the IEEE code of ethics, the brief stated
that engineers must "notify the proper authority of
any observed conditions which endanger public safety
and health." Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study

This was perhaps the first time that a national

engineering professional society had intervened in a

legal proceeding on behalf of engineers who had

apparently been fulfilling their duties according to a

professional code of ethics.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Bay Area Rapid Transit
case study
➢ The BART engineers underwent a painful ordeal(‫ )محنة‬that
impacted their professional and personal lives. It took them
between one and two years to get back on track
professionally. Looking back, they felt any other course of
action.
➢ the BART case that they could not have justified became a
major teaching tool for engineering ethics courses during the
following decades.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 Back to our history
In comparison of
BART Case
The engineers cared about safety of society but they confronted a
management persecution because of caring on Administrative
commitment, prestige of leaders and avoid the legal responsibilities
more than society safety

‫الحباب بن منذر‬
can you compare?

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

‫‪Back to our history‬‬
‫غزوة بدر الكبري‬
‫احلباب بن منذر للرسول (صلي)‬
‫‪« :‬يا رسول اهلل‪ ،‬أرأيت هذا املنزل؟ أمنزالً‬
‫أنزلكه اهلل ليس لنا أن نتقدمه وال‬
‫نتأخر عنه؟ أم هو الرأي واحلرب‬
‫واملكيدة؟»‪ ،‬قال‪« :‬بل هو الرأي واحلرب‬
‫واملكيدة»‪ ،‬قال‪« :‬يا رسول اهلل فإن هذا‬
‫ليس مبنزل‪ ،‬فانهض يا رسول اهلل بالناس‬
‫حتى تأتي أدنى ماء من القوم فننزله‬
‫ونغور ما وراءه من اآلبار‪ ،‬ثم نبين عليه‬
‫حوضًا فنملؤه ماءً ثم نقاتل القوم‪ ،‬فنشرب‬
‫وال يشربون»‬
‫‪Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University‬‬
The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Confidentiality and
Proprietary Information Avoiding conflict of
interest
)‫(السرية وحقوق الملكية الفكرية‬

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Confidentiality and Proprietary Avoiding conflict of interest

Information

Why must some engineering information be kept confidential?

Most information about how a business is run, its products and its suppliers,
directly affects the company’s ability to compete in the marketplace. Such
information can be used by a competitor to gain advantage or to catch up. Thus,
it is in the company’s (and the employee’s) best interest to keep such
information confidential Dr
toAbdelrahman
the extentGadallah
possible.
-Imam University
 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Confidentiality and Proprietary Avoiding conflict of interest

Information

- Some secret information are clear

Ex: Test results and data, information about upcoming unreleased
products
- Some information lies in gray area
Ex: business information such as the number of employees working on
a project, the identity of suppliers, marketing strategies

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Confidentiality and Proprietary Avoiding conflict of interest

Information

- how long confidentiality extends after an engineer leaves

employment with a company.
- Legally, an engineer is required to keep information
confidential even after she has moved
- Actually, it is very difficult because some times it is experience
and career advance
- Courts and laws make balance for this

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Confidentiality and Proprietary

Avoiding conflict of interest
Information

Clear Potential Appearance

Ex: a civil engineer working for
a state department of highways
might have a financial interest
in a company that has a bid on
a construction project
threaten to easily become
actual , For Example an
engineer might find herself
becoming friends with a
supplier for her company
when an engineer is paid based
on a percentage of the cost of
the design. may the engineer is
making the design more
expensive

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

competitive bidding ‫المناقصات التنافسية‬
➢ Historically, the codes of ethics of the engineering societies included a prohibition
on competitive bidding for engineering services.
➢ This could lead to engineers cutting corners on design work and could ultimately
undermine engineers’ duty to protect the safety and welfare of the public

In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that professional societies may no longer
prohibit competitive bidding. This ruling was based on the Sherman Anti-trust Act of
1890 and held that banning bidding was an unfair restraint on free trade.

The rationale behind the Supreme Court ruling was that competitive bidding allows less
experienced but competent engineers to compete effectively for work, serves the
public interest by helping to keep engineering costs down, and might help promote
innovation that leads to better designs and lower costs.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

‫المناقصات التنافسية ‪competitive bidding‬‬
‫‪Sherman Antitrust Act‬‬

‫‪The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a United‬‬

‫‪ law which prescribes‬مكافحة االحتكار ‪States antitrust‬‬
‫‪the rule of free competition among those engaged‬‬
‫‪in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is‬‬
‫‪named for Senator John Sherman, its principal‬‬
‫‪author‬‬
‫عكاظ ‪ :‬في عام ‪1425‬هـ صدر في المملكة ما يسمى بـ (نظام المنافسة)‪،‬‬
‫وهو نظام يهدف إلى (حماية المنافسة العادلة وتشجيعها‪ ،‬ومكافحة‬
‫الممارسات االحتكارية التي تؤثر على المنافسة المشروعة)‪.‬‬
‫تاريخ مكافحة االحتكار ــ بشكل عام ــ بدأ في الواليات المتحدة األمريكية‬
‫عام ‪1890‬م تحت ما يعرف باسم قانون (شيرمان)‪ ،‬وهو قانون (يحرم أي‬
‫عقد أو تحالف مشترك‪ ،‬أو تواطؤ يلحق ضررا بالتجارة)‪ .‬كما يمنع القانون‬
‫أي شخص أو مجموعة تجارية من احتكار سلعة واحدة أو منتج واحد أو‬
‫خدمة واحدة تقدم لجميع المستهلكين‪ .‬أي منع السيطرة على السوق‪ .‬وقد‬
‫تطور ذلك القانون وتعدل وأصبح أحد قوانين منظمة التجارة العالمية‬
‫()‪ ،WTO‬التي انضمت المملكة العربية السعودية عام ‪2005‬م لناديها‬
‫بعضوية رقم (‪.)149‬‬
‫‪ -‬أذكر أشهر قضية مكافحة فساد واحتكار في المملكة ؟‬
 April 26, 1978, Section A, Page 22

WASHINGTON, April 25—The Supreme Court ruled today that professional engineers had violated
the antitrust laws by their longstanding prohibition against competitive bidding between members
of their national association. The Justices agreed unanimously with the contention of the
Department of Justice that this system suppressed ‫ تقمع‬competition among the 69,000 members
of the National Society of Professional Engineers and deprived their customers of the benefits of
free and open competition.
‫روي ان عمر بن الخطاب دخل السوق ذات مرة ولم ير فيه اال النبط (األجانب) فلما اجتمع الناس‬
‫اخبرهم بذلك وعذلهم (المهم) في ترك السوق‪ .‬فقالوا‪ :‬إن هللا أغنانا عن السوق بما فتح علينا‪ .‬فقال‪:‬‬
‫وهللا لئن فعلتم (أي تركتم السوق) ليحتاج رجالكم الى رجالهم ونساؤكم الى نسائهم‪ .‬وهذا داللة على‬
‫مدى تدخل القائم على السوق هو يحلل ويتوقع فينصح ويرشد خشية الوقوع في المفاجآت‪ .‬ولقد أدرك‬
‫عمر مدى أهمية استقاللية االسواق فقال مقالته تلك‪.‬‬
INDIVIDUAL & PROFESSIONAL
RIGHTS of Engineers
 PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS
Individuals Rights

• Right to privacy
• The right to participate in activities of one’s
own choosing outside of work
• The right to reasonably object to company
policies without fear of retribution
• The right to due process.(‫)المحاكمة العادلة‬

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 PROFESSIONAL
PROFESSIONALRIGHTS
RIGHTS
For Engineers the basic rights is:
the right of professional conscience
(‫)حق الضمير المهني‬
• exercise professional judgment in an ethical manner
but not always easy for an employer to understand
Right of Conscientious Refusal (Main aspect):
• Obvious in many cases
• less clear in cases for which the engineer refuses an
assignment based on an ethical principle that is not
shared by everyone
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS
For Engineers the basic rights is:
the right of professional conscience
(‫)حق الضمير المهني‬
Exercise professional judgment in an ethical manner
but not always easy for an employer to understand
Right of Conscientious Refusal (Main aspect):
For example, an engineer ought to be allowed to refuse to
work on Defense projects if his conscience says that such
work is immoral. Employers should be reasonably
accommodating of that person’s request.
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Engineers and the Defense Industry

• One of the largest employers of engineers worldwide

• Many reasonable engineering consider it unethically as be used to
kill other humans.
• On the other hand it is ethically acceptable for defense of our
nation or other nations from aggression and is an honorable goal
for engineers to contribute
• Both of these positions can be justified using moral theories and
ethical problem-solving techniques
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Engineers and the Defense Industry

• The Decision to involve such systems by each individual after

examination of his values and personal feelings about the ethics of
defense work. It is important to avoid working on any project that
you deem unethical.
• this type of engineering requires an even more stringent
examination of ethical issues to ensure responsible participation.
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Engineers and the Defense Industry

In the first study of its kind, researchers

with the Defense Department have found
that pilots of drone aircraft experience
mental health problems like depression,
anxiety and post-traumatic stress at the
same rate as pilots of manned aircraft
who are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Engineers and the Defense Industry
Edward Snowden
- An American whistleblower who copied and
leaked highly classified information from the National
Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 when he was a Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and subcontractor.
- The information relate to PRISM (surveillance
program)
- PRISM is a code name for a program under which
the United States National Security Agency
(NSA) collects internet communications from various
U.S. internet companies Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Engineers and the Defense Industry
Edward Snowden
In an interview with Amy
Goodman on Democracy Now! on
September 26, 2019, Snowden clarified
he considers himself a

"whistleblower" as opposed to a
"leaker" as he considers "a leaker only
distributes information for personal
gain".

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 WHISTLE-BLOWING
• The act by an employee of informing the
public or higher management of unethical
or illegal behavior by an employer or
supervisor.
• The ethical aspects of whistle-blowing
:when it is appropriate and when it isn’t
appropriate?.
• According to the codes of ethics, an
engineer is compelled to blow the whistle
on acts or projects that harm ethics and
right to disclose wrongdoing within their
organizations

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 TYPES of WHISTLE-BLOWING
• Internal whistle-blowing: within the company to
higher management levels
• External whistle-blowing: reports wrongdoing to
newspapers or law-enforcement authorities,
• Acknowledged whistle-blowing: the employee puts
his name behind the accusations and is willing to
withstand the scrutiny brought on by his accusations.
• Anonymous whistle-blowing: the employee refuses
to divulge his name when making accusations (BART
case)
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 When Should Whistle-Blowing Be
Attempted?
1- Need:
▪ There must be a clear and important harm that
can be avoided by blowing the whistle
▪ In deciding whether to go public, the
employee needs to have a sense of proportion
▪ You don’t need to blow the whistle about
everything, just the important things
▪ Ex: Small toxic spell and immediately removed,
but if repeated and no action you should blow
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 When Should Whistle-Blowing Be
Attempted?
2- Proximity:
▪ The whistle-blower must be in a very clear
position to report on the problem and has
enough experience in his field as mentioned by
ethics code
▪ This principle applies equally well to making
assessments about whether wrongdoing is
taking place.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 When Should Whistle-Blowing Be
Attempted?
3- Capability:
▪ .The whistle-blower must have a reasonable
chance of success in stopping the harmful
activity. You are not obligated to risk your
career and the financial security of your family
if you can’t see the case through to completion
or you don’t feel that you have access to the
proper channels to ensure that the situation is
resolved.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 When Should Whistle-Blowing Be
Attempted?
4- Last Resort:
Whistle-blowing should be attempted
only if there is no one else more capable
or more proximate(‫ )علي مقربة‬to blow the
whistle and if you feel that all other lines
of action within the context of the
organization have been explored and shut
off
Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University
 Preventing Whistle-Blowing

Whistle-blowing from the employer’s

point of view and how to prevent it ?

Ineffective and ethically unacceptable way

of typical corporate is to fire whistle-
blowers and to intimidate(‫ )تخويف‬others
who might seem likely to blow the whistle

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 Preventing Whistle-Blowing
1. Strong corporate ethics culture. This should
include a clear commitment to ethical
behavior, starting at the highest levels of
management, and mandatory ethics training
for all employees
2. Second, there should be clear lines of
communication within the corporation and a
clear path to air employee concerns

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 Preventing Whistle-Blowing
3- all employees must have meaningful access
to high-level managers in order to bring their
concerns forward

4-There should be willingness on the part of

management to admit mistakes, publicly if
necessary. This attitude will set the stage for
ethical behavior by all employees.

Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University

 ‫‪Historical bases of whistle blowing‬‬
‫شهد التاريخ الديين للعامل العربي واإلسالمي أولي االرهاصات االجتماعية لصافرات اإلنذار‬ ‫•‬
‫اجملتمعية على عكس تاريخ احلضارات الغربية أو الشرقية (اهلندية والصينية) اليت مل تعرف‬
‫تلك املبادئ اال حديثا‬
‫هناك فرق بني الدعوات اجلديدة اليت تغري األساس القيمي للمجتمع (مثل رساالت األنبياء أو‬ ‫•‬
‫الثورات السياسية وتغريات الدول) وبني صافرات اإلنذار واليت حتول اصالح قيم اجملتمع نفس‬
‫وردها إلي أصوهلا واختذت نفس الشروط املذكورة سابقا ( ‪Need-Capability-‬‬
‫‪) Proximity – Last Resort‬‬
‫أمثلة تارخيية تتضمن (ابن رشد (تهافت التهافت)الحظ ازمة كورونا‪ -‬ابن خلدون – املسيح عليه‬ ‫•‬
‫السالم )‬
‫اهلدف من توضيح تلك األمثلة‪ :‬ادراك ترسخ قيم املسئولية وحماربة الفساد كعقيدة واساس‬ ‫•‬
‫اجتماعي قبل حيت أن يكون التزام مهين‬

‫‪Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University‬‬

 ‫الدفاع عن التفكير العلمي وربط المسببات باإليمان في مقابل الفهم الخاطئ للتوكل و خلطه بالتواكل‬
‫(ملحوظة‪ :‬ابن رشد فقيه وامام على المذهب المالكي السني وصاحب عمدة كتب أصول الفقه (بداية المجتهد ونهاية المقتصد) والمعتمد من كل المدارس الفقهية ألهل السنة والجماعة‬
‫ولكن أخذ عليه بعض العلماء بعض أفكار ابن رشد في ربط الفلسفة بالدين ولكن الحديث هنا عن الفكر العام المتفق عليه في أخذ األسباب بصرف النظر عن الحكم عليها كمسبب‬
‫مباشر أم ظواهر أحوال والذي التزم به حتى مخالفيه)‬

‫‪Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University‬‬

‫‪ -‬مواليد ‪ 1332‬م بتونس واصله أندلسي‪ -‬مؤسس علم العمران البشري (النواة االولي لعلم االجتماع)‬
‫‪ - Sociology‬توفي بالقاهرة حيث قضى بها أخر عمره بعد سفر طويل لدراسة أحوال العالم وقتها‬
‫‪ -‬اطلق أول ‪ Whistle blowing‬في التراجع الحضاري للمجتمعات اإلسالمية بعد رحلة ألغلب بقاع‬
‫العالم اإلسالمي والتي أدت لضياع األندلس‬
‫‪ -‬من أطروحاته ‪:‬‬
‫‪ -‬الفتن التي تتخفي وراء قناع الدين تجارة رائجة جداً في عصور التراجع الفكري للمجتمعات‪.‬‬
‫‪ -‬المغلوب مولع دائماً بتقليد الغالب‪.‬‬
‫‪ -‬السياسة المدنية هي تدبير المنزل أو المدينة بما يجب بمقتضى األخالق والحكمة ليحمل الجمهور على‬
‫منهاج يكون فيه حفظ النوع وبقاؤه‬
‫‪ -‬إن اللغة أحد وجهي الفكر‪ ،‬فإذا لم تكن لنا لغة تامة صحيحة‪ ،‬فليس يكون لنا فكر تام صحيح‪.‬‬
‫‪ -‬شعور االنسان بجهله ضرب من ضروب المعرفة‪.‬‬
‫‪ -‬أنًيكرهكًالناسًلصراحتك‪ً،‬خيرًلكًمنًأنًيحبوكًلنفاقك‪.‬‬

‫‪Dr Abdelrahman Gadallah -Imam University‬‬