PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND PRACTICE

CIVE 517 Dr. Zahid Sultan

sultanz@biust.ac.bw
 Ethics
Ethics is referred to as moral philosophy, and recommends concepts of right and
wrong behavior for professionals practicing within a profession.

Contemporary ethical theories can be divided into three general subject areas:
Metaethics, Normative ethics and Applied ethics.

Metaethical: issues focusing on universal truths such as the reality and the will of
God and logical reasoning in ethical judgments.

Normative Ethics: Issues like moral standards society sets to regulate right and
wrong conduct.

Applied Ethics: involve examining debatable, controversial issues, such as the death
penalty, environmental concerns, same sex marriage, and animal rights etc.

Ethics related to professional engineering, the focus is on normative ethics

where the practicing professionals set standards to regulate right and wrong
conduct.
 Fundamental Canons
The ASCE (American Society of Civil Eng.) Guidelines:
Consulting engineers , in the fulfillment of their professional
duties, shall:

 Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in

the performance of their professional duties.

 Perform services only in areas of their competence.

 Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful

manner.

 Act in professional matters for each client as faithful agents.

 Avoid improper solicitation of professional assignments.

 Canon – 1 (Public Protection)

• Canon means: a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which

something is judged

• Consulting engineers shall at all times recognize that their

primary obligation is to protect the safety, health, property and
welfare of the public. If their professional judgment is overruled
under circumstances where the safety, health, property or welfare
of the public are endangered, they shall notify their client and
such other authority as may be appropriate.

• Consulting engineers shall approve only engineering work which,

to the best of their knowledge and belief, is safe for public health,
property and welfare and in conformity with accepted standards.
 Canon – 1 (Public Protection)

• Engineers shall not reveal facts, data or information

obtained in a professional capacity without the prior consent
of the client except as authorized.

• Engineers shall not permit the use of their name or firm

nor associate in business ventures with any person or
firm which they have reason to believe is engaging in
fraudulent or dishonest business practices.

• Consulting engineers having knowledge of any alleged

violation of these guidelines shall cooperate with the
proper authorities in furnishing such information.
 Canon – 2 (areas of competence)
• Engineers undertake assignments only when qualified by
education or experience in the specific technical fields
involved.

• Engineers shall not affix their signatures to any plans or

documents dealing with subject matter in which they lack
competence nor to any plan or document not prepared under
their direction and control

• Engineers may accept an assignment outside of their fields

of competence to the extent that their services are
restricted to those phases of the project in which they
are qualified
 Canon – 3 (issue public statements)

 Engineers shall be objective and truthful in professional

reports, statements or testimony.

 Engineers may express publicly a professional opinion

on technical subjects only when that opinion is founded upon
adequate knowledge of the facts and competence

 Engineers shall issue no statements, criticisms, or

arguments on technical matters which are inspired or paid
for by interested parties
 Canon 4 – (as faithful agents)

 Engineers shall disclose all known or potential conflicts of

interest to their clients by promptly informing them of any
business association which could influence their judgment of
the quality of their services.

 Engineers shall not accept compensation, financial or

otherwise, from more than one party for services on the
same project

 Engineers in public service shall not participate in

decisions with respect to professional services provided by
them or their organizations in private engineering practices
 Canon 5 – (improper solicitation)

Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit (ask for or try to obtain
something) or receive, either directly or indirectly, any political
contribution in an amount intended to influence the award of a
contract by public authority.

Engineers shall not permit misrepresentation of their, or their

associates’, academic or professional qualifications.

Engineers shall not offer any gift in order to secure work.

They shall not pay a commission in order to secure work
except to a bona fide employee or bona fide established
commercial or marketing agencies retained by them.
 Canon 5 – (improper solicitation)

Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit or receive, either

directly or indirectly, any political contribution in an amount
intended to influence the award of a contract by public
authority.

Engineers shall not permit misrepresentation of their, or their

associates’, academic or professional qualifications.

Engineers shall not offer any gift in order to secure work. They
shall not pay a commission in order to secure work except to a
bona fide employee or bona fide established commercial or
marketing agencies retained by them.
 The ASCE Code of Ethics

• THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS CODE

OF ETHICS (Fundamental code)

 Engineers shall continue their professional development

throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities
for the professional development of those engineers under
their supervision.
 Professional Responsibility

 Legal and moral duty of a professional to apply his or her

knowledge in ways that benefit his or her client, and the
wider society, without causing any injury to either.

 With knowledge and skills, professionals have the power to

do great things. With this power, he has a tremendous
responsibilities to individuals, organization and society.
 Professional Responsibility

 Master your work: Learn to be expert and effective in your

work, no matter whether you like the job or not, it's the right
attitude that matters. There is no work which is too high or low;
what matters is how you effectively and joyfully take it up.

 List out the things you have to learn in your work and find your
own method.

 You need not be in a hurry to learn everything in a short period;

stick to a reasonable time frame and consistently.
 Professional Responsibility
 Communication Skills: To be successful as a professional, you
must be able to express yourself well both in speaking and in
writing. These skills help to demonstrate your competencies in
many areas.

 Act As a Leader: Leaders inspire others around them to

collaborate, work together and strive to be the best they can.

 Leadership traits are often innate, but can be learned and enhanced by
various workshops and seminars.

 The important things to remember about being a leader is that you are
a role model, your presence effects the mood of the entire workplace,
and leaders aren't always right.
 Professional Responsibility

 Be Honest &Confidential: This is the key to become professional

at work. Never lie or be dishonest; dishonesty will eventually out.
If you are honest, you gain respect. Being honest at work creates a
kind of positive energy and boldness.

 Embrace a Positive Attitude: When approaching life and your

career with a good attitude and enthusiasm, goals and objectives
are achieved much easier. You must be passionate about your
career in order for it to be successful. A positive attitude goes a
long way to assist you if your career hits a rough spot and you
need to adjust your path.
 Professional Responsibility

Collaborate And Cooperate With Others: It's common that

in the workplace, teamwork is stressed as the most efficient
and effective way to complete important projects or
assignments. By being willing to work with others, you
increase your odds of being effective and successful.
 Accept all at work
Possess Ambition: It would be difficult to find a successful professional
who lacks ambition or the goal to succeed.

 However, ambition without goals or a focus doesn't achieve

success. Someone who hopes to become successful must identify
goals, benchmarks and other important objectives as he works
along in his career
 Professional Responsibility

Whistleblower: Whistleblowing is the term used when a

worker passes on information concerning wrongdoing.

A person who informs on a person or organization regarded as

engaging in an unlawful or immoral activity.

Do you know any prominent Whistleblower?

Group/Individual work

Google MOST prominent Whistleblower relevant to your

field and identify their contribution.

You can work in partners or in your group but everyone

should have their own assessments
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that employees generally and
Engineers specifically working in companies don't lack
talent or potential. They have immense talent and a lot of
potential. There are certain problems in every field but can
be eradicated.

If we try to increase the level of commitment and

remove the communication barrier then employee can
wonders. Working together towards achieving the goal
while following the professional responsibilities will make
our countries and societies “WONDERFUL”.
 Further Studies

Engineering your Future: The

professional practice of engineering
Wiley Press, ISBN: 978-0470900444

CHAPTER - 3
 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND ETHICS
ETHICS

Dr. Zahid Sultan

CIVE 517 sultanz@biust.ac.bw