Need of Code of Ethics in Engineering
Engineering profession needs Code of Ethics in order to indicate the conducts and standards that all the members of an organization such as Engineers Island adopt and abide by in their professional lives. The Code of Ethics is meant for enabling engineer to maintain cordial relations with employers, peers, clients, and society (Humphreys 1999). The Code of Ethics is also for creating awareness in Engineers regarding social as well as environmental obligations. It is for developing and maintaining professional standards and conduct. Further, it is also for ensuring proper adoption and implementation of disciplinary action, and also for enforcing correct judgment and procedures.
However, engineering profession needs a code of ethics because there is a need of higher standard of scientific education in this profession, and also this profession demands specialized and focused training, good experience, and formation. Therefore, engineers are advised to adhere to an adequate Code of Ethics as a necessary feature of their profession. Moreover, there are obligations and rights with this profession, so it is necessary to properly and clearly define Code of Ethics in order to ensure that all members are behaving all the time in accordance with rules, regulations, behaving with integrity, remaining familiar with their responsibilities and duties towards society, employers, peers, and clients etc., striving for achieving high level of competence and improved performance in their respective disciplines, and seeking for increasing and promoting professional standing.
However, Code of Ethics is also for increasing capability of engineers to confront moral issues that occur because of technological activities in a responsible manner. It is helpful for engineers as it intimates them about their ethical priorities towards the law, public, society, engineering profession, engineer’s firm, engineer personality, and other engineers who are involved. It is also meant for making engineers aware of morality by considering the fact that every individual has his own ethics, which should be respected.
The need of Code of Ethics can also be explained by necessity of ensuing moral awareness for identifying moral issues and problems in engineering. It is also essential for cogent moral reasoning so that arguments that are on other side of ethical issues can be clarified, explained, assessed, and comprehend. It is required for moral coherence for formation of comprehensive as well as coherent viewpoints that are based on detailed examination of related facts. Code of Ethics in engineering profession is necessary for ensuring moral imagination as it allows finding innovative solutions to the issues faced at practical level. Moral communication is also ensured by Code of Ethics in a way that it helps in expressing and supporting an individual’s moral views. Moreover, it is also important for ensuring moral reasonableness, respect for others, and support for diversity, integrity, and moral hope (Martin & Schinzinger 2010).
In the case of Citicorp Centre Tower in New York, lack of Code of Ethics paved the way to incorrect judgments and calculations as a result of which an unusual design of building was created in an attempt of creating a unique and new design for the building. Due to lack of Code of Ethics engineer William LeMessurier failed to recalculate, because of which he also failed to check any change that was required during construction. It was proved from Wind Tunnel Tests that diagonal Wind loading could pave the way to the failure of the critical bolted joints , and ultimately to the failure of building. Due to absence of Code of Ethics, insufficient oversight resulted that paved the way to bolted instead of welded joints. The absence also leads to misleading, as the engineer mislead the public regarding extent and risk of danger during the process of reinforcement. LeMessurier is, however, also criticized for keeping insights associated with engineering from his colleagues, all of which occur because of having no definite code of Ethics. Furthermore, the ethical dilemma in this case is also the conflict between responsibilities of LeMessurier for ensuring building’s safety for the sake of individuals who use it, his own self interest, his duties and responsibilities to several financial constituencies. Code of Ethics is for making employees responsible, accountable, conscious, and praiseworthy or blameworthy.
Ethics played an important role in this case in a way that LeMessurier took ethical standing in timely manner in order to avoid damages in future. He informed the Chief Executive Officer at informed city officials of Citicorp. He also talked to disaster relief teams of the city for creating an effective evaluation plan. He ensured fitting the building with gauges for monitoring strain on structural members of building at individual level. However, he also consulted and talked to meteorologists on daily basis for monitoring conditions of wind. He emphasized firstly on welding at critical locations. As a result of repair, Citicorp Centre Tower was the safest and structurally sound building in New York. LeMessurier, however, displayed his social obligation by understanding his mistake. After becoming aware of his mistake, he looked beyond the interest of his client, his own personal interest, and considered the society as a whole. He focused on considering well-being of all people living in the society as a result of which nothing bad happened.
It can be taken into account that LeMessurier had two options; firstly, he could leave the building as it is, without intimating anyone regarding issue. Secondly, he could consider fixing the joints of building for withstanding the winds. He selected second option as ethics compelled him to consider health, safety, and welfare of the public. His correction of mistake points out towards the fact that he conducted his self responsibly, honorably, legally, and ethically for enhancing honor, benefits, and reputation of engineering profession. Previously, he just considered his own self interest, and he was also over confident that he was experienced so he could easily solve structural problems.
His ethical act, however, showed respect for others as he considered benefits of other. He successfully maintained moral integrity by adjusting his personal beliefs and professional life. He ensured moral reasonableness by displaying his capability to be morally and ethically reasonable. He acted in a responsible manner, saved lives of many people, and maintained his integrity as well as repute of his profession instead of tarnishing it by episode. He has fulfilled all his obligations by ensuring inspections in timely manner, and also by identifying probable risks and advantages. He displayed his self as morally accountable as he understood the fact he would be answerable to all his acts. He was, however, conscientious in fulfilling and meeting his obligations. He tried to do things in right manner, and at last he succeeds, though he met several issues and difficult situations.
Being responsible is considered as a virtue, and also it indicates excellence of character (Whitbeck 2011). However, sometimes the legal responsibilities, job responsibilities, and casual responsibilities of engineers go beyond their professional and moral responsibilities to some extent, not completely. Specifically, professional responsibilities move beyond the tasks or assignments associated with the job. This can be considered from example of LeMessurier, who accepted and considered his responsibility of protecting and safeguarding the public even his specific job requirements and descriptions did not give explanation clearly regarding what was demanded or needed of him.
Hence, Code of Ethics play significant role in engineering profession as it ensures integrity, respect for others, and responsibilities towards society, following rules and regulations, promoting professional attitude, moral awareness, cogent moral reasoning, moral imagination, moral coherence, moral reasonableness, moral hope, and tolerance for diversity. The case of case of Citicorp Centre Tower is a good example indicating the importance of ethics in engineering profession. LeMessurier realized his mistake, and take adequate measures in a timely manner, saved lives, and displayed himself as a moral and ethical engineer. From above discussion, it is proved that Code of Ethics play a vital role in engineering profession and by acting on them engineers can ensure safety for themselves as well as for the society as a whole, and also ensure positive and constructive contribution to the society.
References
Harris, C.E., Pritchard, M.S., & Rabins, M.J. 2008. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases. Nelson Education Limited, Canda
Humphreys, K.K. 1999. What Every Engineer Should Know about Ethics. California: CRC Press
Martin, M.W., & Schinzinger, R. 2010. Introduction to Engineering Ethics. New York: McGraw Hill
Whitbeck, C. 2011. Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research. New York, Cambridge University Press
