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. Ethics (from Greek ἦθος meaning custom) is the branch of axiology, one of the four major branches of philosophy, which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to distinguish that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Professional Engineer is the term for registered or licensed engineers in some countries, including the United States and Canada. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society. ... A lawyer is a person qualified to give legal advice who advises clients in legal matters and represents them in courts of law and in other forms of dispute resolution. ...

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. A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... The art and craft of the stonemason has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures and sculpture using stone and other raw materials from the earth. ... A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ... James Watt James Watt (19 January 1736 – 19 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. ... Diagram of the Newcomen steam engine Thomas Newcomens atmospheric engine, today referred to as a Newcomen steam engine, was the first practical device to harness the power of steam to produce mechanical work. ... The Distillers are a punk rock band. ...

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 occurence 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. Great Western Railway No. ... Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ...

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. It has been suggested that Tensile strength be merged into this article or section. ... The Brooklyn Bridge (originally the New York and Brooklyn Bridge), one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretches 6,016 feet (1,834 m) over the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn. ... Golden Gate Bridge, California, USA A suspension bridge is a bridge that consists of two multiple column pillars (or pylons), one on either end of the central span, with two or more cables slung between them. ...

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. Famous failures in science and engineering include projects that, despite considerable and well publicised effort, were never completed as a result of engineering problems or a faulty scientific basis. ... Look up titanic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Quebec bridge, with the Pierre-Laporte bridge in the background. ...

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. The Institutions headquarters Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (the ICE) is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineers. ... The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering. ...

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. A whistleblower is someone in an organization who witnesses behavior by members that is either contrary to the mission of the organization, or threatening to the public interest, and who decides to speak out publicly about it. ...

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.