ETHICS AND STANDARD OF CARE

摘要

Perhaps no greater ―soft skills‖ are necessary for the Engineer to acquire than the ability todeal capably with ethical issues and to behave in a professional manner, for these skills lie at the heart ofthe engineer’s primary obligation—to hold paramount the public safety, health, and welfare. As Engineersseek to enhance their image in the 21st century by achieving a better grasp of globalization andimproving their ability to communicate effectively, they must also strive to enhance their image with thepublic whom they are obligated to protect by performing their work in accordance with ethical standardsand by giving back to their profession through participation in professional activities and licensure. TheEngineer’s role and responsibility today extends beyond protecting today’s public to protecting futuregenerations and the environment that these generations will inherit.While ethics have always been an important component of engineering practice, the ethicalconsiderations of the 21st century place a heavier burden on engineers today. Engineers today must alsowork to devise ethical means of addressing such problems as climate change, an increase in naturaldisasters, and the pressing need to incorporate the principles of sustainable design into a wide array ofprojects. And as Engineers move forward in the 21st century, they must also formulate a vision thatfocuses on how best to determine future societal needs and approaches the management processaccordingly, an ethical consideration not typically considered in the past.The public ―takes for granted‖ that the infrastructure for which the public relies will not fail. The public alsoputs their trust into engineers and believes that Engineers will be truthful and honest. The standard oftruthfulness in engineering is very high, much higher than in everyday life. It imposes an absoluteprohibition on deception. An engineering practicing professional must possess a service motive and shareadvances in knowledge, safeguard professional integrity and ideals, and render gratuitous public servicein addition to service rendered to clients; must recognize one’s obligations to society and to otherpractitioners by living up to established codes of conduct; must assume relations of confidence andaccept individual responsibility; and should carry one’s part of professional groups as well as one’s part ofthe responsibility of advancing professional knowledge, ideals, and practice.Given the failing infrastructure of today, in today’s environment, the client is looking to the engineer toprovide solutions that will not only be in the best interest of ―today‖ but will serve as a solution for―tomorrow‖ and the ―future‖. Sustainability considerations, life-cycle costing and asset managementconsiderations are all areas that an engineer should be addressing along with the risks that may arisebased on decisions to be made in these considerations which in turn may fall to an expected standard ofcare. The design process must consider the knowledge of a particular product performance or designprocess as is easily obtained in the public domain-especially given the internet and the availability ofknowledge and engineering journals. Assumptions made in the design process will be used in standard ofcare allegations.