Professional Engineering Practice The seal, ethical frameworks, duty to report, mobility Image credit: PCStuff 03:50, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

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The engineering seal

Use of the engineering seal Seal directly indicates responsibility But you are still liable for errors on work you performed but did not seal Required on all final specifications, plans, reports or documents that fall under professional engineering See Andrews pp 51-52

Use of the engineering seal Can require multiple seals for multi- disciplinary documents Sealed documents cannot be modified, retransmitted for purposes beyond the original review scope etc. without due review.

Ethics Ethics – the philosophy of right and wrong Related to religion, but focused on social and political issues, no spiritual component

Ethics Course of action should be decided by considering rights and duties Problem: many times rights and duties conflict – consider other ways of approaching the problem – other ethical theories

Mill’s Utilitarianism An action is ethically correct if it produces the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people. The duration, intensity and equality of distribution of the benefits should be considered John Stuart Mill

Kant’s formalism Each person has a duty to follow those courses of action that would be acceptable as universal principles for everyone to follow. Be honest, be fair, do not hurt others, etc. Conflicts arise when following a universal principle may cause harm. For example, telling a “white” lie is not acceptable, even if telling the truth causes harm. Immanuel Kant

Locke’s Rights ethics All individuals are free and equal, and each has a right to life, health, liberty, possessions and the products of his or her labour. It is occasionally difficult to determine when one person’s rights infringe on another person’s rights John Locke

Aristotle’s Virtue ethics Happiness is achieved by developing virtues, or equalities of character, through deduction and reason. An act is good if it is accordance with reason, which usually means a course of action that is the golden mean between extremes of excess and deficiency

Ethical Theory Summary Consequence-based ethics Mill’s utilitarianism Actions are assessed by their consequences, i.e., how they further well-stated goals https://www.flickr.com/photos/einalem/2446885789

Ethical Theory Summary Intention-based ethics Kant’s Formalism or Duty Ethics Locke’s Rights Ethics Rightness of an action depends on the intention or quality of the action itself, rather than its consequences

Ethical Theory Summary Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues Virtue ethics Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics Right actions come from morally “virtuous” persons Ethical actions depend on character attributes of such persons, rather than consequences or intentions of actions http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/pop_virtues_list.html

Duty to report (from http://peo.on.ca/index.php/ci_id/16158/la_id/1.htm) Professional engineers have obligations both to their clients/employers and to the public. Once in a while these obligations will be in conflict.

Duty to report On one hand, the engineer is obligated not to disclose confidential information of the client/employer and must avoid the use of such information to the disadvantage of the client/employer.

Duty to report On the other hand, the PEO’s Code of Professional Conduct provides that failure to report a situation that an engineer believes may endanger the safety or welfare of the public would constitute professional misconduct on the part of the engineer.

Duty to report There should be no doubt however as to how the engineer must act. The professional engineer “shall regard the practitioner’s duty to public welfare as paramount.” Although the engineer’s ultimate responsibility is clear, there is no universally applicable procedure to be used for discharging this responsibility.

Duty to report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xPU-N0vDMM

Mobility Within Canada, a national mobility agreement between all the provinces and territories allows you to move without having to repeat the entire licensing process

Mobility Internationally: Washington accord (Sydney accord, Dublin accord) APEC engineer agreement (Asia-Pacific) IPEA agreement (international) IET agreement (engineering technologists) IntPE designation

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