QUESTION: Engineers are often entrusted with responsibility of implementing projects involving million of ringgit. As the integrity and ethical standards of engineers are being put to test, what measure can an engineer take to prevent corruption and unethical practice in order to safeguard the good image of engineering profession?
AN OVERVIEW Engineering is not just a job as how most people overview it. Instead, it is a mindset and sometimes a way of life for certain people who really in love with engineering and technical things. Engineers use their judgement and experience to solve problems when the limits of scientific knowledge or mathematics are present. Their most concern is to limit or eliminate risks that they might face during the project, either short term or long term period. Most of their successful creations or ideas identify human weakness and complexity is a constant companion. In all the multimillion projects, most engineers often entrusted to hold the responsibility of implementing them. Engineers invent the future and their work affects the lives of millions of people as well for better or for worse. Therefore it raises massive ethical issues in every branch of engineering
WHAT IS ENGINEERING ETHICS It is place between morality and professional ethics. Morality refers to those standards that apply to everyone rather than only to members of a special group or organization. Basically, these standards are ones that every rational person wants every other people to follow. When we were young, we used to learn such basic moral rules for example: do not lie, do not cheat, do not steal, and so on. As we grow up, our point of view on how to interpret a particular rule or exception may change. For example, we may come to think that it is „okay‟ to lie without saying anything false by providing some fact and reason to support what we say and to speak confidently. As we entered our teens, such attitude has been changed. Students have been taught about ordinary moralit y and not with professional ethics. Differ in professional ethics, it apply to every member of a profession who wants every other 1
member to follow. Ethics applies to members of a group simply because they are members of that group and engineering ethics applies to engineers (and no one else). They have been formulated in different codes of ethics, formal interpretations of those codes, and the less formal practices by which engineers pass on the special ways or techniques they do things to each new generation of engineers. Thus, no one is likely to learn much about engineering ethics except at engineering school or while practicing engineering, except for those who lucky enough to have a mother or father or maybe any of the family member who is an engineer. Engineering ethics is as much a part of what engineers in particular know as factors of safety, testing procedures, or ways to design for reliability, durability, or economy. Engineering ethics is part of thinking but in an engineer way.
REASONS TO LEARN ETHICS The reason to learn ethics is because of previous tragedies, disasters, and scandals in which engineers have been the major players. Something should be done about these entire bad occurrences. Although these incidents should be a matter of concern to engineer (other than the normal people) who can learn from past mistakes, they are exceptional occurrences in engineering. Most engineers will never be interested to involve in such circumstances. As people are asked to think of media coverage regarding ethical issues in engineering, they come up with a familiar disaster which is the collapsed of Highland Tower. Thus, it encourages engineers to think of ethics for those few engineers who have the misfortune of being involved in newsworthy problem. Even though there are some bad impressions on few engineers, the national surveys usually place engineers near the top of the list regarding to the public‟s confidence in the ethics of the professions. One goal that has been identified in order to raise an ethical awareness was to stimulate the ethical imagination in students mind. Young professionals are too often get caught by surprise when faced with an ethical problem in their professional practice. They may not handle it well as they never have thought about such problem seriously. The second goal is to help these young engineers recognize the ethical issues. For example, what counts as a conflict of interest in engineering practice and why it is an ethical problem may not be noticeable to the amateur. The third goal is to help to identify the concepts of ethics and principles that are relevant to the practice. The concepts are such as public health and safety, 2
quality, efficiency, cost-risk-benefit analysis, environmental and loyalty. Another goal is to understand on how to deal with ethical disagreement. The trick is by recognized that some uncertainty can be expected and should be tolerated. The last goal is to encourage young engineers to take ethical responsibility seriously. This will become easier once they understand the fact that engineering is not just a technical or theoretical matter. If we examine what engineers do, it is easy to see that ethical responsibility should be the main concern of the engineering profession and practice. By teaching ethics to student, it can create sensitivity to ethical issues simply by making them aware that they as young engineers will have to resolve certain ethical problems. Teaching engineering ethics can increase young engineers‟ knowledge regarding relevant standards. A young engineer who reads a code of engineering ethics is more likely to know what is in it than another who does not read it. Knowledge of standards includes more than just knowing what is written in codes or handbooks. Part of knowing standard is by understanding the rationale of them especially the consequences of departing from them. Teaching engineering ethics may also improve ethical judgement. Ethical judgement tends to improve with use. The classroom and laboratory provide a safe place to make mistakes and learn from them — ethical mistakes as well as purely technical ones. Finally, teaching engineering ethics can increase a student‟s ethical will-power. An engineer who knows that he or she shares a particular standard of conduct with other engineers are more likely to follow it than one who believes himself alone.
ACCURACY AND SEVERITY This principle has been listed as the first principle that has been listed in the Statement of Ethical Principles. It stated that “professional engineers have a duty to ensure that they acquire to use the knowledge wisely that is relevant to the engineering skills needed in their work in the service of others”. The most obvious reason why accuracy and severity is important to professional engineers is because the accuracy and attention to detail of a project ensures better engineering solutions while the inaccuracies and carelessness in engineering will cause failure of engineering projects which in many cases mean financial failures, accidents, injuries and worse, deaths.
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Wrong calculations and assumptions as well as improper paper work might cause disastrous accident. The risk here is that engineers working on the project will make mistakes as they may not be aware of the key mistakes to avoid. The mistakes in engineering projects have the potential to be catastrophic. On the other hand, an engineer with specialist skills within their area of expertise can make a significant and positive contribution to society as well as the environment. However, it is important to note that many engineering projects are different and original, and it will require previously untested skills and methods. In these cases it is an engineer‟s duty to ensure that risks are well managed and allow teams to obtain the appropriate skills. Engineers also have a responsibility to maintain their knowledge up to date in their fields of expertise because of they have the trust of their clients and the most of all, the public. These engineers should be aware with the value of their professional opinion and never give it lightly or take it easily on the basis of insufficient evidence. If an engineer‟s opinion turns out to be mistaken, they may be alleged accountable for any negative consequences of actions taken based on the previous statement that was made. Although they may have used inaccurate information unintentionally, given their position as a supposed expert they will still be responsible for those actions. Conflicts of interest can influence the accuracy of an engin eer‟s opinion as well. They should consider whether the opinion they have given is objective, correct to the best of their (up-to-date) knowledge, and based on the available evidence; or whether there might there be other considerations that might be influencing their judgment. These might include considerations or loyalty to an employer as an example.
INTEGRITY AND HONESTY Integrity. The most common and trending word that currently being commercialize in our local mass media. It is to promote the integrity and honesty in each citizen for every single work that is done in order to create a healthy working environment. It is also the second principle that listed in Statement of Ethical Principles is integrity and honesty. It stated that “Professional Engineers should adopt the highest standards of professional conduct, openness, fairness and honesty”.
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Integrity and honesty are two separate but closely related concepts in reality. Despite of having different meanings, it is hard to imagine if there is anyone exhibiting one value without the other. Yet someone who is dishonest is unlikely to be described as having integrity. Integrity is a more complex to define where it is related with acting ethically, even when there is no personal advantage by doing so. A person of integrity will resist pressure to compromise their ethical values and principles no matter where that pressure comes from; either employers, clients, or anywhere else. They will take steps to avoid conflicts of interest or declare these conflicts clearly and do their best to avoid improper influence. People with integrity are consistent and reliable and at most of the time their actions match up to their words. Engineers are likely to work for the benefit of different groups of people and in many cases they will have a duty to keep these people informed with relevant facts. The public trusts these professionals to provide information that is as complete and accurate as possible. Honesty is not simply a matter of not lying because sometimes an engineer may need to reveal information which in some cases people may not want to hear. For cases such as where there is a duty to maintain confidentiality to a client as an example, it may be unethical to reveal information which would risk that confidentiality. Thus failure to disclose would not necessarily be dishonest in this case.
RESPECT FOR LIFE, LAW AND PUBLIC GOOD This set of principles is the broadest of the four that make up the Statement of Ethical Principles. It is questionably the one that covers the ethical issues most commonly associated with engineering ethics. All of us have general responsibilities for the life, law and the public good, but the engineer also has particular professional responsibilities to protect and maintain these. Many discussions of engineering ethics focus on major accidents where people were killed and injured. There are also cases in which there seems to have been some level of negligence involved; for example, the Gong Badak Sport Complex in Terengganu that was collapsed at about 75% of its completion, and the Highland Tower collapsed. The principle of ensuring the safety of others is so essential to engineering that following it constitutes a large part of what is involved in thinking like an engineer.
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This set of principles is not limited to health and safety only but also covers respect for the law, respect for the natural environment (to protect and conserve the environment), and the reputation and dignity of the engineering profession. It includes all aspects of engineers‟ responsibilities for the people affected by their work as well as their social and environmental perspective in which they function. In t his aspect of an engineer‟s responsibility, it is very sensitive to change the social and political standards and expectations. The steps engineers are expected to take to protect others have changed over time, and vary across the world according to the situation. Similarly, there is some increase in awareness of the impact of engineering projects on the local scene and the global environment, and the need to ease any negative impacts. These principles overlap significantly with the previous principles because failures of accuracy and rigour can put the public at risk, and failures of honesty and integrity can damage the reputation of the profession. Furthermore, this principle applies to all engineers starting from technicians to managers.
RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP: LISTENING AND INFORMING The above heading from the Statement of Ethical Principles states that professional engineers “should aspire to high standards of leadership in the exploitation and management of technology. They hold a privileged and trusted position in society, and are expected to demonstrate that they are seeking to serve wider society and to be sensitive to public concerns.” It focuses basically on cases in which an engineer has to make a decision often at a particular time. When presenting a report, the engineer is required to be honest and objective. Else if offered a bribe, an engineer is required to reject the bribe. At certain time, we may think that this may be requirements for an individual engineer. If the engineer fails to be honest or maybe if he accepts a bribe, the engineer does something wrong. If we think about the engineering profession as a whole, there might be responsibilities that apply to the profession without being the responsibility of any specific individual professional. Professional bodies can engage with politics, campaigning for changes in the law and so on. As an example, the medical profession gets involved with debates on the safety of sports such as boxing, or on public health policies relating to issues such as childhood obesity. It is reasonable to think that this is a part of the profession‟s 6
responsibilities but typically we would not claim that any particular doctor had done something wrong if they were not involved in any particular campaign. It may be perfectly tolerable for any given individual not to be involved in any of these beneficial activities but something would be lost if the medical profession as a whole was not involved in public debate and had no part to play in forming public policy. It may cause bad picture of the medical profession if it does not engage in this way. Similarly, while it may be acceptable for any individual engineer to choose not to be involved in political debate, there may be an obligation for the engineering profession to engage in these beneficial activities. Issues such as climate change, energy security, the protection of personal data and so on are high profile policy issues to which the engineering profession can make an important contribution. Hence, there is a specific interpretation of leadership in this topic. This principle above could refer to the duty that engineers have to be responsible leaders when managing other engineers. As such “listening and informing” would be a reference to the duty of a senior engineer to listen to the other engineers he is working with and to keep them informed. Although this is important, this principle refers to the responsibility not of individual engineers but of the engineering profession to provide responsible leadership, to listen to society and to engage with the public. However, it is individual engineers who must make the decision to follow this principle. If there are no engineers who engage with the debates in society, then the profession cannot fulfil this responsibility. How these responsibilities of the profession translate into individual responsibilities will depend on how (and how well) the profession organises itself.
ACTIONS BY ENGINEERS TO PREVENT CORRUPTION Engineers can play a crucial role in preventing corruption. By practicing this, they will not only help to avoid the damage which they as individuals and their organisations and countries may suffer as a result of corruption. They will also be practicing according to their professional and ethical duty to ensure that they work for the public good. 1. Individual engineers: Individual engineers can have an impact both on an individual level and on organisational level. They are able to influence the policies of their professional institutions. Thus, individual engineers should take the following steps: 7
a) Not taking part in any activity which believed or suspect involves dishonesty. b) Report any activity which they believe or suspect involves dishonesty, by considering their safety. c) Stand by the ethical code of their professional institution. d) Lead by example. Emphasise the need for ethical conduct at all times. e) Encourage their organisations to consider anti-corruption measures as an integral part of corporate and project management.
2. Professional engineering institutions: Professional institutions represent individual professionals, and ensure the integrity of their professions in their own countries. They can have significant influence in the structure of government and corporate policy in relation to infrastructure. Therefore, professional institutions should take the following steps: a) Publicly speak out against corruption. b) Ensure that they actively promote ethical codes including express prohibitions of corruption among their members. c) Provide anti-corruption training and guidance to their members and engineering students to ensure that they are aware of the risks of corruption. d) Promote the adoption and implementation of anti-corruption measures as an integral part of corporate and project management. e) Work in collaboration with other professional institutions, government bodies, business associations and companies and seek to develop a co-ordinated approach to anti-corruption issues.
ACTION BY GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT CORRUPTION Governments should take the following steps: 1. Make it a legal requirement that: a) Sufficient anti-corruption method are implemented and maintained on public sector infrastructure projects as an important part of project management. b) Companies bidding for public sector projects implement and maintain plenty anti-corruption measures within their own organisation.
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2. Take steps to eliminate extortion by officials in the issue of government approvals and permits by: a) Ensuring there are adequate controls to prevent extortion. b) Ensuring that public sector employees are paid a reasonable wage and are paid on time, so that they do not resort to extortion to supplement their wages. 3. Provide a reporting mechanism whereby individuals and organisations may report corruption to the authorities in a safe and confidential manner. 4. Provide an independent and properly funded body to prevent, investigate and prosecute corruption which operates fairly without interference from government. 5. Co-operate with a view to establishing an international court with jurisdiction over corruption offences.
ACTIONS BY ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN A PROJECT TO PREVENT CORRUPTION 1. Project owners: Organisations which own or develop projects must: a) Implement and maintain adequate anti-corruption measures within their own organisations by publishing an anti-corruption code of conduct, implementing effective financial and commercial controls which help prevent corruption, instituting disciplinary procedures for employees who fail to comply with the policy, and implementing a confidential whistle-blowing system. b) Implement and maintain adequate project anti-corruption measures on all their projects. 2. Project Funders: Organisations which provide finance, guarantees or insurance to projects must: a) Implement and maintain adequate anti-corruption measures within their own organisations. b) Provide finance, guarantees or insurance in relation to a project only if that project adopts adequate project anti-corruption measures. 3. Companies: Companies providing the works, equipment, materials and services for projects (such as construction companies, consulting engineering firms, subcontractors and suppliers) must:
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a) Implement and maintain adequate anti-corruption measures within their own organisations. b) Encourage the implementation and maintenance
CONCLUSION Firstly, further information available relating to ethics are most welcome and helpful to others including more case studies, analysis of news events, and other resources connected to ethics in the engineering profession. Secondly, the morale value from the cases in this guide can be applied to ethical issues faced in everyday practice as an engineer. The following questions might help in applying the cases: Please identify any issues from your own work of which you were previously unaware? Are any of the cases in the guide closely related to issues you or your colleagues have faced or are facing? If so, what were the important similarities and differences between your case and the case in this guide? Has the way the case was discussed in the guide changed the way you thought about your own case? Would you act differently, or do you feel you should have acted differently, in the light of the considerations outlined here? It is important to engage with the way that ethical questions are deal with at organisational as well as individual levels. One way of doing this would be to look out and reflect upon material such as company codes of conduct and guides to ethics. It is also important to reflect upon implied ethical guidance. It will be interesting and important to determine the extent to which explicit and implicit forms of guidance cohere or conflict with each other by considering a reflective view of how an organisation approaches and deals with ethical issues. Engineering is a broad discipline and the case studies here cannot include all of the ethical issues that an engineer might face. This involves asking the following questions regarding as situation: What are the ethical values? How do these depend on and inform each other? How can the reasons for taking a particular course of action be expressed and defended? Finally, engineers are invited to take a more active role in the ethical life of the profession. Back in years ago, there has not been a clear demand for engineers to take a view on the ethical issues affecting their profession. In this sense, engineering is different from medicine for example. It would perhaps be surprising for a doctor not to have at least thought 10
about the ethical issues surrounding such as abortion. Yet, the ethical issues in engineering are just as real, and they too can have very vital consequences. Moreover, it is no longer possible for engineers to avoid ethical issues than it is for doctors to do so. A good place to start engaging with professional ethics is through professional bodies. Some of these run training events or workshops in professional ethics, or provide web forums to communicate with other members about these issues. Regarding specific ethical issues, some engineers are concerned that decisions are taken out of the hands of engineers. The same goes when engineers are involved in decisions regarding public safety. There is a concern that they often put under pressure to agree with the decisions that the managers want to make. When engineers are aware of illegal practices and feel that they have to blow the whistle, it may still be very difficult for them to actually do what they feel they have to because they may worry about the effect that being a whistleblower will have on their career. However, industries are increasingly using confidential reporting techniques as a way of allowing engineers to report problems and enabling lessons learned by others to be passed on. These systems could be used across the engineering profession. Individual engineers will have a significant role in encouraging professional bodies to put them in place. Again, ethics is not just a set of rules that can be learned and taken for granted nor it is a simple structure that can be applied to problems to make them disappear from views. Engaging with ethical questions is an ongoing process that requires awareness, reasoning skills, imagination, and the ability to examine and evaluate your opinions as well as those of others.
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