Verified Document

Role Of Professional Engineers This Book Report

In terms of their personal attributes, engineers should be natural problem solvers (Johnston, McGregor, & Taylor, 2000). Because modern engineering involves such powerful and dangerous forces, professional engineers have a profound ethical responsibility to establish appropriate principles to ensure safety. The consequences of failure in engineering can result in injury or death to human beings, or even to entire human communities (Vee & Skitmore, 2003). For example, bad engineering decisions in bridge, highway, and building design and construction can threaten the lives of thousands of human beings every day. To protect society from poor engineering, the field has established formal educational requirements and a test of professional competence. Professional engineering licenses require satisfaction of qualifying educational programs and a minimum score on an objective licensing exam (Johnston, McGregor, & Taylor, 2000).

Once in professional practice, engineers must also adhere to the code of ethics used to establish important standards and safeguards at every level of engineering (IEA, 2000; Harris, Pritchard, & Rabins, 2008). In addition to human safety-related issues, engineering cods of ethics also outline many rules that ensure honesty and ethics at every level of the profession. That includes business decisions and fiduciary responsibilities to clients as well as environmental responsibility, just to name a few areas covered by modern professional engineering codes of ethics (IEA, 2000; Harris, Pritchard, & Rabins, 2008).

Summary

Engineers fulfill essential roles in modern society. They are responsible for designing and monitoring the construction of all major technological applications of science. Modern...

Many modern industries would be entirely incapable of operating without engineers.
However, the importance of engineering and the dangers associated with engineering failures establish the need for appropriate formal ethical rules for the profession. The recent Deep Water Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the current situation involving Chilean miners trapped underground illustrate the dangers of engineering mistakes. More specifically, the Deep Water Horizon disaster illustrates that engineering ethics goes far beyond technical knowledge. It also includes the moral responsibility not to make business decisions that value profit margins over human safety and environmental welfare.

Bibliography

Harris, CE., Pritchard, MS., and Rabins, MJ. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases.

(2008). Cengage Publishing.

Institution of Engineers Australia (2000). Engineers Australia Code of Ethics. Accessed 1 Sept 2010, from:

http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/discipline-complaints/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics_home.cfm

Johnston, S., Gostelow, P. And Jones, E. Engineering and Society: An Australia

Perspective (1999).

Johnston, S., McGregor, H., and Taylor, E. "Practice-focused ethics in Australian engineering education." European Journal of Engineering, Vol. 25, No. 4;

(2000): 315-324.

Vee, C. And Skitmore, CM. "Professional ethics in the construction industry."

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 10, No. 2;

(2003): 117-127.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Harris, CE., Pritchard, MS., and Rabins, MJ. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases.

(2008). Cengage Publishing.

Institution of Engineers Australia (2000). Engineers Australia Code of Ethics. Accessed 1 Sept 2010, from:

http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/discipline-complaints/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics_home.cfm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Role of Engineers the Progress
Words: 953 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Environmental engineering is basically the performance of using science with the purpose of caring for the environment. Environmental Engineers assist recycling processes by devising and implementing theories that are a result of systematic assessment. Society constantly consumes resources and produces waste, with little consideration in regard to the effects these actions have on the environment. This is where environmental engineers interfere and generate techniques by means of which particular waste

Role of Defense Industry Engineers
Words: 1021 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

The Handbook also emphasizes that, "Engineers should be creative, inquisitive, analytical, and detail oriented. They should be able to work as part of a team and to communicate well, both orally and in writing" (Engineers 2010:4). In addition, good communication skills are regarded as important key attributes for engineers who frequently work with professionals from other disciplines (Engineers 2010). Although every employment situation for defense industry engineers will be unique

Role of a College Education Over the
Words: 3079 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Role of a College Education Over the last several years, the importance of a college education has been continually debated. This is because there are many examples of individuals who never went to or dropped out of college that are successful. For instance, Michael Dell (the founder and CEO of Dell Computer) quit the University of Texas in order to build low cost computers. At the time, many people laughed and

Engineers Work Related Friction Scenario Scenario: Eight
Words: 1303 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Engineers Work Related Friction Scenario Scenario: Scenario: eight male engineers and their supervisor Pet have worked in a production and distributing company for fifteen years; they have worked together steadily and have developed social relationships among themselves. Joy a female engineer and a fresh graduate with a master's degree from one of the best engineering school in the country has been hired to join the team due increase in workload. Joy is enthusiastic and

Professional Accomplishments He Was a College Dropout
Words: 574 Length: 2 Document Type: Admission Essay

Professional Accomplishments He was a college dropout that slept on his friend's dorm room floor, returning coke bottles for five cents a bottle and walking seven miles across town every Sunday night to get a meal at a Hindu temple. As one of the pioneers of Apple Computers, a multi-billion dollar corporation, Steve Jobs has used his drive, ambition and passion to fuel his professional accomplishments. When I first started at Wells

Role of a Soldier "The Soldier's Heart,
Words: 1731 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Role of a Soldier "The soldier's heart, the soldier's spirit, the soldier's soul, are everything. Unless the soldier's soul sustains him he cannot be relied on and will fail" (U.S. Army 2001,-page 4). What is the job of an American soldier? The soldier's primary role is to work and fight to protect their country. The life of a soldier can be a very difficult one. A person who enters the army finds

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now