The Online Ethics Center for Engineering & Science - Department of ...
The Online Ethics Center for Engineering & Science - Department of ...
The Online Ethics Center for Engineering & Science - Department of ...
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<strong>Online</strong> <strong>Ethics</strong> <strong>Center</strong>: Pr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>Ethics</strong> in <strong>Engineering</strong> Practice: Discussion Cases<strong>of</strong> a computer program.S<strong>of</strong>tware Design TestingAn engineer, hired by a s<strong>of</strong>tware company, believes that thecompany's new s<strong>of</strong>tware design is safe under existing standards.However, the new s<strong>of</strong>tware may not meet the new standards thathe knows are about to be released--standards that Per<strong>for</strong>mingmore tests could cost both the company and the publicsignificantly. Issues <strong>of</strong> conflicting obligations to the companyand the general public also arise.Suspected Hazardous WasteA supervisor instructs a student engineer to withholdin<strong>for</strong>mation from a client about the suspected nature <strong>of</strong> waste onthe client's property to protect what the supervisor takes to be theclient's interest.Clean-Air Standards and a Government EngineerAn engineer refuses to draw up a permit <strong>for</strong> a building shebelieves violates environmental standards. Several days later,she learns that her department issued a permit anyway.Responsibility <strong>for</strong> Public Safety and the Obligation <strong>of</strong> ClientConfidentialityTenants sue their building's owner, and the owner employs anengineer who finds structural defects not mentioned in thetenants' lawsuit. Issues <strong>of</strong> public safety versus clientconfidentiality.Code Violations with Safety ImplicationsAn engineer discovers deficiencies in a building's structuralintegrity, and it would breach client confidentiality to reportthem to a third party.Whistleblowing City EngineerAn engineer privately in<strong>for</strong>ms other city <strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>of</strong> anenvironmental threat, a problem her supervisor has ordered hernot to disclose.Safety Considerations and Request <strong>for</strong> Additional <strong>Engineering</strong>PersonnelAn engineer is concerned <strong>for</strong> worker safety during constructionbut yields to his client's objections to the cost <strong>of</strong> an on-siterepresentative.Engineer's Dispute with Client over DesignA client believes an engineer's designs are too costly, but theengineer fears that anything less may endanger the public.Do Engineers Have a Right to Protest Shoddy Work and CostOverruns?An engineer who is employed by a government contractorobjects to a subcontractor's poor per<strong>for</strong>mance and is ignored andsilenced by management.Changes in Statement <strong>of</strong> Qualifications <strong>for</strong> a Public ProjectAn engineering firm takes measures to remedy a deficit in aparticular area <strong>of</strong> expertise needed to successfully complete <strong>for</strong>and carry out a public project.http://onlineethics.org/cases/nspe/index.html (2 <strong>of</strong> 7)10/25/2005 9:06:52 AM
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