12 DESIGN : DEAR PLUMBERS
and act ethically is , in my view , to be “ honest ” and to have “ honest principles ” on which engineering design is based . Being ethical is what the law requires and includes “ doing the right thing ”.
There are a number of examples of what is un-ethical , and which impacts negatively and damages the reputation the engineering profession : 1 . It is a “ formal regulation ” that an engineer is not allowed to accept work for which he or she is not competent . A simple example is when an electrical engineer cannot sign for the design of a structure . The design engineer may only sign for the type of projects for which the design engineer has been qualified and professionally registered . An architect is also not allowed to do engineering work and the engineer not allowed do architectural work , etc .
2 . Some manufacturers of piping and equipment offer “ free ” designs on condition that their products be specified and used .
3 . * Intellectual property / plagiarism . I had the experience where my engineering design manuals complete with detail drawings and specifications and even with my title blocks , were “ used ” on other projects of another engineer without my knowledge and consent . This is the worst case of “ unethical engineering ” which I have ever experienced .
4 . The engineer is not allowed to specify a brand name product .
5 . |
Sabotage of completed work . |
6 . |
Bribery . |
7 . |
Engineers who are not competent and ask for advice and then |
present it as their work . |
There are many examples of un-ethical behavior but there are many other excellent examples of engineers who practice highly ethical engineering and high-quality design and projects on a daily basis , and we can be proud of them . PA
Editor ’ s comment . * The Copyright Act has recently emphasised the use of art , drawings , music , and such to stop the use of what Mr Brink refers to in the section . It was always in the Act , but simple use of such items / articles tended to be overlooked or ignored , hence the emphasis now . There is a huge difference between “ fair use ” and “ theft ” of other people ’ s work . Anyone in the profession using another ’ s work without consent is in breach of the Act and can be sued for uncomfortable sums of money as well as public apologies which has a negative impact on the one who has stolen the work .
Fair use is described as “ any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and transformative purpose , such as to comment upon , criticise , or parody a copyrighted work .” This does not apply to professions at all .