Mirpur University of Science and

Technology,(MUST) MIRPUR Azad Kashmir

Name: Muhammad Usman Khalid

Roll no: FA16-BEE-050
Submitted to: Engr. Shahid Amin
Subject: Engineering Ethics
Date: 5th March 2020
Department: Electrical Engineering
Semester: 7th
Session: 2016-20
 International Laws Dealing With Engineering Ethics

Engineering Ethics:
Engineering ethics is the field of system of moral principles that apply to the practice
of engineering. The field examines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to
their clients, and to the profession. As a scholarly discipline, it is closely related to subjects
such as the philosophy of science, the philosophy of engineering, and the ethics of
technology.
Over the following decade’s most American states and Canadian provinces either
required engineers to be licensed, or passed special legislation reserving title rights to
organization of professional engineers. The Canadian model is to require all persons
working in fields of engineering that posed a risk to life, health, property, the public welfare
and the environment to be licensed, and all provinces required licensing by the 1950s.
The US model has generally been only to require the practicing engineers offering
engineering services that impact the public welfare, safety, safeguarding of life, health, or
property to be licensed, while engineers working in private industry without a direct
offering of engineering services to the public or other businesses, education, and
government need not be licensed. This has perpetuated the split between professional
engineers and those in private industry. Professional societies have adopted generally
uniform codes of ethics.
Recent developments:
Efforts to promote ethical practice continue. In addition to the professional societies and
chartering organizations efforts with their members, the Canadian Iron Ring and
American Order of the Engineer trace their roots to the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse.
Both require members to swear an oath to uphold ethical practice and wear a symbolic
ring as a reminder.
In the United States, the National Society of Professional Engineers released in 1946 its
Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct, which evolved to the
current Code of Ethics, adopted in 1964. These requests ultimately led to the creation of
the Board of Ethical Review in 1954. Ethics cases rarely have easy answers, but the
BER's nearly 500 advisory opinions have helped bring clarity to the ethical issues
engineers face daily.
Currently, bribery and political corruption is being addressed very directly by several
professional societies and business groups around the world. However, new issues have
arisen, such as offshoring, sustainable development, and environmental protection that
the profession is having to consider and address.
General Principles:
Codes of engineering ethics identify a specific precedence with respect to the engineer's
consideration for the public, clients, employers, and the profession.
Many engineering professional societies have prepared codes of ethics. Some date to
the early decades of the twentieth century. These have been incorporated to a greater or
lesser degree into the regulatory laws of several jurisdictions. While these statements of
general principles served as a guide, engineers still require sound judgment to interpret
how the code would apply to specific circumstances.
The general principles of the codes of ethics are largely similar across the various
engineering societies and chartering authorities of the world. Which further extend the
code and publish specific guidance. The following is an example from the American
society of civil engineering.

1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the
performance of their professional duties.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
 4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and
shall not compete unfairly with others.
6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor,
integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession and shall act with zero-
tolerance for bribery, fraud, and corruption.
7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers,
and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those
engineers under their supervision.
8. Engineers shall, in all matters related to their profession, treat all persons fairly and
encourage equitable participation without regard to gender or gender identity,
race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, political
affiliation, or family, marital, or economic status.
Obligation to society:
The paramount value recognized by engineers is the safety and welfare of the public. As
demonstrated by the following selected excerpts, this is the case for professional
engineering organizations in nearly every jurisdiction and engineering discipline:

 Instiute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: "We, the members of the IEEE,
… do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and
agree: 1. to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety, health
and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the
public or the environment;
 Institution of Civil Engineers: "Members of the ICE should always be aware of their
overriding responsibility to the public good. A member’s obligations to the client can
never override this, and members of the ICE should not enter undertakings which
compromise this responsibility. The ‘public good’ encompasses care and respect for
the environment, and for humanity’s cultural, historical and archaeological heritage,
as well as the primary responsibility members have to protect the health and wellbeing
of present and future generations.
 Professional Engineers Ontario: "A practitioner shall, regard the practitioner's duty
to public welfare as paramount.
 National Society of Professional Engineers: "Engineers, in the fulfillment of their
professional duties, shall: Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
 American Society of Mechanical Engineers: "Engineers shall hold paramount the
safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties.
 Institute of Industrial Engineers: "Engineers uphold and advance the integrity,
honor and dignity of the engineering profession by: 2. Being honest and impartial, and
serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients.
 American Institute of Chemical Engineers: "To achieve these goals, members shall
hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and protect the
environment in performance of their professional duties.
 American Nuclear Society: "ANS members uphold and advance the integrity and
honor of their professions by using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of
 human welfare and the environment; being honest and impartial; serving with fidelity
the public, their employers, and their clients; and striving to continuously improve the
competence and prestige of their various professions.
 Society of Fire Protection Engineers: "In the practice of their profession, fire
protection engineers must maintain and constantly improve their competence and
perform under a standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the
highest principles of ethical conduct with balanced regard for the interests of the
public, clients, employers, colleagues, and the profession.

Responsibility of engineers:
The engineers recognize that the greatest merit is the work and exercise their
profession committed to serving society, attending to the welfare and progress of the
majority. By transforming nature for the benefit of mankind, engineers must increase their
awareness of the world as the abode of humanity, their interest in the universe as a
guarantee of overcoming their spirit, and knowledge of reality to make the world fairer
and happier. The engineer should reject any paper that is intended to harm the general
interest, thus avoiding a situation that might be hazardous or threatening to the
environment, life, health, or other rights of human beings. It is an inescapable duty of the
engineer to uphold the prestige of the profession, to ensure its proper discharge, and to
maintain a professional demeanor rooted in ability, honesty, fortitude, temperance,
magnanimity, modesty, honesty, and justice; with the consciousness of individual well-
being subordinate to the social good. The engineers and their employers must ensure the
continuous improvement of their knowledge, particularly of their profession, disseminate
their knowledge, share their experience, provide opportunities for education and training
of workers, provide recognition, moral and material support to the schools where they
studied, thus returning the benefits and opportunities they and their employers have
received. It is the responsibility of the engineers to carry out their work efficiently and to
support the law. In particular, they must ensure compliance with the standards of worker
protection as provided by the law. As professionals, the engineers are expected to commit
themselves to high standards of conduct (NSPE).
International Engineering Laws:
In an international engineering project there may be a country where the work is originated
and a country where the work is executed. The laws of both the originating country and
the project destination country must be observed. Further complications may occur when
the country where the engineering work is reviewed and approved is not the country
where the work is originated or executed. In this case, a high ethical standard must be
observed where all relevant laws are applied.
In contract law, the contract law in the country where the contract was signed is generally
observed.
The Washington Accord is an agreement that was put in place by a number of
international signatories, recognizing their approaches and systems for accrediting
university engineering programs as comparable. Signatories to the Washington Accord
are Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, India, Ireland, Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
A Washington Accord degree does not confer a license to practice engineering. Licenses
to practice engineering are granted by government or independent bodies that are
legislated to confer a license.
In certain jurisdictions engineering laws are weak. The following countries have weak
laws surrounding engineering:

 The United Kingdom where only specific safety related tasks require a registered
engineer
 France is not a member of the Washington Accord. The practice of engineering is
neither controlled nor regulated by French law
 In Germany the term 'engineer' is an academic title and there are no licenses.
Weak engineering law can cause a variety of problems regarding public safety. The safety
culture of an organization of practitioners is often dictated by ethics clauses in engineering
law. If there is no engineering law or weak engineering law there is no control of safety
culture afforded by the law. The engineering profession was developed, in North America,
to prevent certain problems and behaviors observed in the application of science in the
public interest to safeguard life and public welfare. Laws to prevent managers at
engineering firms from pushing engineers to make unsafe decisions can make countries
more safe.
Order in Engineering:
Engineering must be conducted in an orderly and ethical manner where all appropriate
codes and standards are carefully considered. Orderly consideration is a vital part of any
engineering work involving public safety or a contract. Any disorder involved in
engineering practice could be termed as reckless or hacking and may endanger the
public's trust in the engineering being practiced. Negligent practice evolves when
managerial, accounting or legal pressure impinges on the careful consideration of proper
engineering practice. Engineers must conduct themselves in a dignified manner and their
work must reflect this dignity and a dedication to excellence.
It is possible to compare the professions of law and engineering. Just as courts must
maintain a certain order or decorum for a fair trial to proceed so too engineering must be
conducted in an orderly fashion with a certain method or procedure. When this order
breaks down disasters may occur.
Specifically, Ontario demands fairness and loyalty to the practitioner’s associates,
employer, clients, subordinates and employees; devotion to high ideals of personal honor
and professional integrity; co-operation in working with other professionals engaged on a
project; courtesy and good faith towards other practitioners; and no malicious attempts to
injure the reputation or business of another practitioner.
ETHICS IN RELIGIONS

Religious ethics:
Religious ethics are the moral principles that guide religions and that set the standard
for what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Surprisingly similar from one religion to the next,
these fundamental principles flow from the core beliefs and ancient wisdom of religion, as
well as its teachers and traditions.

Ethics in religion:
Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and
wrong behavior A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life
that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than
traditional moral conduct
Most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported
supernatural revelation or guidance. Some assert that religion is necessary to live
ethically. Simon Blackburn states that there are those who "would say that we can only
flourish under the umbrella of a strong social order, cemented by common adherence to
a particular religious tradition"
Islamic Ethics:
The foundational source in the gradual codification of Islamic ethics was the Muslim
understanding and interpretations of the mankind has been granted the faculty to
discern God's will and to abide by it. This faculty most crucially involves reflecting over
the meaning of existence, which, as John Kelsay in the Encyclopedia of Ethics phrases,
"ultimately points to the reality of God." Therefore, regardless of their environment,
humans are believed to have a moral responsibility to submit to God's will and to follow
Islam (as demonstrated in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, or the sayings of
Muhammad [Quran 7:172]).
This natural inclination is, according to the Qur'an, subverted by mankind's focus on
material success: such focus first presents itself as a need for basic survival or security,
but then tends to manifest into a desire to become distinguished among one's peers.
Ultimately, the focus on materialism, according to the Islamic texts, hampers with the
innate reflection as described above, resulting in a state of jahiliyya or "ignorance."
Muslims believe that Muhammad, like other prophets in Islam, was sent by God to
remind human beings of their moral responsibility, and challenge those ideas in society
which opposed submission to God. According to Kelsay, this challenge was directed
against five main characteristics of pre-Islamic Arabia:

1. The division of Arabs into varying tribes (based upon blood and kinship). This
categorization was confronted by the ideal of a unified community based
upon Islamic piety, an "ummah;"
 2. The acceptance of the worship of a multitude of deities besides Allah - a view
challenged by strict Islamic monotheism, which dictates that Allah has no partner
in worship nor any equal;
3. The trait of muruwwa (manliness), which Islam discouraged, instead emphasizing
on the traits of humility and piety;
4. The focus on achieving fame or establishing a legacy, which was replaced by the
concept that mankind would be called to account before God on the day of
resurrection;
5. The reverence of and compliance with ancestral traditions, a practice challenged
by Islam—which instead assigned primacy to submitting to God and following
revelation.
These changes lay in the reorientation of society as regards to identity and life of the
Muslim belief, world view, and the hierarchy of values. From the viewpoint of
subsequent generations, this caused a great transformation in the society and moral
order of life in the Arabian Peninsula. For Muhammad, although pre-Islamic
Arabia exemplified "heedlessness," it was not entirely without merit. Muhammad
approved and exhorted certain aspects of the Arab pre-Islamic tradition, such as the
care for one's near kin, for widows, orphans, and others in need and for the
establishment of justice. However, these values would be re-ordered in importance and
placed in the context of strict monotheism.
Furthermore, a Muslim should not only follow these five main characteristics, but also
be broader about his morals. Therefore, the more the Muslim is applying these rules,
the better that person is morally. For example, Islamic ethics can be applied by
important verses in the Quran. The most fundamental characteristics of a Muslim are
piety and humility. A Muslim must be humble with God and with other people:
“And turn not your face away from people (with pride), nor walk in insolence through the
earth. Verily, God likes not each arrogant boaster. And be moderate (or show no
insolence) in your walking, and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the
voice (braying) of the ass.” (Quran 31:18-19)
Muslims must be in control of their passions and desires.
A Muslim should not be vain or attached to the ephemeral pleasures of this world. While
most people allow the material world to fill their hearts, Muslims should keep God in
their hearts and the material world in their hand. Instead of being attached to the car
and the job and the diploma and the bank account, all these things become tools to
make us better people. Morality in Islam addresses every aspect of a Muslim's life, from
greetings to international relations. It is universal in its scope and in its applicability.
Morality reigns in selfish desires, vanity and bad habits. Muslims must not only be
virtuous, but they must also enjoin virtue. They must not only refrain from evil and vice,
but they must also forbid them. In other words, they must not only be morally healthy,
but they must also contribute to the moral health of society as a whole.
“You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you enjoin what is
right and forbid the wrong and believe in God; and if the followers of the Book had
believed it would have been better for them; of them (some) are believers and most of
them are transgressors.” (Quran: 3:110)
Muhammad summarized the conduct of a Muslim when he said:
“My Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious of God, whether in
private or in public; to speak justly, whether angry or pleased; to show moderation both
when poor and when rich, to reunite friendship with those who have broken off with me;
to give to him who refuses me; that my silence should be occupied with thought; that my
looking should be an admonition; and that I should command what is right.”
Islam is a way of life and it does not work in isolation. In a business practice for
example, the Muslims are call to adhere good business ethical values, does not cheat,
and does not charge interests to the buyers. Research has also observed how Islamic
religiosity influences work ethics and business ethics.
Buddhist Ethics:
Ethics in Buddhism are traditionally based on the enlightened perspective of the Buddha,
or other enlightened beings who followed him. Moral instructions are included in Buddhist
scriptures or handed down through tradition. Most scholars of Buddhist ethics thus rely
on the examination of Buddhist scriptures, and the use of anthropological evidence from
traditional Buddhist societies, to justify claims about the nature of Buddhist ethics.
According to traditional Buddhism, the foundation of Buddhist ethics for laypeople is
the Pancasila: no killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, or intoxicants. In becoming a
Buddhist, or affirming one's commitment to Buddhism, a layperson is encouraged to vow
to abstain from these negative actions. Buddhist monks and nuns take hundreds more
such vows (see vinaya).
The sole reliance on traditional formulae or practices, however, can be questioned by
Western Buddhists whose main concern is the practical solution of complex moral
problems in the modern world. To find a justifiable approach to such problems it may be
necessary not just to appeal to the precepts or the vinaya, but to use more basic Buddhist
teachings (such as the Middle Way) to aid interpretation of the precepts and find more
basic justifications for their usefulness relevant to all human experience. This approach
avoids basing Buddhist ethics solely on faith in the Buddha's enlightenment or Buddhist
tradition, and may allow more universal non-Buddhist access to the insights offered by
Buddhist ethics.
The Buddha provided some basic guidelines for acceptable behavior that are part of
the Noble Eightfold Path. The initial percept is non-injury or non-violence to all living
creatures from the lowest insect to humans. This precept defines a non-violent attitude
toward every living thing. The Buddhist practice of this does not extend to the extremes
exhibited by Jainism, but from both the Buddhist and Jain perspectives, non-violence
suggests an intimate involvement with, and relationship to, all living things.
Theravada monk Bhikkhu Bodhi has observed:
"Buddhist ethics, as formulated in the five precepts, is sometimes charged with
being entirely negative. ... [I]t has to be pointed out that the five precepts, or even
the longer codes of precepts promulgated by the Buddha, do not exhaust the full
range of Buddhist ethics. The precepts are only the most rudimentary code of
moral training, but the Buddha also proposes other ethical codes inculcating
 definite positive virtues. The Man gala Sutra, for example, commends reverence,
humility, contentment, gratitude, patience, generosity, etc. Other discourses
prescribe numerous family, social, and political duties establishing the well being
of society. And behind all these duties lie the four attitudes called the
"immeasurable"—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity."

Christian Ethics:

Christian ethics in general has tended to stress the need for love, grace, mercy,
and forgiveness because of sin. With divine assistance, the Christian is called to
become increasingly virtuous in both thought and deed, see also the Evangelical
counsels. Conversely, the Christian is also called to abstain from vice.
Christian ethical principles are based on the teachings within the Bible. They begin with
the notion of inherent sinfulness, which requires essential atonement. Sin is
estrangement from God which is the result of not doing God's will. God's will can be
summed up by the precept: "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and
your neighbor as yourself", commonly called the Great Commandment. Christian ethics
are founded upon the concept of grace which transforms a person's life and enable's
one to choose and act righteously. As sin is both individual and social, so is grace
applied to both the individual and society. Christian ethics has a teleological aspect—all
ethical behavior is oriented towards a vision of the Kingdom of God—a righteous society
where all live in peace and harmony with God and nature, as envisioned in the Book of
Isaiah. Specific ethical behaviors originate in the Old Testament’s Ten Commandments,
and are enriched by teachings in the Psalms and morals contained in historical
accounts, see also Biblical law in Christianity.
Christian ethics is not substantially different from Jewish ethics, except in the
exhortation to love one's enemy. Perhaps the greatest contribution of Christian ethics is
this command to love one's enemies. It has been argued (see Ched Myers's Binding the
Strong Man, and John Howard Yoder's The Politics of Jesus) that Jesus was waging
a non-violent campaign against the Roman oppressors and many of his sayings relate
to this campaign--turn the other cheek, go the second mile, etc. Understanding these
commands as part of a larger campaign makes it impossible to interpret Christian ethics
as an individual ethic. It is both an individual and a social ethic concerned with life here
on earth.
Other tenets include maintaining personal integrity and the absence of hypocrisy, as
well as honesty and loyalty, mercy and forgiveness, rejection of materialism and the
desire for wealth and power, and teaching others in your life through personal joy,
happiness and Godly devotion.
There are several different schema of vice and virtue. Aquinas adopted the four cardinal
virtues of Aristotle (justice, courage, temperance and prudence), and added to them the
Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity (from St.Paul, 1 Corinthians 13). Other
schema include the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven virtues. For more see Christian
philosophy and Biblical law in Christianity.