Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003 - 25

W ould your firm pany values. This is at least in grams based on individual
ver- there's also room for engineers t o fail t o take action that f a i l
an ethics p a r t because an engineering sus team results could encour- e
n s u r e s ethical standards or audit? Do you firm's primary commitment
is to a g e inappropriate individual laws and the public interest o r your
em- protect the health, safety, and behavior to get ahead. As a safe-
ployees knowingly or unknow- are met. welfare of the public, as opposed
guard, Murillo says, the firm's i n g l y act in ways that could T h e
real risk isn't getting t o a primary commitment to senior people should
complete a invite lawsuits? caught in an illegal act, but los-
stockholders to turn a profit, he performance check with project In the
age of the business ing your reputation the trust says. No surprise:
National sur- m a n a g e r s and clients in the s c a n d a l , these are
good ques- that clients have in you, Smith veys consistently show engineer-
middle and at the end of jobs. tions for consulting engineers to says. If
you lose your reputa- ing as one of the most trusted We don't ask whether
we per- a s k themselves even though tion, you're done. You might as
professions. formed unethically. We ask what the majority of A/E firms can
well close your doors. S t i l l , the legal terrain has went well and what
didn't, he of your firm's most valuable assets its reputation. Climate
Control most likely honestly answer no plenty of gray areas where engi- s
a y s . The answers can reveal to both. So how can principals ensure neers
can become confused, lose ethics problems. All you have to do is mention
that they and their employees their way, or unknowingly act To me, it gets
back to the Enron or WorldCom, and most stay on the right course? By cre-
in ways that are unethical, if not questions `Is this professional?'
Americans start groaning. In this a t i n g and sustaining cultures
illegal. An example is the Fair and `Is this the way I'd want to day and
age, being perceived as t h a t nurture ethical behavior, L a b o r
Standards Act FLSA , be treated?' Murillo adds. For less than ethical can
have devas- and by encouraging employees which determines which work- e x
a m p l e , when we go after a t a t i n g effects on a company's t o seek
answers to the ethics ers are exempt from overtime. p r o j e c t , we tell
the potential reputation...and its bottom line. questions and issues
related to For years engineering firms have client why we're the best team
Enron started concentrating their jobs. h a d trouble interpreting the we
never criticize a competitor. on what it could get away with I t 's tied
to the values the outdated regulations and appro- Jack Beemer, senior vice
presi- legally, as opposed to what's fair c o m p a n y professes and prac-
priately classifying engineers. dent of David Evans and Associ- and honest,
says Jimmy Smith, t i c e s every day, says Blake This has cost firms
millions of ates Inc., notes that his firm has p r o f e s s o r of civil
engineering Murillo, CEO of PSOMAS and d o l l a r s in lawsuits or U.S.
had a long-standing list of com- a n d director of the National f o r m e
r chairman of ACEC's Department of Labor penalties. pany values that
promote ethical Institute for Engineering Ethics M a n a g e m e n t
Practices Com- At ACEC's urging, the Depart- behavior. at Texas Tech
University, in Lub- mittee. If you promote a lot of ment of Labor has
finally pro- One is honesty: We must be bock, Texas. Engineering firms
internal competition and have a posed reforms to the 65-year-old
scrupulously truthful with our c o u l d fall into the same trap, reward
system that entices peo- s e t of workforce standards, clients, our
co-workers and our- although it would be less likely ple to cross the
ethical line to w h i c h will add clarity to the s e l ve s in our
professional and to happen. get ahead, you might be creat- labor law and
reduce unfair liti- p e r s o n a l actions and work. In Smith's
experience, the vast i n g a climate for unethical g a t i o n costs for
engineering A n o t h e r is openness, being m a j o r i t y of
engineering firms behavior. firms. u n a f r a i d of sharing good and
have tight lines on their com- One example: Bonus pro- When considering
ethics, bad news, says Beemer. Consulting engineering is an important and
learned profession. The members of the profession recog- nize that their
work has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people.
Accordingly, the services provided by consulting engineers require
honesty, impartiality, fairness and equity and must be W A L T E R HODGES
/ CORBIS dedicated to the protection of public health, safety and welfare.
In the practice of their profession, con- sulting engineers must perform
under a standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the
highest principles of ethical conduct on behalf of the public, clients,
employees and the profession. ACEC Professional and Ethical Conduct
Guidelines S e p t e m b e r l October 2003 ENGINEERING INC. 2 5
Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003
