Engineering news
Exploring the potential development of an equivalent to the medical profession’s commitment to helping the sick is one of many recommended actions inEngineering Ethics: maintaining society’s trust in the engineering profession.
Published earlier this week by the joint Engineering Ethics Reference Group – established in 2019 by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and the Engineering Council – the report aims to ensure that ethical considerations become embedded in engineering in the same way as health and safety.
Reported public trust in engineers remains high, but the “ever-growing expectations of society” and constant technological advances mean engineers must “continually evaluate how ethical behaviours need to improve and evolve”, the organisations said. Engineers must be aware of the tensions between profitability, sustainability and safety, they said, and find the balance between them.
“The engineering profession has been working for many years on embedding ethical culture and practice into the profession, including operating sustainably, inclusively and with respect for diverse views,” an announcement said. “Together, such behaviours make a profession aspirational and trustworthy but require a culture of continuous improvement.”
The report includes a ‘roadmap’ of short-, medium- and long-term recommended actions to embed ethical best practice, some of which build on existing practices. There are recommendations to:
- Develop ethics toolkits for leaders to help embed ethics into culture
- Review sanctions for poor ethical practice
- Review whistleblowing guidance
- Establish a system for reporting ‘ethical mishaps’
- Audit the teaching of ethics in higher- and further-education, and apprenticeship providers, to see what resources would be welcome
- Explore strengthening ethics related CPD requirements
- Explore the potential development of an engineering equivalent to the medical Hippocratic Oath
- Benchmark against other professions, and explore inclusion of ethical performance in business reporting.
Engineering Ethicsencourages engineering organisations and employers to consider what they should be doing to embed ethical thinking more strongly.
“Engineers act in the service of society, making decisions that affect everyone, from small-scale technical choices to major strategic decisions that can affect the lives of millions and even the future of our planet. We want to make sure that ethical practice is at the heart of all these decisions,” said Professor David Bogle FIChemE FREng, chair of the Engineering Ethics Reference Group.
“Our vision is that UK engineering ethics principles and practice are regarded nationally and internationally as world class, with ethics embedded in engineering culture such that society can maintain confidence and trust in the profession.
“Realising this goal will require collaborative action and shared responsibility. But this is essential if we are to retain public trust and attract young people into the profession who truly reflect the diversity of society, and who will help achieve a sustainable society and inclusive economy that works for everyone.”
The actions suggested by the report are grouped under five themes and are drawn from feedback from the profession. Themes include leadership and accountability, education and training, and engagement.
RAEng and the Engineering Council have agreed to take forward the proposed actions with the support of the professional engineering institutions, and a new governance framework is proposed to manage the process. The academy is also publishing 12 new case studies to illustrate ethical issues, designed for use in engineering education and for individual engineers.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.