Engineering
Profession in British
Columbia
and Canada
APEG-BC
The following
is paraphrased from Guidelines for Professional Excellence, January 1994, The Association
of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.
The Association
of Professional Engineers in British Columbia
was constituted by the Engineers Act of 1921, which was enacted to form
a self-regulating profession that would protect British Columbians from
unqualified practitioners. The other provinces in Canada
have similar legislation and associations, also with the primary function
of registering and licensing professional engineers. A more recent act, the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province
of British Columbia (APEG-BC),
registers and licenses professional geoscientists as well as professional
engineers.
In keeping
with the responsibilities of the APEG-BC and the position of trust and
accountability
afforded its members, the association created a code of ethics that
expresses the standard of ethical conduct expected of professional engineers
and sustained by “fundamental values adopted over many generations .
. . and given public expression in the increasing number of significant
works affecting society.” According to APEG-BC, its members must maintain
excellence in practice while attending to
- the
health, safety, and well-being of the public
- the
protection of the environment
- the
fair administration of the Act and the Code of Ethics
- the
enhancement of the profession
Each member
must do so while maintaining “a position of respected prominence in
society world-wide and be recognized for their valuable contributions.”
CCPE
The Canadian
Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) is made up of the provincial
associations. Like its members, CCPE is concerned with increasing public
awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession and engineering
work. But its most critical function is maintaining standards for engineering
education and accrediting undergraduate engineering programs in Canada.
The council also develops policies and negotiates agreements to ensure
national mobility of professional engineers and to improve international
mobility. It also undertakes research in areas of engineering education
and the profession and engages in public relations activities.
Homework
to complete before the Jan 12-15 tutorial
Read Chapter
1 of Engineering Ethics and
answer the following questions:
- What does the Ford Pinto
case suggest about the nature of engineering ethics?
- How are ethical dilemmas
like engineering design problems? Provide an example.
- Describe a situation
that might be legal but unethical and another that would be illegal
but ethical.
- Fledderman suggests that two important ethical issues
are raised by the Space Shuttle Challenger case. What are they? Can
you identify at least one more issue?
- In the Challenger case,
we learn that Jerald Mason, a senior manager with Thiokol, told Bob
Lund, the vice president for engineering, to “Take off [his] engineering
hat and put on [his] management hat.” Why did this phrase become famous?
Read the
APEG-BC Code
of Ethics, which is the last page of the bylaws.
Read Chapter
2 of Engineering Ethics and
answer the following questions:
- What differences do you
note between the engineering profession in Canada
and the US?
- Do you agree with the
following statements Fledderman makes on
page 19 of the first and second editions?
Although they are professionals, engineers do not yet hold the same
status within the society that physicians and lawyers do. (1st ed.)
. . . engineering is still clearly a profession, albeit one that is
not as mature as medicine and law and that should be striving to emulate
some of the aspects of these professions (2nd. ed.)
Explain why you agree or disagree.
- Can you identify 6 ways
in which codes of ethics assist engineers?
- List the relevant facts
for the Intel Pentium Chip case. What items in the code of ethics
are violated?
- List the relevant facts
of Competitive Bidding and the Paradyne
Case. What items in the code of ethics are violated?
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