Questions: Engineering Ethics Basics

Question 1

An engineer discovers a potential safety issue in a product that has already been shipped to customers. What is the ethically correct first step?

• A. Ignore it -- the product passed quality control
• B. Wait until someone gets hurt to confirm the issue is real
• C. Report the concern to management immediately with documented evidence
• D. Post about it on social media to warn the public

Answer: (C)

The first obligation is to report the concern through proper channels with evidence. Management needs to evaluate the risk and decide on corrective action (recall, warning, fix). Ignoring it violates the duty to protect public safety. Waiting for harm is unconscionable. Social media bypasses the proper process and may cause unnecessary panic.

Question 2

If a design meets most applicable regulations and building codes, the engineer has no further ethical obligations regarding safety.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Codes set minimum standards. If an engineer has reason to believe that conditions make those minimums inadequate (unusual soil, extreme weather, higher-than-expected usage), ethics require designing above code. The code is a floor, not a ceiling, for safety.

Question 3

What does it mean for an engineer to 'hold public safety paramount'?

Model answer: It means that when any decision involves a conflict between public safety and other concerns (profit, schedule, client wishes, career advancement), safety must take priority. An engineer should never approve a design known to be unsafe, regardless of the pressure to do so.

This principle is the foundation of every engineering code of ethics worldwide. It recognizes that the public trusts engineers to protect them through competent, honest work, and that engineers have the specialized knowledge to identify risks that the public cannot evaluate for themselves.