DEFINING “DUTY TO THE PUBLIC” WITHIN CANADIAN ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL CODES OF ETHICS

Abstract

What does is it mean for an engineer to uphold their “duty to the public” [1]? The reality is that each person may have a unique interpretation of the concept of an engineer’s responsibility to thepublic based upon their unique experiences, education, values, and beliefs. When considering the concept of an engineer’s “Duty to the Public” within the realm ofprofessional engineering ethics codes, there exists a need for a more universal understanding of this concept in order to ensure ethical practice [2]. This need is particularly critical in terms of environmental responsibility within engineering practice as currently there is minimal ethical framework within Canadian professional engineering ethics codes relating to how to act in the best interest of the public with respect to environmental ethical dilemmas [1] [3]. This paper provides a literature review and proposes a multi-perspective, mixed methods research study to learn more about how individuals interpret the concept of an engineer’s “Duty to the Public”, and the role of environmental responsibility within this concept. By gaining a better understanding of thesimilarities and variances of how stakeholders interpret engineers’ responsibility to the public, it will be possible to identify whether current professional engineering ethics codes are fulfilling their objectives, and if not, to suggest how such codes and Engineering Ethics Education (EEE) might be adapted in future to better address the needs of the public.