Code Of Ethics

General

Every professional engineer owes certain duties to the public, to their employers, to their clients, to other members of the profession and to themselves and shall act at all times with:

fairness and loyalty to their associates, employers, clients, subordinates and employees;
fidelity to public needs; and
devotion to high ideals of personal honour and professional integrity.

Duty of Professional Engineer to the Public

Every professional engineer shall:

regard their duty to public welfare as paramount;
endeavor at all times to enhance the public regard for the profession by extending the public knowledge thereof and discouraging untrue, unfair or exaggerated statements with respect to professional engineering;
not give opinions or make statements, on professional engineering projects of public interest, that are inspired or paid for by private interests unless they clearly disclose on whose behalf they are giving the opinions or making the statements;
not express publicly, or while they are serving as a witness before a court, commission or other tribunal, opinions on professional engineering matters that are not founded on adequate knowledge and honest conviction;
make effective provisions for the safety of life and health of a person who may be affected by the work for which they are responsible and at all times shall act to correct or report any situation which they feel may endanger the safety or welfare of the public;
make effective provisions for meeting lawful standards, rules, or regulations relating to environmental control and protection in connection with any work being undertaken by them or under their responsibility;
sign or seal only those plans, specifications and reports made by them or under their personal supervision and direction or those which have been thoroughly reviewed by them as if they were their own work and found to be satisfactory; and
refrain from associating themselves with or allowing the use of their name by an enterprise of questionable character.

Duty of Professional Engineer to Employer

Every professional engineer shall:

act in professional matters for each employer as a faithful agent or trustee and shall regard as confidential any information they obtain as to the business affairs, technical methods or processes of an employer and avoid or disclose any conflict of interest which might influence their actions or judgment;
present clearly to their employers the consequences to be expected from any deviations proposed in the work if they are informed that their professional engineering judgment is overruled by nontechnical authority in cases where they are responsible for the technical adequacy of professional engineering work;
have no interest, direct or indirect, in any materials, supplies or equipment used by their employer or in any persons or firms receiving contracts from their employer unless they inform their employer in advance of the nature of the interest;
not tender on competitive work upon which they may be acting as a professional engineer unless they first advise their employer
not act as consulting engineer in respect of any work upon which they may be the contractor unless they first advise their employer; and
not accept compensation financial or otherwise for a particular service from more than one person except with the full knowledge of all interested parties.

Duty of Professional Engineer in Independent Practice to Client

Every professional engineer in private practice, in addition to all other sections, shall:

disclose immediately any interest, direct or indirect, which may in any way be constituted as prejudicial to their professional judgment in rendering service to their client;
if they are an employee-engineer and are contracting in their own name to perform professional engineering work for other than their employer, clearly advise their client as to the nature of their status as an employee and the attendant limitations on their services to the client. In addition they shall ensure that such work will not conflict with their duty to their employer;
carry out their work in accordance with applicable statues, regulations, standards, codes, and by-laws; and
co-operate as necessary in working with such other professionals as may be engaged on a project.

Duty as Professional Engineer to Other Professional Engineers

Every professional engineer shall:

conduct themselves towards other professional engineers with courtesy and good faith;
not accept any engagement to review the work of another professional engineer for the same employer or client except with the knowledge of that engineer, or except where the connection of that engineer with the work has been terminated;
not maliciously injure the reputation or business of another professional engineer;
not attempt to gain an advantage over other members of the profession by paying or accepting a commission in securing professional engineering work;
not advertise in a misleading manner or in a manner injurious to the dignity of the profession, but shall seek to advertise by establishing a well-merited reputation for personal capability; and
give proper credit for engineering work, uphold the principle of adequate compensation for engineering work, provide opportunity for professional development and advancement of their associates and subordinates, and extend the effectiveness of the profession through the interchange of engineering information and experience.

Duty of Professional Engineer to Himself

Every professional engineer shall;

maintain the honour and integrity of the profession and without fear or favour expose before the proper tribunals unprofessional or dishonest conduct by any other members of the profession; and
undertake only such work as they are competent to perform by virtue of their training and experience, and shall, where advisable, retain and co-operate with other professional engineers or specialists.