Whistle-Blowing Engineer

Engineers face a unique situation with respect to reporting unsafe situations that are created by an employer or a client, in that licensed engineers may have a legal or an ethical duty to “blow the whistle” on an employer in certain situations. This paper covers several aspects of whistle-blowing as they relate to practicing engineers. In the first section of the paper, five engineers are presented who have recently sought legal protection as whistle-blowers. This is followed by an analysis of state engineering regulations and professional ethics codes that often encourage, or even mandate that licensed engineers report employers or clients to governmental authorities in certain situations where the public safety is endangered. The next section presents an overview of whistleblower protection laws. Finally, there is a presentation of the potential for civil liability for those engineers who fail to report certain unsafe situations.