What Is My Responsibility?

Consider the following story about a young man named Joe, which I have excerpted from the “Guidance for Engineering Students in Texas on the Licensed Practice of Engineering from the Texas Board of Professional Engineers,” published in August, 2000, for the Texas Board by the Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Joe went to work for an engineering firm in his home city. Joe worked for two years “crunching numbers” for the firm, and then decided to seek licensure as a registered professional engineer. He learned from studying his state’s practice act that to become licensed he must have experience showing progressively increased levels of responsibility. His current employer’s assignments were not providing opportunities for increased responsibility so Joe sought and accepted a position with another firm in hope of eventually becoming licensed.

Joe was excited with the prospects of his new job. Shortly after his arrival his new firm was retained to investigate the structural integrity of an apartment complex that its client was planning to sell. Joe’s new supervisor informed him that the firm’s contract with this client required that the structural report remain confidential. While Joe was completing his field work the client informed him that he hoped to sell the occupied property “as is.”

During Joe’s investigation he found no structural problems with the apartment complex. He did, however, observe electrical conditions which he believed violated city codes. In his report Joe made reference to these electrical conditions because they were, in his view, a potential safety issue and he felt obligated to inform his client of their existence and his concerns. Several weeks later Joe learned that his client did not inform either the residents of the apartment complex or the prospective buyer about the electrical condition or his concerns.

Upon completion of this first assignment with his new firm, Joe felt confident and pleased with his work. However, the situation about the electrical conditions that he had observed continued to concern him. He wondered whether he had an ethical obligation to do more than just put his concerns in his report. Should he also have informed the proper authorities, especially in light of the fact that the client was not disclosing the potential safety concerns to either the occupants or the buyer?

Joe wanted to ask his immediate supervisor about his concerns but felt awkward considering his short period of employment and the firm’s long-standing relationship with the client. Eventually he decided that it really did not matter. Joe assumed that he should be satisfied since both his employer and his client were satisfied.

Six months later the apartment complex caught on fire. The fire caused heavy damage to the apartment building but there was no loss of life. Subsequent investigation determined that the fire was most likely caused by the electrical conditions which Joe had described in his report.

Because this story is not fiction, its potential lessons to all of us are doubly important. Many of us have been in this type of circumstance before and recognize how commonly it occurs. For those who have not, I can assure you that the time is probably coming when you will!

As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) I have agreed to conduct my life and complete my work within the guidelines of the Society’s Code of Ethics, which reads as follows:

With this story in mind, and in light of the ASCE Code of Ethics above, please put yourself in Joe’s position and answer the following questions:

Obviously, I do not know what your answers to these questions are and, frankly, it isn’t any of my business! But I’m pretty sure of what my answers would have been when I was $30\text{years}$ old and I believe I know what my answers will be the next time such an unfortunate circumstance comes my way.

Thirty years ago I would probably have followed the path taken by Joe. I was young in my career, eager to please both my employer and his clients, and quite unaware of what I have come to see today as my immutable responsibility to the public. If I had been asked to explain my actions I probably would have couched them all with the thought that “I need this job and do not want to jeopardize my career!”

What an additional $30\text{years}$ have taught me is that if the emotion of fear is in control of my actions, then following the guidelines of the ASCE Code of Ethics becomes impossible. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying, for I did not say that I do not feel fear when required to pursue matters such as this. If there is no other fear there is, at least for me, the ever-present fear, “What if I am wrong?” However, while I must experience and even listen to this fear to test its validity, in the end I must do what I believe is right. On many occasions I must feel the fear and do what’s right, anyway!

I believe that following the Code of Ethics requires that I be willing to subjugate my immediate welfare to that of the public and this can never be done if fear is in control. I must hold as a core belief that the universe is a friendly place and that, in the end, good will prevail. Without this core belief, my conduct will always give my immediate comfort and welfare a higher priority than that of the public, clients, and employers. This is the antithesis of the Code.

My wish for those reading this essay is not that all, or any, believe like me. My hope for all who read it is that they will seriously consider not only their answers to the questions above but their motivations for the answers. Further, it is my hope that this essay might provide material for engineers of all ages to discuss, so that each might benefit from the insights of their colleagues.

Finally, it is my hope that when the circumstance arises, it will be a surprise to no one and that each will pursue a course of action that, indeed, holds paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.