Introduction
In this article we start with a review of the requirements for professional engineers within the UK or for those registered through one of the many UK headquartered but internationally active institutions.
We discuss the background to ethics and cite some recent examples of poor ethical behaviour by engineering companies and how these impacts on the wider engineering community.
Examples of how a graduate or newly qualified engineer can demonstrate compliance with ethical standards are provided which may help those applying for jobs or professional accreditation.

UK SPEC
The United Kingdom Specification for Engineering Competence and Commitment (UK SPEC) is a standard developed by the UK Engineering Council which explains the requirements which engineers must satisfy if they want to become registered as a professional engineer – this could be as an Engineering Technician (EngTech), an incorporated Engineering (IEng) or a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
The standard is split into five separate competencies (A-E) with the first two each having two sub-competencies, the second two having three sub-competencies and the final one having five separate sub-competencies.
• A – Knowledge and understanding
• B – Design, development and solving engineering problems
• C – Responsibility, management and leadership
• D – Communication and interpersonal skills
• E – Professional commitment

Codes of Conduct
Sub-competency E1 refers to an understanding of Relevant Codes of Conduct, typically a standard of professional conduct which will have been developed by the Professional Engineering Institution (PEI) you are applying to become a member off, for example the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers or any other of the 39 PEIs licensed by the UK Engineering Council.
They will differ slightly from institution to institution but will broadly be aligned and may even refer back to UK SPEC.
Anyone applying for Professional Registration via a PEI will have to demonstrate a knowledge of its Code of Conduct and show how they have met it within their professional career.

Statement of Ethical Principles
The final sub-competency of UK SPEC – E5 discusses the need to understand ethical issues and makes reference to the Statement of Ethical Principles covered within it.
The statement provides guidance on four separate principles which guide the behaviour of Professional Engineers within their day-to-day activities with applications for registration again having to demonstrate how they comply with these and provide examples.
In the following sections we will address each principle and suggest generic examples which could be adapted for your industry or sector to allow you to demonstrate your compliance.

Honesty and Integrity
The first principle starts by asking engineers to be aware how their work might affect others and to respect the rights and reputations of other parties whom they might interact with through their engineering activities.
It then requires engineers to avoid any form of deception within their work and to prevent and/or report any form of corruption or illegal practice. Linked to this is a need to avoid bribery in any form including exerting improper influence over others for example when bidding for work or awarding contracts to suppliers.
The final aspect of this principle is to act in a reliable and trustworthy manner in your dealings as an engineering professional being consistent and fair in your approach to any individuals, employers or companies who you interact with.
A simple example which meets this principle is being honest about your work and advising the correct parties if you discover that you have made a mistake and therefore hopefully allow actions to be taken to correct or mitigate the error.
As a younger engineer I remember leaving a centre of gravity symbol off a complex assembly drawing which led to an injury occurring when equipment was eventually built and lifted incorrectly. Had I discovered my mistake it would have been my ethical duty to ensure the drawing was revised to include the CoG and all parties using the drawing were aware of the latest revision.

Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good
Again, this principle has a series of measures within it firstly requiring engineers to ensure that the work they undertake is lawful and justified. Any adverse effects from their activities on society or on the environment should be minimised and if unavoidable such effects should be able to be justified. Effects should consider society today as well as future generations.
Linked to the above engineers should consider the limited resources the world has to offer both in human and natural terms. The health and safety of others should be considered and held paramount in all work undertaken, with engineers expected to act in an honourable and responsible manner at all times, working lawfully and upholding the reputation, standing and dignity of the profession.
An example of meeting this principle would be to show compliance with health and safety best practices by not cutting corners or missing steps out and ensuring tools such as risk assessments are undertaken and followed and when any issues are identified then proactively taking steps to correct the underlying issue.

Accuracy and Rigour
Our third principle refers to the need to undertake engineering activities with due care and attention to ensure accuracy and rigour within your work. This means taking care and ensuring that you only undertake activities within your current area of competence.
Linked to this is the requirement for all engineers to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and relevant to the areas of industry in which they work. I will be publishing a future article on continued professional development (CPD), but this requirement covers things like training or learning new skills.
As well as developing yourself, there is a requirement to help instil knowledge in others and help them develop their skills. In a management position this could be via mentoring or assigning training courses to a junior member of the team but for a new engineer this could simply mean supporting a colleague and showing them how to undertake an operation or use a tool you are skilled in.
There is a further need to ensure that as an engineer you don’t mislead others or allow them to be misled by others in any matter relating to engineering. This could include examples such as ensuring honest and accurate reviewing and presentation of data and doing so in an unbiased manner.
Finally, risks should be identified and evaluated for all activities and where possible these should be quantified numerically.
A simple example of this would be related to evaluating the quality of components and ensuring that all items manufactured meet the required standards and tolerances and aren’t released if they don’t conform. To demonstrate this you could explain how you have ignored commercial or management pressure put on you to pass off products which are out of specification – thus demonstrating both accuracy in your work as well as not misleading others.

Responsible Leadership – Listening and Informing
The final principle is based around leadership and a need to be aware of the issues that engineering and technology raise for society and to listen to the aspirations and concerns of others within our society.
Engineers should also be seen to promote the profession to the public and help them understand the impact and benefits that engineering brings to all our communities.
As with some of the other principles, a need for truthfulness and objectivity when acting within your professional capacity is again required.
An example of meeting this principle could be the promotion of sustainability within your workplace, the development of ethical products or embracing recycling, re-use or longer product life.
Another example could be promoting engineering to the next generation, for example getting involved as a volunteer with a STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) charity and going into schools to inspire students and inform them about what engineers actually do and how we contribute to society.

Poor Ethical Practices in Industry
Despite the efforts of the UK Engineering Council and others over the previous decades there are still a number of high-profile examples of poor ethical practices which don’t reflect well on us as a profession.
The diesel emissions scandal saw a number of automotive vehicle manufacturers use software which recognised when an engine was being put through a standardised emissions test and adjusted the engine settings to ensure lower emissions when compared to real world driving thus providing false and inaccurate results – a clear breach of the Statement of Ethical Principles cited in the previous section. Once discovered this led to large fines, imprisonment for some of those involved and significant reputational damage for those manufacturers found to have cheated.
The Grenfell Tower fire is another example where questions marks were raised over ethical issues such as conflicts of interests, accuracy of information such as testing methods & results and the need to ensure safety in designs produced, specified and built.
Despite these examples which were covered significantly within the UK and International press, the engineering professional is thankfully still see as one of the more trusted in Great Britain.
An Ipsos Veracity Index from the end of 2023 showed that 85% of those interviewed from a range of demographics trusted engineers to tell the truth with this level with that of doctors and only surpassed by librarians (86%), pilots (87%), and nurses (88%). The score for engineers was also consistent with that of the previous few years.

Conclusions and Actions
Ethics are clearly an important aspect of any profession and in a way a binding contract with the public that defined rules and processes will be followed at all times to ensure the safety of the wider community and that trust between the profession and the public will not be breached and integrity will prevail.
All engineers should have an understanding of their associated Institutions code of conduct and if you aren’t affiliated with one, I encourage you to find the most applicable match and follow its recommendations.
If looking to become professionally registered, then a deeper understanding of the Code of Ethics is needed and you should be able to confidently discuss its requirements and provide examples of how you conform to this within your everyday engineering activities.
Finally maintaining of trust between a profession and the wider world is down to everyone of us. If you witness poor ethical practices you should take action, call it out and educate others to prevent it from happening again.

References
https://www.engc.org.uk/ethics

About the Author
Andy Stevenson is a Chartered Engineer, Entrepreneur and Fellow of the Institution of the Mechanical Engineers. He currently works as the Founder and CEO of Laytrix, a business providing engineering services and developing innovative products for the global offshore sector as well as the Founder / Director of training and consultancy business Samson Forth Associates.
Based in the Northeast of England he has set up and successfully exited a number of previous businesses in similar sectors.
An alumnus of the University of Edinburgh, NED of a STEM Charity and a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at Teesside University he has spent the majority of his career leading design teams developing bespoke equipment for offshore activities such as pipelay, cable burial and renewable energy generation and uses these experiences within his training and academic work.