Ethics and Professional Practice Flashcards

The 'duty of care' concept in engineering negligence means:

Answer: Engineers have a legal and ethical obligation to apply competent professional judgment to protect others

Duty of care requires engineers to apply reasonable professional competence so that foreseeable harm to others is prevented.

What is the purpose of engineering standards and codes (e.g., ASTM, ASME, IEEE)?

Answer: To establish minimum technical requirements ensuring safety, quality, and interoperability

Engineering standards establish minimum requirements for materials, design, testing, and processes to ensure consistent safety and quality across the industry.

A licensed engineer who knowingly signs off on a design they did not review may face:

Answer: License revocation, fines, and potential criminal liability

Improperly sealing engineering documents (rubber-stamping) is a serious ethical and legal violation that can result in license revocation, civil liability, and criminal prosecution.

In engineering project management, scope creep refers to:

Answer: Uncontrolled expansion of project requirements beyond original specifications

Scope creep occurs when project requirements gradually expand beyond the agreed scope without corresponding adjustments to budget and schedule.

Which ethical principle requires engineers to be honest about their qualifications before accepting an assignment?

Answer: Competence self-assessment

Engineers must honestly assess and represent their own competence before accepting assignments, as stated in engineering ethics codes.

The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster (1986) is often cited in engineering ethics because:

Answer: Engineers raised safety concerns that management overrode, resulting in preventable loss of life

The Challenger disaster is an ethics case study showing that engineers have a duty to elevate safety concerns over schedule pressure and management decisions.