EIT Ethics and Professional Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An engineer discovers that a colleague falsified test data in a submitted report. What is the engineer's primary ethical obligation?
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the falsification to the appropriate authority or supervisor (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague privately and take no further action regardless of outcome
- Resubmit the report with corrected data under their own name
Correct answer: Report the falsification to the appropriate authority or supervisor
Engineers are obligated to report known violations of ethical standards, including data falsification, to protect public safety and professional integrity.
Question 2: A licensed PE signs and seals drawings prepared entirely by an engineer not under their supervision. This practice is known as:
- Responsible charge
- Plan stamping (Correct answer)
- Delegated engineering
- Professional courtesy
Correct answer: Plan stamping
Plan stamping (or rubber stamping) is the unethical practice of sealing documents the engineer did not prepare or supervise, violating licensing laws.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'responsible charge' as it applies to professional engineering?
- Financial liability for project cost overruns
- Direct control and personal supervision of engineering work (Correct answer)
- The obligation to charge clients market-rate fees
- Responsibility for environmental compliance only
Correct answer: Direct control and personal supervision of engineering work
Responsible charge means direct control and personal supervision over engineering decisions, not just reviewing finished work.
Question 4: An engineer is asked to provide an expert opinion in a legal case outside their area of expertise. The ethical course of action is to:
- Accept and research the topic thoroughly before testifying
- Decline and refer the attorney to a qualified expert (Correct answer)
- Accept only if compensated above their normal rate
- Accept because all engineering disciplines share common principles
Correct answer: Decline and refer the attorney to a qualified expert
Engineers should only express professional opinions in areas where they are competent, and should decline engagements outside their expertise.
Question 5: Under the NSPE Code of Ethics, an engineer's loyalty to an employer:
- Always supersedes public safety concerns
- Is subordinate to the engineer's duty to protect public safety (Correct answer)
- Equals the duty to protect public safety
- Applies only during employment, not after resignation
Correct answer: Is subordinate to the engineer's duty to protect public safety
The NSPE Code explicitly states that engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, which takes precedence over employer loyalty.
Question 6: A firm offers an engineer a significant bonus if a project is completed two weeks early, requiring them to skip certain safety inspections. The engineer should:
- Accept if the bonus exceeds the cost of potential liability
- Decline and insist on completing all required safety inspections (Correct answer)
- Skip only the inspections deemed low-risk
- Accept and document that management authorized the decision
Correct answer: Decline and insist on completing all required safety inspections
Financial incentives do not justify bypassing safety inspections; engineers must uphold safety standards regardless of economic pressure.
Question 7: When an engineer signs a contract that includes a clause requiring them to indemnify the client for all damages regardless of fault, the ethical concern is:
- It may limit the engineer's ability to carry professional liability insurance
- It may compromise the engineer's independent professional judgment (Correct answer)
- It increases project costs unnecessarily
- It is only problematic if the engineer is not licensed
Correct answer: It may compromise the engineer's independent professional judgment
Open-ended indemnity clauses can pressure engineers to avoid raising safety concerns for fear of financial liability, compromising their independent judgment.
EIT Ethics and Professional Practice 2
An engineer discovers that a colleague falsified test data in a submitted report.
What is the engineer's primary ethical obligation?