EIT Ethics & Professional Engineering Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An engineer discovers that a colleague's design contains a flaw that could cause injury but is not on their assigned project. What is the ethical obligation?
- Ignore it since it is not their responsibility
- Report the flaw to the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Mention it casually to the colleague in private
- Wait until the project is formally reviewed
Correct answer: Report the flaw to the appropriate authority
Engineers have a duty to protect public safety and must report known hazards regardless of project assignment.
Question 2: Under the NSPE Code of Ethics, engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. This obligation applies:
- Only when explicitly required by contract
- Only in licensed practice states
- At all times in professional duties (Correct answer)
- Only when the risk exceeds a defined threshold
Correct answer: At all times in professional duties
The paramount duty to public safety is unconditional and applies in all professional engineering activities.
Question 3: A PE stamps drawings prepared by an unlicensed engineer she has never supervised. This practice is known as:
- Delegated engineering
- Plan stamping or rubber stamping (Correct answer)
- Collaborative practice
- Reciprocal licensing
Correct answer: Plan stamping or rubber stamping
Rubber stamping means affixing a seal to documents the engineer did not prepare or supervise, which is unethical and illegal in most jurisdictions.
Question 4: When an engineer is asked to provide a professional opinion outside their area of competence, the correct action is to:
- Provide the opinion with a disclaimer
- Decline and refer the client to a qualified expert (Correct answer)
- Research the topic briefly and proceed
- Provide the opinion only if compensated
Correct answer: Decline and refer the client to a qualified expert
Engineers must practice only in areas of their competence and should refer clients to qualified specialists for work outside those areas.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'conflict of interest' in engineering practice?
- Disagreement between two licensed engineers on a design
- A situation where personal or financial interests could improperly influence professional judgment (Correct answer)
- A bidding war between competing engineering firms
- Disagreement between an engineer and a client about project scope
Correct answer: A situation where personal or financial interests could improperly influence professional judgment
A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, or other interests could compromise or appear to compromise an engineer's objectivity.
Question 6: An engineer working for a firm receives a gift worth $500 from a vendor seeking to supply materials for a project the engineer oversees. The engineer should:
- Accept it since it is below the IRS gift reporting threshold
- Accept it as a professional courtesy
- Disclose it to their employer and decline or return it (Correct answer)
- Accept it only if the vendor wins the bid
Correct answer: Disclose it to their employer and decline or return it
Accepting gifts from vendors who have business dealings with the engineer's employer creates a conflict of interest and must be disclosed and typically declined.
Question 7: Sustainable development in engineering ethics means designing solutions that:
- Minimize first cost regardless of lifecycle impacts
- Meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs (Correct answer)
- Use only renewable materials
- Maximize efficiency at the expense of environmental concerns
Correct answer: Meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs
Sustainable development, as defined by the Brundtland Commission, balances present needs with the preservation of resources and conditions for future generations.
EIT Ethics & Professional Engineering Practices 2
An engineer discovers that a colleague's design contains a flaw that could cause injury but is not on their assigned project.
What is the ethical obligation?