EIT Ethics & Professional Engineering Practices 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an engineer's obligation regarding continuing education after licensure?
- Continuing education is optional and has no bearing on licensure renewal in any state
- Most states require continuing professional competency (CPC) or PDH hours for PE license renewal (Correct answer)
- Continuing education is required only for engineers in public practice
- Engineers must retake the PE exam every 10 years
Correct answer: Most states require continuing professional competency (CPC) or PDH hours for PE license renewal
The majority of U.S. states require licensed PEs to complete Professional Development Hours (PDH) or equivalent continuing education as a condition of license renewal.
Question 2: An engineer designing a structure for a seismic zone deliberately uses lower-grade specifications to reduce project cost at the client's request. This is:
- Acceptable if the client signs a waiver
- Unethical because safety standards exist to protect the public, not just the client (Correct answer)
- Acceptable because the client assumes all liability
- Required if the project is over budget
Correct answer: Unethical because safety standards exist to protect the public, not just the client
Engineers cannot compromise public safety codes at a client's request because building codes protect third parties and the public, not just the contracting client.
Question 3: The term 'professional engineer (PE)' legally means:
- Any person holding a degree in engineering
- An engineer who has passed all required licensing exams and is registered in a state (Correct answer)
- A member of a professional engineering society such as NSPE or ASCE
- An engineer with more than 10 years of experience
Correct answer: An engineer who has passed all required licensing exams and is registered in a state
The title 'Professional Engineer' is a legally protected designation reserved for individuals who have met education, experience, and examination requirements and are state-registered.
Question 4: An engineer is pressured by management to approve a project schedule they believe is unrealistic and may lead to unsafe shortcuts. The ethical approach is to:
- Approve it and document personal objections internally
- Approve it since management assumes responsibility
- Formally refuse to approve it and document the reasons in writing (Correct answer)
- Approve it only if the timeline is shortened by 10%
Correct answer: Formally refuse to approve it and document the reasons in writing
Engineers must refuse to approve work or schedules they believe will compromise safety and must document their objections formally to create a clear professional record.
Question 5: Engineers are prohibited from practicing in a manner that would constitute a 'deceptive act or practice.' Which of the following would qualify?
- Bidding a lower fee to win a competitive contract
- Misrepresenting the engineer's qualifications or experience on a proposal (Correct answer)
- Hiring subconsultants without informing the client
- Specializing in a single engineering discipline
Correct answer: Misrepresenting the engineer's qualifications or experience on a proposal
Misrepresenting qualifications or experience is a deceptive practice that violates ethics codes and can constitute fraud under state licensing laws.
Question 6: Which federal law protects engineers who report safety violations from employer retaliation in certain industries?
- The Sherman Antitrust Act
- The Safe Drinking Water Act whistleblower provisions and related statutes (Correct answer)
- The Sarbanes-Oxley Act exclusively
- The National Labor Relations Act
Correct answer: The Safe Drinking Water Act whistleblower provisions and related statutes
Several federal statutes including the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and others include whistleblower protection provisions for employees who report safety or environmental violations.
Question 7: When an engineer encounters a situation not explicitly covered by their code of ethics, they should:
- Take no action until the situation is addressed in future code revisions
- Act in the manner most likely to protect the public safety, health, and welfare (Correct answer)
- Seek guidance only from legal counsel
- Defer to employer policy regardless of personal judgment
Correct answer: Act in the manner most likely to protect the public safety, health, and welfare
When specific guidance is absent, engineers should default to the overarching principle of protecting public safety, health, and welfare as their guiding standard.
EIT Ethics & Professional Engineering Practices 5
Which of the following is an engineer's obligation regarding continuing education after licensure?