Ethics and Practice Flashcards

A PE stamps drawings for a project outside his area of expertise to help a friend meet a deadline. Under NCEES ethical standards, this is:

Answer: Unethical because engineers must practice only within their competence

Engineers must only practice in areas of their competence; stamping drawings outside one's expertise violates fundamental ethical principles regardless of circumstances.

A state engineering board typically has the authority to do which of the following?

Answer: Revoke, suspend, or place conditions on a PE license

State engineering boards are regulatory agencies empowered to discipline licensees, including revoking or suspending PE licenses for violations of the practice act.

When an engineer discovers that public safety may be endangered by a client's decision and the client refuses to act, the engineer should:

Answer: Withdraw from the project and, where permitted by law, notify authorities

If a client refuses to address a genuine public safety hazard, the engineer must withdraw and may be obligated to notify the appropriate authorities.

Under the NCEES Model Law, the primary purpose of engineering licensure is to:

Answer: Protect the public by ensuring minimum competency standards for practitioners

Engineering licensure exists to protect the public by establishing minimum competency requirements before practitioners are authorized to offer engineering services.

Two engineering firms submit a joint proposal for a project. Firm A's PE will seal all documents, but Firm B will perform most of the technical work without PE oversight. This arrangement is:

Answer: Unethical because the sealing PE must exercise responsible charge over the work

A PE may only seal work that was performed under her responsible charge; rubber-stamping another firm's unsupervised work is a serious ethical and legal violation.

An engineer receives a request for client information from a government investigator without a subpoena or court order. The engineer should:

Answer: Consult legal counsel before releasing any confidential client information

Engineers must maintain client confidentiality; before releasing protected information, they should seek legal advice to understand their rights and obligations.

A PE who signs a document as the engineer of record is taking personal professional responsibility for:

Answer: The entire engineering work represented by that document

The engineer of record accepts full professional responsibility for all engineering content within the document bearing her seal, not just portions she personally drafted.