SAMS Ethics and Professional Conduct 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A SAMS member discovers during a survey that the vessel owner is a close personal friend. What is the most appropriate action?
- Complete the survey normally since friendship does not affect professional judgment
- Disclose the relationship to the client and withdraw if objectivity cannot be maintained (Correct answer)
- Perform the survey but provide a discounted fee as a courtesy
- Ask the friend to leave the vessel during the inspection
Correct answer: Disclose the relationship to the client and withdraw if objectivity cannot be maintained
SAMS ethics require disclosure of any relationship that could compromise objectivity, and withdrawal if impartiality cannot be guaranteed.
Question 2: Under SAMS guidelines, which practice regarding survey fees is considered unethical?
- Charging a flat rate for a defined scope of work
- Billing hourly for time spent on the survey
- Accepting a contingency fee based on the vessel's appraised value (Correct answer)
- Requiring a deposit before beginning the survey
Correct answer: Accepting a contingency fee based on the vessel's appraised value
Contingency fees tied to survey outcomes create a conflict of interest and are prohibited under SAMS ethical standards.
Question 3: A surveyor is asked to certify that a vessel meets standards for a specific use that falls outside the surveyor's expertise. The correct response is to:
- Decline and refer the client to a qualified specialist (Correct answer)
- Conduct the survey after reviewing relevant literature
- Complete the survey with appropriate disclaimers
- Subcontract the work without informing the client
Correct answer: Decline and refer the client to a qualified specialist
SAMS members must only perform surveys within their demonstrated competence and refer clients to appropriate experts otherwise.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes a SAMS member's obligation regarding continuing education?
- Education is optional and left entirely to the member's discretion
- Members must maintain and expand their knowledge to uphold competency standards (Correct answer)
- Only new members are required to complete training courses
- Continuing education applies only to those seeking accreditation upgrades
Correct answer: Members must maintain and expand their knowledge to uphold competency standards
SAMS requires members to pursue ongoing professional development to remain competent in the evolving field of marine surveying.
Question 5: A SAMS surveyor is approached by a boat broker who offers a referral commission for each survey the surveyor recommends to the broker's clients. This arrangement is:
- Acceptable if disclosed to the client in writing
- Acceptable as standard industry practice
- Unethical because it creates a conflict of interest regardless of disclosure (Correct answer)
- Acceptable only if the commission is under 10% of the survey fee
Correct answer: Unethical because it creates a conflict of interest regardless of disclosure
SAMS ethics prohibit referral commissions that could compromise independent judgment, even if disclosed, as they represent a structural conflict of interest.
Question 6: When a SAMS member's survey report is used as the basis for litigation, the member's primary obligation is to:
- Support the party who retained the original survey
- Provide objective, factual testimony consistent with the survey findings (Correct answer)
- Decline to participate to avoid legal liability
- Revise the report if requested by the retaining attorney
Correct answer: Provide objective, factual testimony consistent with the survey findings
SAMS members must provide honest, objective expert testimony that accurately reflects their professional findings, regardless of which party retained them.
Question 7: A vessel owner requests that a SAMS surveyor omit a significant deficiency from the written report to avoid affecting the sale price. The surveyor should:
- Omit the deficiency if the owner signs a waiver
- Include the deficiency only in a private verbal report to the buyer
- Refuse and include all material deficiencies in the written report (Correct answer)
- Omit the deficiency if it does not affect seaworthiness
Correct answer: Refuse and include all material deficiencies in the written report
SAMS ethics require complete and accurate reporting of all material deficiencies; omitting findings at a client's request constitutes professional misconduct.
SAMS Ethics and Professional Conduct 2
A SAMS member discovers during a survey that the vessel owner is a close personal friend.
What is the most appropriate action?