Professional Ethics for Texas Engineers (Renewal for 2018)

In Professional Ethics for Texas Engineers (Renewal for 2018), you'll learn ...

• Texas Board requirements related to Conflicts of Interest and Plan Stamping
• The casuistry method of determining right and wrong based on previous events
• Case study of bribery in the evaluation of bid proposals involving US Army Corps of Engineers projects in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
• Your obligations as an engineer in “responsible charge” of work that is performed by contractors, subordinates or other professionals

Overview

Credit: 1 PDH

Length: 15 pages

This course focuses on two elements of misconduct in the practice of engineering as outlined in the Rules Concerning the Practice of Engineering and Professional Engineering Licensure, Texas Administrative Code:

Applicable sections of the code are cited, followed by a discussion of these topics in some depth.

The issue of conflicts of interest is discussed. You’ll learn that there are many nuances in every discussion of right and wrong and how we can view these nuances on what might be called a “continuum.”

For example, most people would agree that stealing a car is wrong. But, what about picking up a quarter that you saw somebody drop on the street? Is that wrong? Would it make a difference if you didn’t see who dropped it and thus you don’t know who it belongs to? Does the value of the item determine whether taking the item rises to the level of theft? Or do other factors come into play? You’ll see the continuum in action as we go through a case study involving accepting gifts from vendors and equipment suppliers.

We’ll also discuss the pervasive problem of plan stamping whereby a professional engineer places his seal on documents that he did not author or for which he did not have personal professional knowledge and direct supervisory control and responsibility. You’ll learn to what extent must an engineer be engaged in the design effort to have had “responsible charge.