Perceptions of Engineers' Environmental Responsibility and Professional Codes of Ethics

Abstract

In Canada, provincial and territorial level Professional Engineering Codes of Ethics (PECoEs) derived from national guidelines presented by Engineers Canada, provide principles for engineers to aid in decision making and to evaluate the ethical correctness of professional behaviour [1]. Engineers Canada states that engineers must, “Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and the protection of the environment and promote health and safety within the workplace” [1]. This is frequently the only guideline directly related to the environment included in Canadian provincial and territorial PECoEs)[2-13]; Notably, Ontario’s PECoE currently does not explicitly mention the environment in any capacity [14]. Present professional engineering ethics guidelines for environmental responsibility are either missing or largely open to interpretation in Canada, and complex environmental issues may require more robust ethical frameworks to be effectively approached long-term within engineering industry. Developing PECoEs requires a better understanding of how engineers view their ethical responsibility with respect to the environment. This paper outlines a study to investigate the ethical beliefs and PECoE interpretations of participants through an online survey with ethical case studies, and interviews. The ultimate goal of this research is to aid the development of PECoEs and engineering ethics education to support sustainable practice.