Sanchez 4:00
R02
ETHICS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
Jack James (jbj12@pitt.edu)
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
As engineers, we have the power to do almost anything.
With today’s advanced technology, we have the potential to
create almost anything our minds can conceive. Our power
to create has shifted the important question of “Can we do
it?” to the ethical question of “should we do it?” Engineers
are faced with this question because new innovations may
not benefit society as a whole. A new technology may
benefit the current generation, but put a burden on the future
generation. All of these variables that engineers must
consider are why ethics are so important in the engineering
world. Engineers are often put into positions where they are
faced with an ethical dilemma, and when such dilemmas
occur, it is up to the engineer to make the right decision
based on various engineering codes of ethics.
HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO
In this hypothetical situation, engineer x has just
graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, and has been
recently hired on by a large construction management firm.
This young engineer is excited to be in the new working
world. He is given his first project of designing and
constructing a primarily concrete bridge that will cross the
Ohio River, spanning from the South Side to the North
Shore of Pittsburgh. The firm that engineer x is working for
has been trying to get the contract to build this bridge from
the city of Pittsburgh for a five years.
While in college, engineer x was involved in research on
concrete that repairs itself when it is cracked. This idea was
theoretical when he was researching it, but now it is used in
the practice of construction. This concrete has a bacteria
mixed in with the solution that seals cracks when they occur;
the concrete is twice as expensive as standard concrete, but it
is also more sustainable. The concrete is more sustainable
because it can handle up to twice as much pressure as
standard concrete, and it has one and a half times the service
life of standard concrete.
Engineer x proposed to his boss that th use this newly
developed concrete on the bridge, because of its direct
benefit to the public. He informs his boss that using this new
concrete will make the bridge stronger and the bridge will
not need to be repaired as often due to the concrete’s
longevity.
The Ethical Dilemma
Once engineer x proposes the use of this new concrete to
his boss, his boss rejects the idea. He tells engineer x that
there is no reason in using this new concrete for multiple
reasons, one of which is because of the cost. The boss claims
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
2014-10-28
that he doesn’t see the point in spending more money on the
new concrete, because it will cost the firm more money.
Another reason being that if they use the less expensive
concrete, the bridge will have to be renovated sooner, and
the firm is very likely to get the contract to do the
renovation. Furthermore, engineer x’s boss tells him that if
engineer x can find a way to use the cheapest concrete as
possible, and still make the bridge durable, engineer x will
earn a raise. As stated before, engineer x is new to the firm
and this is his first project. He doesn’t want to put the
welfare and safety of the public at risk, but he also wants to
impress his boss. Engineer x is being faced with an intense
ethical dilemma.
THE ETHICAL DECISION
The previous scenario depicted may be hypothetical, but
similar situations happen in the engineering world. The
situation involving engineer x exerts a lot of ethical pressure
on him. The scenario as a whole has many ethical issues that
directly conflict with the engineering code of ethics.
Engineering Ethics
Two important ethical codes that engineer x must be
aware of are the National Society of Professional Engineers
(NSPE) Code of Ethics as well as the American Society of
Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics. These codes are
sets of rules that clearly lay out the ways that professional
engineers must conduct themselves in the workplace. These
codes are not merely guidelines, but in fact are legally
binding. If an engineer is found violating one of these codes,
they may lose their license and could possibly face legal
charges.
The final line of the preamble of the NSPE Code of
Ethics states that, “Engineers must perform under a standard
of professional behavior that requires adherence to the
highest principles of ethical conduct” [3]. In order for
engineer x to adhere to this statement, he must first
understand the code of ethics, and the significance of the
situation.
The Engineer’s Decision
When his boss declines his idea of implementing the
more sustainable concrete, he must speak up for what he
believes in. Canon 1 of the ASCE Code of Ethics states that
engineers must, “Work for the advancement of safety, health
and well-being of their communities…through the practice
of sustainable development” [2]. The sustainable concrete
that engineer x is proposing would benefit the community
because it is more durable, in turn, making the bridge
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stronger and safer. The sustainable concrete would also help
the city of Pittsburgh because a renovation would not be
needed for a substantial amount of time, which would save
the city money. The boss tells engineer x to use the cheaper
concrete not only to save money, but also to increase the
chance of getting the contract for a renovation. The second
fundamental principle of the ASCE Code of Ethics states
that engineers must, “Uphold honor and dignity of the
engineering profession by being honest and impartial and
serving with fidelity to the public” [2]. The boss does not
care about the integrity of the engineering profession; he is
only concerned with money. Engineer x needs to recognize
this and report his boss to the National Society of
Professional Engineers’ Board of Ethical Review. The NSPE
Board of Ethical Review is a “panel of engineering ethics
experts…that renders impartial opinions regarding to the
code of ethics” [3]. The Board of Ethical Review acts as a
jury to cases where any codes of ethics are violated. The
most important ethical lapse that engineer x must deal with
involves the first canon of the ASCE Code of Ethics, which
states, “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health,
and welfare of the public” [2]. The reason we become
engineers is to help improve the quality of life for our
communities and our society. The boss in the scenario is not
concerned with the welfare, health, or the safety of the
public. He is instead more concerned with the profit he will
make from the project. Engineer x needs to voice his opinion
and remind his boss of the ethical codes of engineering.
My approach to the Situation
If I were put into this situation, I would take action
against my boss, and promote the importance of public
safety. Francisco Ramirez, a professor at the Public
University of Navarre, states in his article, “Civil
Engineering at the Crossroads in the Twenty-First Century,”
that civil engineers are more “morally bound” than other
denominations of engineering [6]. The work that we do as
civil engineers differs from other engineers because the
public directly uses our creations. Most people utilize
bridges and roads, or go into a building every day of their
life, and if these structures fail, people will get hurt.
If the scenario that engineer x has been put in was on my
shoulders, I would take specific steps to solve the problem. I
would inform him of the positive impact that this new
concrete would have on the city and the community. I would
familiarize him with the fact that this concrete has twice the
durability as standard concrete and one and a half times the
service life. I would inform him that we could use the more
expensive concrete, and simply raise our price. I would
notify him that although we could get the contract for a
renovation, the benefit to the community is more important
than the profit the firm makes. Lastly, I would inform him
that in order to honor the first canon of the ASCE code of
ethics which states, “Engineers shall hold paramount the
safety, health, and welfare of the public”, we must make
2
public safety our top priority [2]. If my boss was unable to
be convinced, I would proceed to report him to the National
Society of Professional Engineers’ Board of Ethical Review,
where he could further be dealt with. Unfortunately,
situations like this have been happening throughout history,
and have been responsible for the lives of many innocent
citizens.
HISTORIC EXAMPLES
There have been multiple cases throughout history where
a civil engineers violation of the code of ethics has resulted
in a bridge collapse, in turn causing fatalities to innocent
civilians.
Tay Bridge
Sir Thomas Bouch was a prominent civil engineer in
Scotland, near the end of the 19 th century. The most popular
bridge that he constructed was called the Tay Bridge [7]. The
Tay bridge allowed trains to cross the “Firth of the Tay,” a
popular river crossing in Scotland [7]. The opening of this
bridge was so well-known that Bouch was “Knighted by
Queen Victoria” at the opening ceremony [7]. Eighteen
months after the opening of the bridge, there was a terrible
storm that collapsed 13 of the bridge’s spans, killing 79
passengers on the train above [7].
Charles Seim, a Professional engineer and the author of
“Why Bridges Have Failed Throughout History”, states that,
“The possible causes of this failure include an error in
judgment…and also could simply have been Bouch’s neglect
of critical details” [7]. Seim makes these claims because
after the bridge collapsed, Bouch didn’t investigate to see
what the cause of the failure was. Instead, he simply blamed
the weatherman for making a false report. If Seim’s claims
are true, Sir Thomas Bouch would be in violation of the
NSPE Code of Ethics because he did not “Hold paramount
the safety, health, and welfare of the public,” and the code
states that “Engineers shall acknowledge their errors and
shall not distort or alter facts” [3]. Bouch would be in
violation because he had cut corners during the construction,
putting the safety of the public in jeopardy, and because he
blamed the collapse on a weatherman, meaning he did not
take responsibility for his errors.
Quebec Bridge
Another example is the collapse of the Quebec Bridge on
August 29, 1907 [5]. The development of this bridge was led
by an ASCE member by the name of Theodore Cooper [5].
Cooper was near retirement and in bad health when he was
constructing the bridge. According to Tara Hoke, the leader
of ASCE’s general counsel, Cooper did not have the energy
to repeatedly travel to New York, where the worksite was, so
he relied on communication with “an inspection engineer
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that [Cooper] appointed” [5]. The engineer that he
appointed did not have as much experience as Cooper, and
he was not qualified to be leading a construction site [5]. The
appointed engineer discovered that deflection in the chords
had increased by two inches in two weeks [5]. He traveled to
inform Cooper of the problem, and unfortunately, “The
Bridge collapsed before the site could receive Cooper’s
telegram ordering that no further load be placed on the
bridge” [5].
The National Society of Professional Engineers Code of
Ethics states under Canon two, “Engineers shall undertake
assignments only when qualified by education or experience
in the specific technical fields involved” [3]. Cooper was in
violation of the code when he appointed an engineer that
was underqualified to head the construction site. He should
have also removed himself from the project when he realized
that he was not in the shape to be present at the working site.
If Cooper would have made the correct ethical choices, there
is a good chance the 75 workers wouldn’t have died that day.
RECENT EXAMPLES
People may be under the impression that these previous
bridge collapses occurred because of the technology
available in the time period they occurred. This may seem
like a valid argument, but bridge collapses due to poor ethics
have happened in recent years, and may be likely to occur in
the future.
I-35W Bridge
On August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35, Mississippi River
bridge, collapsed into the Mississippi river [1].The Star
Tribune reported that the sources of the collapse were,
“Stress on the seized bearings, construction loads, and truss
corrosion” [1]. After an Investigation to find the source of
the collapse, investigators reported that the cause of the
collapse actually was, “Undersized and inadequate gusset
plates” [1]. The bridge had been in use since the year 1968.
The engineers that designed the bridge most likely did not
think that their decision to use these inadequate gusset plates
would be the cause of 13 deaths, 40 years later. This is
directly related to the NSPE Code of Ethics Canon 1 which
states engineers must, “Hold paramount the safety, health,
and welfare of the public” [3]. Investigators do not know
why the engineers elected to use these undersized gusset
plates, but with using them, the engineers were not putting
the safety of the public as their top priority. The age of the
bridge has also been pointed to as to why the bridge has
collapsed. If the old age of bridges does in fact play a serious
role, then there should be a great deal of concern in the
Pittsburgh and greater Pennsylvania area.
Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania
3
Kent A. Harries, a member of the University of
Pittsburgh engineering faculty, states in his video “Pitt
Faculty Expert: Kent A. Harries on Bridges,” that nearly
6,000 bridges in the state of Pennsylvania are “Structurally
Deficient” [4]. Harris defines structurally deficient as a
structure that is, “Deteriorating and has a margin of safety
that is falling” [4]. Harries uses the Liberty Bridge as an
example of a structurally deficient bridge in the city of
Pittsburgh. He states that the 85-year-old bridge caries
nearly 16,000 vehicles a day [4]. Harries stresses the
importance of renovating these bridges. If these bridges are
not renovated, a collapse may occur. He claims that the
reason they have not yet been renovated is because,
“Engineers are more concerned with getting their name on a
new bridge…bridge maintenance isn’t sexy” [4]. Harries
suggests that many engineers do not honor canon seven of
the NSPE Code of Ethics which states, “Engineers must
conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and
lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and
usefulness of the profession” [3]. Because engineers don’t
want to renovate bridges, they are not conducting themselves
in an honorable way, and they are not helping enhance the
honor of the profession. They are also not using their
expertise and skill to do what is best for society as a whole.
CONCLUSION
Ethics play an important role in the engineering world.
When a project is to be done, the engineer must always think
of the various codes that he or she must abide by. These
various codes have been implemented to uphold the integrity
of the engineering profession as a whole. Lack of ethics in
previous events has led to the deaths of innocent civilians in
our society. These unfortunate events are examples of why it
is so important for us engineers to work in parallel with the
various codes of engineering ethics.
REFERENCES
[1] At I-35W, Engineers Develop Bridge-Collapse Scenario.
(2007). Engineering News-Record, 259(16).
[2] Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from
http://www.asce.org/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/
[3] Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from
http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
[4] Harries, K. (2013, August 5). Pitt Faculty Expert: Kent
A. Harries on Bridges. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vjZy-Q0PsU
[5] Hoke, T. (2012, December 1). A Question of Ethics: The
Importance of a Personal Pledge. Civil Engineering.
[6] Ramirez, F. (2011, March 6). Civil Engineering at the
Crossroads in the Twenty-First Century. Springer.
[7] Seim, C. (2008, May 1). Why Bridges Have Failed
Throughout History. Civil Engineering, 64-87.
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ADDITIONAL SOURCES
Ethics Cases. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.ph
p
Ethics Case Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014,
from http://www.webguru.neu.edu/professionalism/research-
integrity/ethics-case-studies
Ethics in Engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014,
from https://www.asme.org/engineering-
topics/articles/engineering-ethics/ethics-in-engineering
Public Health and Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014,
from http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/BER Case No
13-11-FINAL.pdf
Li, V., & Herbert, E. (2012). Robust Self-Healing Concrete
for Sustainable Infrastructure. Journal of Advanced
Concrete Technology, 10, 207-218. Retrieved September 1,
2014, from
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jact/10/6/10_207/_article

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the many people who helped me in
the process of writing this paper. Those people include: my
sister Emily James, my writing instructor Dan McMillan,
and my acquaintance, William Lincoln.