IEEE Code of Ethics Essay

In the engineering profession, there are a set of guidelines that each engineer must
follow to be an effective, safe, and successful engineer. One of these guidelines to follow are
the code of ethics. Each engineering subsection will have their own set of guidelines. The code
of ethics relevant to electrical engineers is the IEEE Code of Ethics. A code of ethics is a list of
principles that are used to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. These are
guidelines that should be applied to situations. There won’t always be a clear cut or easy choice
to make at times according to the context of the situation or problem at hand. When I am faced
with a situation, I ask myself a series of questions. Just a few examples of questions I ask
include, “Will anyone be harmed from this?”, “Is this a decision I’m qualified to make?”, and “Is
this ethical?”. The last question about ethics is what invokes a whole thought process and list of
things to consider. This includes ethical obligations.

The most important ethical obligation an electrical engineer has is to make decisions
with regards to the safety, health, and welfare of the public. This is essentially the first IEEE rule
in the code of ethics. You are always required to take in the safety of the public when in
engineering. Some easy examples of this is when there is high voltage being used on a device.
In order to protect the user, there are safety features in place. Along with that, there are also a
manuals that should be included to help the user avoid injuring themselves or others. Another
thing that happens are the tests that are performed on products to insure that a design works as
intended. This leads to a notable incident that happened with Ford in 1972.

Ford had created a car called the Pinto. The goal for Ford in 1968 was to design a car
that weighs at or below 2000lbs and costs no more than $2000. During the tests to assess the
vehicle including the fuel tank integrity, the Pinto could not pass the 20mph test. The standard
after a vehicle fails a test is to go back and redesign the vehicle. Ford chose to release the
vehicle to the public instead of redesigning it. The design was allegedly checked off by the
engineers and the whole line of succession signed on the design. All of them were also aware of
the design flaw on the vehicle from the test results.Another thing to note was that the Pinto was
also a rushed project. One of the accidents this caused involved 2 people, Mrs. Gray and
Richard Grimshaw. Their car stalled and another vehicle rear ended them. This in turn
punctured the fuel tank and caused the fuel to spray into the cabin of the car, lighting the
occupants on fire. Mrs. Gray passed away and Richard Grimshaw suffered serious burns.
These were not the only people sustained serious injuries or passed away either. Ford was
finally charged in 1980 for reckless homicide after their 1973 Pinto was rear ended. The fuel
tank ruptured and burned 3 teens to death.

From the Ford Pinto incident, there was one glaring ethical code they did not follow:
making decisions to protect the public’s welfare, health, and safety. Ford chose to forgo the
safety of the public. After the crash test showed that there needed to be changes in the design,
Ford chose not to change anything. They tried to argue that the cost of fixing the design would
outweigh the societal benefit. The problem is that the test the car was subjected to was
supposed to be the standard. So this should have been fixed no matter what the cost would
have been to fix it was. Not only that, the cost of a human life should take priority if the issue
arises. If you have to redesign for safety and want to keep a low cost, you must find other
 IEEE Code of Ethics Essay

features/aspects to change that won’t endanger the public. Another point to make, making
products that the public cannot trust will lower the amount of sales for your company in the long
run. Trying to forgo safety will lead to the public finding out. Business wise and ethically, it’s not
worth it.

Another ethical code that is relevant here is the inability for the command to support their
employees in following the code of ethics. This is relevant to rule 10 in the IEEE Code of Ethics.
As the design of the car was passed up along with the tests, the people higher up the chain did
not bother to push their employees to follow ethical codes. The test revealed that the vehicle
had failed the 20 mph test and was clearly unsafe for public use. Also what was made aware by
the case study was that the engineers signing off on the design may not have even happened. It
may be possible that the engineers were under pressure from higher ups according to that
statement.

With this case study, it is important to also look at the “Virtue of Ethics”. What this is
saying is that there are qualities that and characteristics someone should have in order to be
ethical. In the Ford Pinto case study, there are a couple of qualities that I would like to point out.
These are responsibility, integrity, and self discipline. Responsibility is relevant here because
the people at the Ford company did not fulfill this aspect. As an engineer you have the
responsibility of acting good for others. The decision to move ahead with the production of the
Pinto despite its flaws fails this aspect. Integrity is another aspect because the people at Ford
also did not exercise good ethical judgement accordingly. If the engineers did sign off on the
design, that was where this aspect went into failure. Lastly, self discipline was relevant as well.
The goal of the Pinto was for it to be at or under $2,000 and 2,000lbs. In order to make this
happen, they cut corners in the design. Not only that, they also rushed the project as well. When
the Pinto came to a bunch of design flaws, they decided to move forward as was already stated
before. But they felt that the benefits would outweigh the costs here. The costs being the loss of
human life and injuries and the benefits being the money made from the vehicle and the cheap
car.

Overall, Ford made some significant errors and mistakes with regards to the design
process of the Pinto. The project was rushed, the Pinto failed the 20 mph test, and then they
decided to sell the design despite what the test said. This was in violation of the IEEE Code of
Ethics. They put the public in danger with their design which is arguably the most important
aspect you should worry about as an engineer. As a result, Ford was charged with reckless
homicide. The class’s consensus on this case study was unanimous.