Professional Service:

Although engineers provide an important service to society when they offer their technical expertise to civic, governmental, and regulatory organizations, you should not participate in any decision that directly affects your own business. Furthermore, your professional affiliation should always be fully disclosed so that it is clear to everyone why you are not participating in a particular decision.

Clearly, some of those most qualified to make decisions in a field are those with experience gained from working in that field. That situation can easily translate into a conflict of interest. Your experience puts you in an excellent position to contribute to the development of codes and standards, because you understand what’s both technically and economically feasible. However, it also means that you might encounter a conflict between the interests of the public and those of your employer. For example, a less stringent regulatory environment makes business easier for your employer, while there may be undesirable effects on society due to the lack of standards.

Consider this interesting situation. Your church is undertaking a major addition. One of the church members is an architect, and the firm that employs her has won the contract for the work and has assigned her to be the architect in charge of the construction project. On the one hand, it’s nice to have a competent and well-informed professional watching out for the church’s interest, but there is a concern about potential conflict between what is in the best interest of the church, her employer, and her own professional career. Is the problem solved by having several other church members also watching carefully the execution of the project? This situation is fraught with potential for serious conflicts.