Engineer A has an obligation to further report the situation to the appropriate the local, state, and/or federal authorities to ensure that relevant engineering standards are consistent with the public health, safety, and welfare.

Professional engineers are frequently faced with engineering ethical situations that impact the public health, safety, and welfare. These situations can manifest themselves in a variety of ways between the professional engineer and the public, client, employer, other professionals, and other third parties. While each situation is different, the one constant in those situations is the clear and unambiguous responsibility and obligation on the part of the professional engineer to hold paramount the public health, safety, and welfare. Over its almost 60 years of deliberations, the NSPE Board of Ethical Review has examined each of these situations. These situations have involved a variety of circumstances: a professional engineer observed a failing bridge structure that was reopened in the aftermath of public pressure applied to government officials (BER 00-5); a professional engineer becomes aware of post construction modifications to the engineer’s design that could result in a structural failure (BER 07-10); a professional engineer who while onsite for a client, observes a safety violation on an adjacent property (BER 10-5); and a professional engineer who is aware that commercial drivers who frequently violate parkway restrictions could be seriously endangered by a road repair (BER 12-11). While these cases are significantly different in many respects, including the duty and responsibility of the professional engineer to take action in each case, it is clear the first and foremost obligation in each situation is the obligation to protect the public. The NSPE Code of Ethics provides important guidance for professional engineers in the present situation. In addition to their public health and safety responsibilities, professional engineers must explore the specific affirmative actions to take, to whom the information should be reported, and the responsibility to be honest and truthful in their reporting. Professional engineers should be certain that they are in comm...

A proposed amendment to a local ordinance that is being promoted by a city citizen’s group has been brought forth by a city council member. The proposed change to the ordinance is contrary to established engineering standards. The changes would install traffic engineering infrastructure that many within the local engineering community, including Engineer A, consider unsafe, believe does not satisfy current standards and best practices, and is contrary to a state law that requires an engineering study before proceeding with the change. The city attorney attempted to explain these factors to the members of the city council in a recent public forum, but the city council voted to proceed with the proposed change to the ordinance.

What are Engineer A’s obligations under the circumstances?