Engineer A should immediately notify verbally (and in writing if necessary) Engineer A’s immediate supervisor at OPQ Construction of the safety hazards to employees (and others) due to commercial vehicles passing by while inspection and repair is being performed on the ramps.

During the performance of their professional duties and obligations, engineers are sometimes presented with situations involving an impact on the public health and safety and must decide, after identifying and understanding the situation, how far their obligation reaches in seeking corrective action. This case illustrates one of the classic ethical dilemmas faced by professional engineers in their professional practice. On several occasions, the NSPE Board of Ethical Review has considered this ethical dilemma and each of these situations is dependent upon the facts and circumstances involved. As the Board has noted before, there is no black and white standard that can be applied to these types of cases. An illustration of how the Board has addressed this dilemma can be found in BER Case No. 00-5. There, Engineer A was an engineer with a local government and learned about a critical situation involving a bridge 280 feet long and 30 feet above the stream. This bridge had a concrete deck on wood piles built in the 1950s by the state. It was part of the secondary roadway system given to the counties many years ago. In June 2000, Engineer A received a telephone call from the bridge inspector stating this bridge needed to be closed due to the large number of rotten pilings. Engineer A had barricades and signs erected within the hour on a Friday afternoon. Residents in the area were required to take a 10-mile detour. On the following Monday, the barricades were found dumped in the river, and the “bridge closed” sign was found beyond the trees by the roadway. More permanent barricades and signs were installed. The press published photos of some of the piles that did not reach the ground and the myriad of patchwork over the years. Within a few days, a detailed inspection report prepared by a consulting engineering firm, signed and sealed, indicated seven pilings required replacement. Within three weeks, Engineer A had obtained authorization for the bridge to be replaced. S...

Engineer A is a professional engineer employed by OPQ Construction. OPQ Construction is a construction contractor hired by the state department of transportation to inspect and repair a series of state highway and parkway “on and off” ramps. Commercial vehicles are not permitted on the parkway. Engineer A is directed by his supervisor to design inspection and construction scaffolding for a noncommercial parkway cloverleaf ramp with limited height and width clearance. From his personal experience driving on the parkway to and from work, Engineer A has observed commercial vehicles illegally driving on the parkway. Engineer A is concerned that the safety of inspection and construction employees (as well as others) could be endangered if one of these commercial vehicles passes by the proposed inspection and construction scaffolding.

What are Engineer A’s ethical obligations under the circumstances?