Meeting the ECSA Outcomes: A Consulting Structural Engineer’s View - Outcome 8

By Kim Timm (with some ChatGPT assistance)

Outcome 8 – Conduct Engineering Activities Ethically

?Disclaimer: I am not a representative of ECSA (beyond being a registered professional), nor am I in any way involved in their review committees. My observations stem from guiding technologists and engineers in navigating the registration process. Some points may apply to technicians, but I have not yet assisted any technicians with registration so I cannot confirm this. The following is freely shared advice and you are welcome to use it or disregard it within your registration application as best suits you. My experience is primarily with the consulting structural engineering side so naturally my observations are skewed in this direction. Now, onto the topic itself…

Outcomes 8, 9 and 10 represent some of the most nuanced aspects of professional conduct. They discuss your behaviour, which can be incredibly complex to define and demonstrate appropriately. ?

Outcome 8: Conduct engineering activities ethically. It sounds like a simple sentence, only four words long. Unfortunately, the reality is that ethics is far from simple. Few ethical dilemmas present themselves in clear-cut terms. While we often associate ethics with major issues like bribery, corruption and collusion, we may struggle to recognise the subtler ethical questions that arise in our daily work. ?

So where does one begin?

A good starting point is to read the ECSA engineering code of conduct (https://www.ecsa.co.za/regulation/RegulationDocs/Code_of_Conduct.pdf). It is only 6 pages long. Rather than skimming it, read each sentence and try to understand why that sentence belongs in the code. This is one document that you need to have a deep understanding of. ?Even after you are registered it is worth re-reading it every year or couple of years.

When I read the code I find that ethical behaviour can be roughly categorized into two types: those governed by explicit rules and those guided by softer principles such as integrity, honesty and fidelity. ?

The rules-based ethics are relatively straightforward. For instance:

• Have you worked outside South Africa?
• Have you used electronic signatures?
• Have you assumed responsibility for work initially undertaken by another engineer?

Each of these scenarios (and others) are addressed within the code, and it is essential to ensure compliance with the specified guidelines or referenced material. Documenting such instances in your Training and Experience Reports (TERs) reinforces your commitment to ethical practice.

This is a solid start to the outcome but unfortunately not the full picture. We need to look at the softer principles too.

We have a responsibility to act with integrity, honesty and fidelity. To work in the public’s best interests and uphold the industry while working with our clients with diligence, due care and skill. It is reasonable to assume that everyone reading this document aspires to meet this standard. However, ethical challenges often emerge in unexpected ways. The below contains just a few of the ethical questions that I’ve encountered:

• What happens when what is best for the client is in conflict with the public’s best interest?
• What happens when prioritising due care leads to project delays or risks your involvement in the project?
• What if you have information on one project that would make a substantial difference to another project?
• What if you are asked for a recommendation by a client and you have a vested interest in the company that you genuinely feel would do the best work?
• What if a contractor you’ve worked with gives you a gift at the end of the project to congratulate the team? How large does the gift need to be before it is unethical to receive it?
• What if you took a fantastic photo on site and you want to share it on all your social networks?

These dilemmas are seldom clear-cut. I’m not here to argue the details of where each individual or company draws their ethical lines. That can have philosophers debating for decades. I will just say that one of the most effective tools I’ve found to maintain my integrity is communication (Outcome 5). Transparently discussing the concern with the relevant parties can often resolve the ethical side of the dilemma.

So how do we document and demonstrate ethical conduct in our reports? Mentioning familiarity with the ECSA Code of Conduct is a start, but it’s insufficient on its own. ?You need to draw from your own examples on projects where you have been in a situation where you had the opportunity to act in an unethical manner and you didn’t. Explain the situation and what your decision was. The best advice I can give you here is to read the code of conduct and try to map each point to something that has happened in your own career. You probably won’t be able to for all of them, but some might give you useful examples to use.

Ethics is complicated but at least we have some guidelines.

Good luck with the writing!