Engineering ethics and safety

Why it matters

Engineers make decisions that other people trust with their lives without ever knowing the engineer's name: the people crossing a bridge, working next to a machine, or flipping on a light switch. That trust is why engineering has a formal ethics code, why licensed engineers can lose their licence for misconduct, and why ethics appears on the FE exam. Ethical problems rarely look dramatic at first. They usually start as a small shortcut under schedule pressure.

The NSPE Code of Ethics

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) publishes a widely used Code of Ethics for Engineers. Its six Fundamental CanonsThe six core duties in the NSPE Code of Ethics, starting with holding public safety, health and welfare paramount. say engineers, in the fulfilment of their professional duties, shall:

1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
5. Avoid deceptive acts.
6. Conduct themselves honourably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honour, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

The order matters. Canon 1 comes before Canon 4: when loyalty to your employer or client conflicts with public safety, public safety wins. The full code, with its detailed rules of practice, is on nspe.org; state licensing boards also have their own rules of professional conduct, which are legally binding for licensees. Checked on 2026-10-23.

A real case: the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse

In 1981, two suspended walkways in the atrium of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, collapsed during a crowded event, killing 114 people. The original design hung both walkways from continuous steel rods running from the ceiling. During construction, a change was proposed so that the upper walkway hung from the ceiling and the lower walkway hung from the upper walkway, using two shorter rods. That change roughly doubled the load on the connection at the upper walkway, which was already marginal. The change was approved without the calculations that would have revealed the problem.

Investigations found the engineers of record responsible, and they lost their engineering licences in Missouri. The lessons are still taught everywhere:

• Design changes need the same rigour as the original design. A "small" detail change can transform the load path.
• The engineer who seals the drawings is responsible for what they approve, including shop drawings prepared by others.
• Communication failures kill. Responsibility for checking the change fell between the fabricator and the engineers.

Applying the code: a scenario

You are an EIT at a firm designing a pedestrian bridge. Your supervisor asks you to finish the connection calculations by Friday so the drawings can be issued. On Thursday you find that one connection, as drawn, does not meet the required capacity. Fixing it means a redesign and a one-week delay. Your supervisor says, "Issue it; we'll fix it in the field."

Work through it with the canons:

• Canon 1: a connection that does not meet capacity is a public safety issue. It takes priority over the schedule.
• Canon 2: as an EIT, you are not the engineer of recordThe licensed engineer responsible for a design, who seals the drawings and answers for what they approve.; you need your supervising PE to review the problem.
• Canons 3 and 5: you cannot misstate or hide the result.
• Canon 4: being a faithful agent means protecting the client from a defective design, not helping them issue one.

A good response: document the calculation clearly, raise it in writing with your supervisor, propose a fix and an honest schedule, and, if it is ignored, escalate within the firm (a senior principal or quality manager). NSPE's code also says that if an engineer's judgement is overruled in circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and other authority as may be appropriate. Most problems are solved at the first step, when someone states the facts clearly and early.

Safety is an engineering responsibility

Engineers design for safety with factors of safetyMargins built in by designing for loads larger than those expected. (designing for loads larger than expected), redundancyHaving more than one load path or backup system so a single failure does not cause collapse or loss of function. (more than one load path or backup system), fail-safeBehaviour where a system that fails ends up in a safe state. behaviour (a system that fails into a safe state) and hazard analysis (asking "what could go wrong?" before it does). On site and in the lab, engineers also follow workplace safety rules. Visiting a construction site, plant or substation requires the employer's safety training, the right PPE and an escort or supervisor; this course gives awareness only, not that training.

Common mistakes

• Thinking ethics is only about bribery. Most cases involve competence, honesty and safety under pressure.
• Staying silent because you are junior. Raising a concern early and in writing is part of the job.
• Approving what you did not check. A seal or signature means "I am responsible for this."

Quick recap

• The NSPE code's first canon is to hold public safety, health and welfare paramount.
• Practise only within your competence, be truthful, be a faithful agent, avoid deception.
• The Hyatt Regency collapse shows how an unchecked design change and unclear responsibility can be fatal.
• When safety is at stake: document, raise it in writing, propose a fix, and escalate if needed.