Ethics in Chemical Engineering

To be honest, the topic of ethics is hardly talked about unless something goes terribly wrong because it is extremely BORING. I mean everyone actually knows it, and follows it but not everyone pays enough attention to it in their daily duties. Later on in the post, there is a video which i found really interesting. Seth Godin talks about how things are broken whether its in or out of our control. 


But first, as a chemical engineer or any other profession, there are certain ethics that we should follow. These ethics are not taught in universities but they are assumed to be already present in the person 

Chemical Engineers should uphold and advance the integrity, honour and dignity of the engineering profession. They should have these goals in mind:

1. To be honest, impartial and serve their employers, clients and the public with fidelity.
2. Strive to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession.
3. Use their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare.

How should they achieve these goals above? I encourage all engineers to join a professional body even if it costs them something every year. It not only shows their commitment to their profession but also shows their interest in keeping up to date and networking with others. Chemical engineers should join the following associations, they usually have a guideline for ethics that need to be followed in your profession: 

Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
Energy Institute (EI)
Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS)

In order to achieve these goals above, they would need to perform the following:

1. Prioritise health, safety and welfare of the public and protect the environment in performance of their professional duties.

2. Formally advise their employers or clients if they think that a consequence of their duties will adversely affect the present or future health or safety of their colleagues or the public.

3. Always accept responsibility for their actions, seek and heed critical review of their work and offer objective criticism of the work of others.

4. Issue statements or present information only in an objective and truthful manner.

5. Act in professionally with each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, avoiding conflicts of interest and never breaching confidentiality.

6. Treat fairly and respectfully all colleagues and co-workers, recognizing their unique contributions and capabilities.

7. Perform professional services only in areas of their competence.

8. Build their professional reputations on the merits of their services.

9. Continue their professional development throughout their careers, and provide opportunities for the professional development of those under their supervision.

10. Never tolerate harassment.

11. Conduct themselves in a fair, honorable and respectful manner.

If Chemical Engineers follow these code of ethics in their professional career, they will prosper and achieve more than they can ever imagine. 

Now that we are finished with the boring stuff, lets enjoy this humorous talk by Seth Godin, who is an entreprenuer and blogger. The topic is " Why are so many things broken " Seth Godin gives a tour of things poorly designed, 7 reasons they are that way and how to fix them.

The full video can be found on TED Talks website by clicking this link here. 
If you have just watched the video, you will agree with me that he actually makes sense. Its frustrating to see that sometimes engineers overlook things, and it gets broken. Lesson from this is, if you see something is broken, fix it! or stand up and tell someone that is responsible for it to fix it. 
Thanks for reading.