September/October 2018

On Ethics
NSPE Code of Ethics Gains Followers

The recent adoption of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers by two organizations provides further recognition of its long history as one of the profession’s guiding documents.

The two organizations—the Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials—incorporated the Code into their engineering licensing processes and professional training courses, respectively.

The Wyoming board adopted the NSPE Code of Ethics for use in its exam on state law, rules, professional conduct, and ethics. This exam must be taken by all applicants who are seeking a PE license based on comity, attainment of a PhD, or attainment of 15 years of experience.

The Wyoming board’s executive director, Shannon Stanfill, stressed the importance of training professional engineers practicing good ethics. “Professional engineers are held to a higher standard as part of their duty to protect the public, so establishing a firm link to the NSPE Code when a license is issued is important,” she says.

The Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors first incorporated the NSPE Code of Ethics to rules in 1992 as the standard to which PEs and engineer interns must comply.

“There are many benefits to this incorporation, including that it establishes a nationally accepted standard that is more defensible if challenged in legal proceedings,” says Stanfill. “License applicants need to understand there is not only an ethical expectation but, if granted a license, that they will be held to an explicit code, and using NSPE’s questions within Wyoming’s exam helps to communicate that expectation.”

Stanfill also mentioned that as licensees become more familiar with the NSPE Code, they will be more likely to reference it to help navigate challenging situations in which many factors blur the line between right and wrong.

“While this is just one step,” Stanfill adds, “the board’s Ethics Committee will continue to work on ways to raise the ethical bar in Wyoming.”

Additionally, this year the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials began using the NSPE Code of Ethics in ethics training course designed specifically for professional engineers who are involved in the construction of highways and structures. AASHTO serves as a liaison between the state departments of transportation and the federal government.