When a controversy arises in a company, these Codes are often referenced. However, their application is questioned when one of the bylaws contradicts another. Engineers shall at all times recognize that their primary obligation is to protect the safety, health, property and welfare of the public. If their professional judgment is overruled under circumstances where the safety, health, and property or welfare of the public are endangered, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate. When engineers witness a problem, they are torn between loyalty to their employer and concern for the public.
Fear usually leads to keeping silent.
No one wants to lose their job, be ostracized by others, or be accused of trying to profit from their accusations. Talking to an employer about the problem can lead to it being fixed, but it can also make the situation worse if the employer asks the engineer to keep quiet. Confiding in someone outside of the company, especially the media, would get the problem recognized, but could also cause the engineer to lose their job. Whistleblowers have been looked down upon in the past because people relate what they are doing to childish tattle-telling. This opinion is understood when an engineer does not fully examine the ethics of the problem.