As engineers, ethics should be considered a part of every action . More specifically, ethics is the way we act. The rules of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers reflect these critical facets of ethical behavior and our enforcement cases document the failure of engineers to work within them. Objectivity Board Rule 131.152 starts with a positive assertion that we must issue statements in an objective and truthful manner. However, as engineers we understand that an objective statement must be premised upon an objective assessment .
True objectivity begins with self-assessment.
The board and state courts have issued many sanctions in cases where engineers failed to correctly assess their own abilities. The cases are varied. A geotechnical engineer failed to recognize basic structural engineering algorithms in the evaluation of a foundation and issued an incorrect report. An unlicensed graduate engineer took a consulting assignment to design a power supply, assuming that he could perform the job even though he had no direct experience in the area. Other cases involving the practice of engineering where a financial interest interferes with an engineer's judgment may constitute a conflict of interest.