These brief cases present situations that raise ethical questions common in engineering practice and research. The cases were rewritten to make them more suitable for group and class discussion. Each of the discussion cases has a link to the original NSPE case. Cases are grouped into five categories.
Some cases appear in more than one category.
The discussion cases vary in the extent of their resemblance to the corresponding NSPE case. Hazardous Waste A supervisor instructs a student engineer to withhold information from a client about the suspected nature of waste on the client's property to protect what the supervisor takes to be the client's interest. An engineer defies his immediate supervisor because he believes the supervisor's instructions would pose an environmental health hazard. Responsibility for Public Safety and the Obligation of Client Confidentiality Tenants sue their building's owner, and the owner employs an engineer who finds structural defects not mentioned in the tenants' lawsuit. Issues of public safety versus client confidentiality.