Professional Ethics in Construction and Engineering

10 Codes of Conduct for Professional Ethics

There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code: that of individual behaviour in which the same rules apply to everyone alike.

Peter Drucker

10.1 Introduction to the Chapter

This chapter of the book will articulate why there needs to be ethical principles for those professional working in the construction industry and will explain the importance of such principles. It will also highlight the challenges for ethical teaching given that there are no universal standards around the world and between different professional institutions on what constitutes good ethical practices.

The chapter will explain codes of conduct in regulating professional ethics, what these comprise and how they are applied to improve practices and behaviours. In this regard it will discuss the benefits of having codes of conduct and how they vary between different professional bodies and institutions. Penalties and sanction for non-adherence and breaches of professional codes of conduct will be covered in the chapter alongside implications for public trust and confidence for violations of ethical regulations. Alongside this, the importance of maintaining public trust will be discussed given that the construction industry has traditionally been regarded in poorly performing in the past with low levels of client satisfaction. Conversely the reputational benefits of strict compliance with institutional codes of conduct will be articulated and why ...