ASCE has updated the primary document that guides and protects decisions made by civil engineers around the world.
At its quarterly meeting Oct. 26, the ASCE Board of Direction approved the suggested changes to the Society’s Code of Ethics, marking the first wholesale update of the code since 1974. The changes went into effect immediately.
“It has been a while since we had a comprehensive review of our Code of Ethics, so it was time that we did one,” said ASCE 2020 President K.N. Gunalan, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE. “The new code language is simple, inclusive, and hopefully comprehensive in terms of our understanding of the engineering practice. More importantly, it lists an engineer’s obligation by specific priority so that there is no confusion or conflict.”
At first glance, the most obvious difference is one of brevity. ASCE’s new code of ethics word count is about a quarter of that of the previous document. However, Brock Barry, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a professor at the United States Military Academy and chair of the Task Committee on the Code of Ethics, said fewer words should not be mistaken for less meaning.
“I would note that while the format and structure of the Code of Ethics has changed, the heart of the prior code is still in place,” Barry said. “All of the topics embodied in the prior code can be found in the new code. The new code is more clear and more concise.”
Read the entire article via ASCE website.
