Link Overview: Section
1 Code of Ethics... Section
2 The Professions... Section
3 Ethics... Section
4 Interpretation and Amplification of the Code of Ethics... Section
5 APEGGA Disciplinary Procedures... Appendix
A Historical Background - APEGGA Code of Ethics... Appendix
B Acknowledgements... |
A profession is a learned calling with specialized skills, distinctive functions and recognized social obligations and has unique characteristics. • It renders services based upon advanced knowledge, skill and judgement. • It is charged with a substantial degree of public obligation and performs its services largely in the general public interest. • It is bound by a distinctive ethical code in its relationships with clients, employees, colleagues and the public. • It assumes responsibility for actions related to professional services provided in a personal or supervisory capacity. Professions such as engineering, geology and geophysics are generally highly organized; they have definitive standards of admission (which are minimum standards only and make no distinction between the least competent persons and the outstanding leaders of the profession); they regulate the activities of their members; they promote the advancement of knowledge, skill and experience; and they encourage the formulation of standards. While professionals should be fairly remunerated for their services, their members are expected to put service above gain, excellence above quantity, rewards of self-expression above any pecuniary incentive, and a code of honour above competitive spirit. Professional engineers, geologists and geophysicists must be accountable for their profession generally, their own professional practice and for the professional practice of those under their supervision. They also have an obligation to conduct themselves and practice their profession in accordance with ethical standards. Professionals depend on confidence of two kinds for effective pursuit of their work — the personal confidence of the client or employer in the technical competence of the engineer, geologist or geophysicist and the confidence of the public at large in the integrity and ethical conduct of the profession as a whole. This, in turn, imposes a correlative duty and responsibility upon both the profession and the individual engineer, geologist and geophysicist to justify the trust they enjoy from the public, the client or the employer. The accountability and responsibility accepted by professionals are also a part of their obligations to society. In their practice they are concerned about maintaining the physical environment so as to ensure the well-being of future generations. Further discussions on the professions may be found in "Engineers and Their Profession" by J.D. Kemper, as well as the APEGGA publications "Concepts of Professionalism" and "The Practice of the Professions of Geology and Geophysics" which are available from the APEGGA office.
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