Regulations on Professional Conduct

The Engineering Professional plays a paramount role in a developing country such as ours. The work of engineers shapes the physical environment of society, and has a profound effect on the economic growth and development of the nation.

It is therefore essential that the members of the engineering profession should always perform their duties to the highest standards of professional integrity. They should maintain the dignity of the profession, and not be led astray by commercial motives into performing actions which are not for the good of the profession as a whole, or for the good of society in general.

The code of Professional Conduct describes the professional behavior of Engineers. These notes are intended to offer a detailed clarification of the items of the Code.

General Professional Integrity

Items 25, 26 and 27 generally describes the professional standards that an Engineer is expected to maintain. The engineer should always act so as to uphold the dignity and reputation of the profession.

He should at all times apply the conditions of a contract with equal fairness between the client or employer and the contractor, and should be totally impartial in setting any questions, which arise between his client, his employer or his employer's client, and a contractor. He should be completely loyal to the interests of his client or employer. In performance of his duties towards the client or employer, the Engineer should also keep in mind the general good of society as a whole.

Advertisement

Item 29 states that an Engineer should not advertise or canvas for employment.

• Insertion in charity programmes, congratulatory messages, etc.
  Notices of donations to charity, insertions in souvenir programmes, congratulatory messages in the press and s imilar notices may include only the name of the individual or firm making the announcement. Details such as type of professional activity, experience, qualification, address and telephone numbers should not be included.
• Advertisement for staff
  Advertisements in public media for staff should not include the name of the firm making the advertisement, all correspondence being addressed to some officer or box number. For advertisement in technical journals the name of the firm may be inserted.
• Signboards on work sites
  A sign board with the name and address of the Engineering firm or of individual Engineer may be put up at the work site. There should be only one sign board per road frontage for a work site. The lettering should be not more than six inches high, and uniform in size and colour with the rest of the lettering, not self illuminated or with moving lights.
• Nameplates
  Nameplates outside the office of a practising Engineer or Engineering firm should not be more than 4' high and any logo used should not be more than 6' square. In the tenant's directory of a large building, this name should be in the same style as the names of other tenants.
• Letterheads
  The letterheads of a practising Engineer or Engineering firm should carry the names, addresses and qualifications of partners, but should not include details of experience, work specialisation or similar self promoting material. Type of practice is permissible.
• Telephone directories and other directories
  An entry in the Yellow Pages of the telephone directory is permissible but the entry must not be given special prominence by the use of a boldface type, large spacing, logo or special layout.
  The names of Members may be inserted in the Straits Directory of Malaysia. Insertion in any other commercial directory is not permitted unless by special permission from the Board of Engineers.
• Advertisement of change of address
  One advertisement in the press is permitted, which should contain the necessary details of change of address without details of experience, work specialisation or similar self-promoting material.

Conflict of Interest

Items 27, 33 and 36 are designed to protect the Engineer from getting into a position of conflicting interests.

• The Engineer shall not accept any remuneration from any other source besides the Employer in connection with the works carried out of the Employer, and he shall not permit any member of his staff to accept such remuneration.
• A Professional Engineer in private practice shall not make payments or place orders on the Employer's behalf unless specifically authorised by the Employer or client to do so.
• A Professional Engineer in private practice cannot be a contractor at the same time. He should not act in a professional capacity for both the employer and contractor on the same Project, practice as a Consultant should not unless specifically instructed to dc so by the Employer.
• When an Engineer is a Director of or is otherwise connected to a Company whose interests may conflict with the interests of his employer, he must declare his interests to the employer in writing.

IV Loyalty to other members of the profession

Items 28, 31 and 35 are designed to promote unity comradeship and fair dealing between members of the Profession.

• A member should not pass unfavorable comments against another Engineer.
• When accepting a commission on, which another member has already been involved, the Engineer should ensure that the previous Engineer's services have been properly terminated and all outstanding fees have been settled.
• An engineer must not attempt to supplant another engineer, to try to intervene in any work for which another Engineer has already been engaged.
• An engineer must not try to compete with other Engineers by means of reduction of fees or other inducements.
• A Registered Engineer must not use the advantage of his salaried position to compete with professional engineer in private practice.