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Rules of Conduct of the Hong Kong Institution of
Engineers |
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GUIDELINES
Contained within the Ordinance, Constitution, Regulations
and Rules of the Institution are Rules of Conduct which are binding on
the Institution. These Guidelines are to assist members with the interpretation
and the implementation of the Rules.
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Responsibility to the Profession |
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A member of the Institution shall order his conduct so
as to uphold the dignity, standing and
reputation of the Profession.
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In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter
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discharge his professional
responsibilities with integrity, dignity, fairness
and courtesy; |
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not allow himself to be
advertised in self-laudatory language nor in any
manner derogatory to the dignity of his profession,
nor improperly solicit professional work for himself
or others; |
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give opinions in
his professional capacity that are, to the
best of his ability, objective, reliable and
honest; |
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take reasonable
steps to avoid damage to the environment and
the waste of natural resources or the products
of human skill and industry; |
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ensure adequate
development of his professional competence; |
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accept responsibility
for his actions and ensure that persons to
whom he delegates authority are sufficiently
competent to carry the associated responsibility; |
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not undertake responsibility
which he himself is not qualified and competent
to discharge; |
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treat colleagues
and co-workers fairly and not misuse the advantage
of position; |
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when working in
a country other than Hong Kong order his conduct
according to the existing recognised standards
of conduct in that country, except that he
should abide by these rules as applicable
in the absence of local standards; |
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when working within
the field of another profession pay due attention
to the ethics of that profession. |
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Responsibility to Colleagues |
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A member of the Institution shall not maliciously or recklessly
injure nor attempt to injure whether directly or indirectly
the professional reputation of another engineer, and shall
foster the mutual advancement of the profession.
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In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter
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where appropriate seek,
accept and offer honest criticism of work and properly
credit the contributions of others; |
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seek to further the interchange
of information and experience with other engineers;
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assist and support
colleagues and engineering trainees in their
professional development; |
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not abuse his connection
with the Institution to further his business
interests; |
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not maliciously
or falsely injure the professional reputation,
prospects or practice of another member provided
however that he shall bring to the notice
of the Institution any evidence of unethical,
illegal or unfair professional practice; |
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support the aims
and activities of the Institution. |
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Responsibility to Employers or Clients |
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A member of the Institution shall discharge his duties
to his employer or client with integrity and in accordance
with the highest standards of business ethics.
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In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter
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offer complete loyalty
to his employer or client, past and present, in
all matters concerning remuneration and in all business
affairs and at the same time act with fairness between
his employer or client and any other party concerned; |
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avoid engaging in business,
investments or activities which conflict with the
interests of his employer or client, and inform
his employer or client in writing of any possible
conflict between his own financial interests, or
those of his immediate family, and the interests
of his client or employer; |
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not accept any financial
or contractual obligation on behalf of his
employer or client without their authority; |
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where possible
advise those concerned of the consequences
to be expected if his engineering judgment,
in areas of his responsibility, is overruled
by a non-technical authority; |
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advise his employer
or client in anticipating the possible consequences
of relevant developments that come to his
knowledge; |
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neither give nor
accept any gift, entertainment, payment or
service of more than nominal value, to or
from those having a business relationship
with his employer or client without the consent
of the latter; |
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where necessary co-operate
with or arrange for the services of other experts
wherever an employer's or client's interest might
best be served thereby; |
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safeguard confidential
information in relation to his employer or client
and not disclose such information to third parties
without his employer's or client's written consent.
A member shall not receive any gift, entertainment,
payment or service from third parties for disclosing
such information nor make use of it for personal
gain. |
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Responsibility to the Public |
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A member of the Institution in discharging his responsibilities to his employer and the profession shall at all times be governed by the overriding interest of the general public, in particular their environment, welfare, health and safety.
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In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter
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seek to protect the safety, health and welfare of the public; |
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when making a public
statement professionally, try to ensure that both
his qualification to make the statement and his
association with any benefiting party are made known
to the recipients of the statement; |
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seek to extend public
understanding of the engineering profession; |
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seek to assess the
environmental consequences of work for which
he is responsible and to influence events
so as to prevent or minimise damage to, and
if practicable to improve, the environment. |
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In particular
in the exercise of the requirement to safeguard
the public in matters of welfare, health and
safety, engineers should: |
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strive to create
through their projects a healthy and agreeable
outdoor and indoor environment; |
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aim to minimise the use
of non-renewable resources, to conserve energy and
to minimise the generation of waste; |
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consider and take into
account the consequences of any proposal upon public
health and local custom; |
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assess the impacts of
their proposals upon the environment, and select
options that will ensure sustainable development; |
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consider and explain
in their proposals the measures required to protect
and improve the environment; |
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promote the concepts of
interdependence of ecosystems, maintenance of the
diversity of species, resource replacement and recovery,
and sustainable development; |
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seek to balance costs
with the best benefit to the environment and to
human society, to achieve the most suitable practical
environmental option, by utilizing the best available
technology and techniques without entailing excessive
cost; |
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encourage management
to follow positive environmental policies by recognizing
that a statement of intent is not sufficient to
achieve legislative compliance. |
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