EV&G1 R3101 Week 6 Applying Ethics in Professions & Trades Special Focus:Building &Plumbing

The importance of a good reputation

In all professions and trades, building a good name or reputation is vital to both - achieving individual success, and - enhancing the image and standing of the trade/profession Good reputations are acquired through Good workmanship Completing jobs on time Charging a fair price for ones skill & labour Complying with laws and regulations Generally being ethical in professional and trade practice Trades & crafts guilds

In the past, standards of workmanship in most trades and crafts were maintained through the operation of tradesmens and craftsmens GUILDS, or associations. Guilds maintained product quality and industry standards as well as protected the interests of those in different trades and crafts. Guilds were divided into hierarchies with Masters at the top, Journeymen in the middle, and Apprentices at the bottom A boy would be apprenticed in his teens to a Master, who would be paid by the boy's family to educate him in the particular trade. After 7 or 8 years, the young man would graduate to the rank of Journeyman. Journeymen were paid for their work, and could work for any Master. After acquiring sufficient experience, a Journeyman would create a "masterpiece," to be judged by other Masters in the guild. If the work passed their scrutiny, he would be admitted to the rank of Master.

It is unethical for anyone engaged in the building industry : To increase the cost of work or produce workmanship inferior to that contracted for To falsely injure the reputation or business of another To offer or accept commissions to influence sales or contracts To try to circumvent the law, including health & safety codes To fail to meet the moral obligation to subcontractors whose bids are used in making a proposal To knowingly or carelessly underestimate the cost or time required for the completion of the work To withhold payment to subcontractors or dealers for supplies/services for which payment = received To mislead as to the real cost or quality of work or materials, or the time of completion To increase costs through the employment of additional labour or the use of uncosted plant or equipment To deny to any man the opportunity to learn and, when qualified, to practice a trade To abandon the work pending decision on disputes between trade trades

Most professions and today have professional bodies and industry-wide Codes of Ethical Standards which govern the profession or industry Those trained in professions and trades are encouraged to achieve excellence (become the best in their profession or trade) to deal honestly with others (build trust)

to develop a personal sense of the ethical choices they face daily (operate within the law, and within the bounds of what is right, fair and just) Values commonly inscribed in professional Codes of Ethics Follow the best practices of the trade Provide efficient service Comply with applicable legislation

Show honesty in all transactions Avoid the use of inducements to secure contracts or advantage Respect, consideration and fairness be shown to others in the trade/profession Protect the public and the trade against non-qualified or unlicensed practitioners Enhance the professions or trades contribution to the improvement of the wider community Codes of Ethics are important but... are insufficient as usually not enforceable are incomplete - as new issues will arise can give a false impression that what is not covered is allowed can create the impression that ethics consists of externally-determined values or standards

Enforcing standards and ethical practice through licensing Codes of Conduct may be non-mandatory but most trades and professions require you to have a license before you can practice. To be a licensed builder or plumber, you have to show you have met the training and/or apprenticeship requirements laid down by professional and occupational licensing bodies Licensing is a way of enforcing standards and ethical practice - it protects against fraudulent and unethical practitioners. Licenses may be withdrawn for serious ethical breaches. Professional bodies covering doctors, lawyers and accountants can also debar, suspend or cancel the license of practitioners for serious misconduct Some common unethical practices in the construction industry Under-costing to secure a contract Using defective products Using unlicensed tradesmen and child labour Charging for hours not worked OHS breaches Certifying payments for sub-contractors who have submitted inflated bills

Invoicing for work not completed Reputations will outlive you

People tend to rationalize unethical behavior by saying, Thats business. I do not believe being unethical is a way to run business. Throughout our business career and long after, our reputation will be known and remembered. Ben Maibach, President of Barton Malow Good builders Pride themselves on the quality of their work Their work stands as a testament to both their skills and craftsmanship & their integrity and sense of social responsibility Their finished products are visible, and will be admired or not long after they have finished the job Unethical and irresponsible building practices have been responsible for human tragedies Plumbing

Plumbers protect the health of a nation without plumbers, our world would be a much worse place [in which] to live, work and play. Today, more than ever, water conservation, pollution control and sanitary conditions are primary concerns. It is up to professional plumbers to see that these needs are met and improved upon. Roger Dodge Woodson, National Plumbing Codes Handbook Tradesmens knowledge & skills: essential, irreplaceable & highly marketable

A plumbing job - essential though unglamorous - requires a high degree of dexterity, spatial perception and abstract reasoning or problem solving skills, and it's really both the perception and dexterous aspects (what is usually called "eye-hand coordination") which have been very slow to make progress in robotics. Plumbing engineering

Plumbing engineering involves designing efficient, economical and ecologically safe systems for the transport and distribution of fluids, solids, and gases.

Plumbing engineers design drainage, distribution, and other piping systems to transport gases and liquids, including potable water, gases and for the safe disposal of human and industrial wastes. They carry enormous responsibility for environmental protection and public health and safety Plumbing engineers are expected to be honest, to have integrity and to adhere to the highest principles of ethical conduct and standards of professional behavior in providing services. American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) Voluntary Code of Ethics

1. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall endeavor to protect the environment and the safety, health, welfare and property of the public. 2. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence. 3. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall act as a trustworthy and fiduciary agent for each employer or client, shall seek no favors and shall not profit or misuse confidential client or employer information. American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) Voluntary Code of Ethics

4. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall avoid misrepresentation and shall issue public professional statements only in an objective and truthful manner. 5. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall seek no favors nor issue public professional statements for personal aggrandizement or personal profit. 6. Plumbing Engineers and Designers shall be responsible for continually improve their professional ability and to maintain professional competency through education and professional development activities. It takes a multitude of professional plumbers to build a strong image, but it only takes a few bad plumbers to ruin it National Plumbing Codes Handbook Think questions How important is it to take pride in ones work? Can you put a price on reputation? Can you recover a tarnished reputation? How important is an ethic of response approach respecting life, acting fairly and being true to obligations with the wider community in your profession?