Professional ethics

Being a professional engineer means that the wider public trust you to be competent and to adhere to certain ethical standards. The trust you derive from being seen as a professional is one of the advantages of being a member of IChemE, but it also means you have certain ethical responsibilities.

The aim of a chemical engineer is to be of service to the community and society expects the highest professional standards. Ethics lies at the heart of our discipline.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has published a Statement of Ethical Principles as a code of principles that apply to all engineers, whatever their discipline. The statement was produced in collaboration with the Engineering Council UK which regulates the engineering profession in the UK.

IChemE has pledged its support for the statement and has accepted it as a set of guiding principles for its members.

The role of IChemE as a professional engineering institution is to promote the science and practice of chemical engineering, the standing of the profession, and to serve its members and society. This is set out in the Royal Charter.

Like most professional bodies, IChemE has a number of standards of behaviour expected of its members. All members must agree to abide by the By Laws and Code of Professional Conduct.

The Duties of Members are set out in sections 6 to 8 of the By-Laws. The duties encompass a number of areas of ethical behaviour including: integrity; fairness; health and safety; and competence.

The Rules of Professional Conduct encompass a number of areas of ethical behaviour including: health and safety; environmental damage; competence; integrity; fairness; confidentiality; honesty; and conflicts of interest.