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Civil Engineering Code of Conduct

If you’ve read our article on sustainable design in a construction project you’ll already be familiar with some ethics around construction. However, there’s a lot more to it than that, and we’ll find out some of the considerations an engineer must think about in this article.

Business ethics for engineers

If a civil engineer wants to have long-term success, they need to establish and maintain integrity, transparency and trust with any colleagues and clients they work with. In civil engineering companies there’s often a decentralised approach with employees responsible for their own business relationships. Companies set high standards for personal awareness of business ethics, as both the company and employees are responsible for complying with any laws and regulations.

Company codes of conduct

Many companies will have their own business ethics framework, and it normally consists of these components:

Code of conduct
Policies
Business partner programme
Risk management procedures

This code will apply to all civil engineers employed in the company, and covers environment, business ethics, employee development, human rights, labour law, data protection, and much more.

Often the code is based on international standards, for example the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Company Duties

It’s the responsibility of the civil engineering company to make sure all employees complete digital annual training on their Code of Conduct and confirm compliance with their signature.

They must also use a Business Partner Programme to evaluate the partners it works with. Training and policies on anti-corruption, gifts and so on will be included in this programme.

Information security in civil engineering.

Civil engineering companies are also required to keep client and employee information safe, and regulatory requirements for cyber and information security are increasing.

Preserving the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data a civil engineer and their employer manages is essential to the business.

The framework for information security relates to the protection of data and IT infrastructure that the company manages so there is availability and continuity in the business’s operations and in client projects. Training on the framework and processes needs to be provided regularly to all civil engineers in the company to increase awareness and user competence in this area.

Cyber incidents have a significant negative effect on a civil engineering company and its employees. To mitigate this, a business should focus on maintaining basic information security controls and measures, as well as utilising third-party resources to strengthen the company’s cyber defences.