All members of the Society will conduct themselves in a lawful and respectful manner, uphold the profession of operations engineering and act in a way which supports the Society of Operations Engineers’ reputation.
Members shall promote equality, diversity and inclusivity, act honorably, faithfully and without bias, protect and respect confidentiality.
They shall recognise the importance of protecting personal data and uphold and respect the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
They shall speak out when conflicts of interest arise, challenge unethical behavior, avoid deception and reject bribery.
Members shall support colleagues and the general public, utilizing skill, expertise and learned knowledge.
They shall notify the Society if convicted of a criminal offence or upon becoming bankrupt or disqualified as a Company Director, and of any significant violation of the Society's Code of Conduct by another member.
Members shall be responsible for their actions and actions carried out under their supervision.
They shall consider health and safety and draw attention to hazards and dangerous working practices. They shall consider the environment and where possible act to ensure that the principles of sustainability are upheld. Environmental impact should be considered in all decisions.
Members shall promote best practice and the promotion of personal development, act with care and only advise on, or work in, areas in which they are fully competent.
Members shall maintain their competence by means of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and CPD should be recorded. They should be aware of and where necessary, adhere to the Society’s CPD policy which can be downloaded here.
Members shall encourage others to enter the profession and to advance their learning and competence, and shall accept the obligation of directing the training of others to appropriate standards and good practices
Members should be aware of their responsibility to establish and uphold standards of professional conduct as specified by the Society’s Memorandum of Association.
Disciplinary processes will be followed if the Society code of conduct is breached.
Supporting guidance and principles
The Society’s code of conduct is supported by the best practice outlined in the guidance and principles provided below from the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council. These principles outline the types of behavior that will assist adherence to the Society’s code of conduct.
Royal Academy of Engineering Statement of Ethical Principles
The Royal Academy of Engineering and Engineering Council have produced a statement of ethical principles. This statement was produced through discussions with engineers from a number of different engineering institutions and with philosophers specialising in applied ethics.
This Statement comprises four fundamental principles that sit alongside the Society’s Code of Conduct and together should guide an engineer in achieving the high ideals of professional life.
- Accuracy and Rigour
- Honesty and Integrity
- Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good
- Leadership and Communication
These four principles express the beliefs and values of the engineering profession and are amplified in the statement which can be downloaded here.
Engineering Council Guidance on Risk, Sustainability and Whistleblowing
The Engineering Council has also produced guidance on risk, sustainability and whistleblowing which members should review in conjunction with the Society’s Code of Conduct.
Engineering Council Guidance on Risk
The Engineering Council's guidance is generic, top level and profession-wide. It establishes six principles to help engineers meet their professional obligations, and to ensure that risk is an important consideration in all their engineering activity. For full details please visit www.engc.org.uk/risk
Engineering Council Guidance on Sustainability
The Engineering Council's guidance describes the role of engineers in relation to sustainability. Six principles have been developed, to guide and motivate you to achieve sustainable development in your work and help you to meet your professional obligations to seek to achieve sustainability. For full details please visit www.engc.org.uk/sustainability
Engineering Council Guidance on Whistleblowing
This guidance is intended to support engineers and technicians when confronted by a potential whistleblowing situation. It sets out the processes engineers and technicians should follow in raising such a concern and where to get advice. For full details please visit: www.engc.org.uk/whistleblowing