Code of Ethics

PEO’s Code of Ethics is a basic guide for professional conduct and imposes duties on practitioners, with respect to society, employers, clients, colleagues (including employees and subordinates), the engineering profession and him or herself.

Through the Code of Ethics, professional engineers have a clearly defined duty to society, which is to regard the duty to public welfare as paramount, above their duties to clients or employers. Their duty to employers involves acting as faithful agents or trustees, regarding client information as confidential and avoiding or disclosing conflicts of interest. Their duty to clients means that professional engineers must immediately disclose any direct or indirect interest that might prejudice (or appear to prejudice) their professional judgment.

The code states that "it is the duty of a practitioner to the public, to the practitioner's employer, to the practitioner's clients, to other licensed engineers of the practitioner's profession, and to the practitioner to act at all times with,

  1. fairness and loyalty to the practitioner's associates, employers, clients, subordinates and employees;

  2. fidelity to public needs;

  3. devotion to high ideals of personal honour and professional integrity;

  4. knowledge of developments in the area of professional engineering relevant to any services that are undertaken; and

  5. competence in the performance of any professional engineering services that are undertaken."

The complete Code of Ethics is included in section 77 of the Professional Engineers Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.28.