Ethics - Case Studies in Fraudulent Safety Claims
This online engineering PDH course examines the engineering-ethics aspects of fraudulent safety claims in light of standards of conduct expected of Professional Engineers.
The course begins by defining fraud as 'the intentional use of deceit, a trick, or some dishonest means to deprive another of his/her/its money, property, or a legal right.' For example, when a seller deceives a buyer into believing that a product meets safety standards, knowing that it does not, the seller commits fraud.
The course then presents three case studies of fraudulent safety claims made by engineers working in large corporations (General Motors, Boeing, and Takata). These cases have been successfully prosecuted by agencies of the U.S. federal government and have resulted in severe consequences such as injuries and loss of life. The ethical aspects of these cases, rather than the legal aspects, are explored by identifying specific passages in published Standards of Conduct for professional engineers that were violated by the engineers found guilty of fraud.
This 2 PDH online course is applicable to engineers interested in increasing their knowledge of engineering ethics through the study of real-life examples.
This PE continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Understanding the key role of deceit in defining fraud.
- Familiarizing oneself with the consequences of injury and loss of life that can result from fraudulent claims of safety.
- Knowing the legal charges that result when fraudulent claims of safety are discovered.
- Learning about the relationship between illegal acts and acts that violate Standards of Conduct in ethical codes for professional engineers.
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