Doing the right thing

One of these stories is Network Rail and Balfour Beatty, as well as six individual managers from these companies, facing charges for gross negligence and manslaughter for the 2000 Hatfield rail crash. The other is the row between government and the BBC which resulted in one man taking his own life.

What seems to be most significant here is not that big business, politicians and journalists have been accused of unethical behaviour. Let's face it, that's nothing new. What is key is that this time round the public expects more than the usual bandying of words and feeble apologies. Something must be done, is the general feeling, and it must reflect the seriousness of the situation.

Mention of ethics outside the religious arena seems to make people downright embarrassed. It's not done to raise the issue, because it isn't something that businesses have been judged on. Economics, efficiency and effectiveness are the main performance measures, with ethics coming a poor fourth.

That certainly seems to be changing. The current zeitgeist means that in future, ethical behaviour by organisations and individuals will become more highly valued. Engineers already subscribe to standards of professional behaviour and performance when they become chartered. This could extend beyond doing their jobs well, to include ethical specification of environmentally sound products. We may see a time when it's considered unethical to let clients get away with buildings that pollute the environment, or use too much energy. Engineers must be prepared to stand up for what is right from the point of view of the environment.

  It could be that both consultancies and developers will have to make clear declarations of their ethical policies. And when we consider that we're far from reaching government targets on CO₂ reduction from buildings, you could almost say it would be criminal not to.