PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

We will consider two examples to show how professional responsibilities far exceed those of lay men or general public. After a car accident, a passing pedestrian cannot be held responsible for saving the accident victim. He will be expected to callor inform the emergency service providers. An ordinary personhas no medical knowledgeto provideemergencytreatment.But a traineddoctor with necessary equipment is expected to correctlydiagnosethevictim’sconditionandcarryout appropriateprocedures. If a doctor fails to help in that situation, he would generally be regarded as negligent and unethical. An untrained person would not incur any blame for not acting. It is only the person with knowledge of professional skills who has to take responsibility.

Many technically qualified persons have to certify the quality and safety of equipment used in industry. Thus an environmental engineer has to certify that pollution control equipment installed in a plant will treat effluents to the standards prescribed by the pollution control board. If an environmental engineer falsely certifies that the equipment treats effluents to the required standards, he will be guilty of breach of professional code and worse. He has colluded with the owner of the industry.

Uptil now, we have looked at professional codes of conduct. They are the ground rules on which professions operate. They are the principles by which any profession swears. Code of conduct, together with possession of specific domain knowledge, is the basis of claims to professionalism. A professional code of conduct consists of both ethical principles and the best perceived ways of performing professional tasks.