Two professional engineers with similar backgrounds andexpertise in electrical engineering are assigned to the sameproject because of time constraints and other factors, but aregiven responsibility for different parts of the project. Engineer Aprepares, designs, and stamps the design documents for which he isresponsible, and Engineer B prepares, designs, and stamps thedesign documents for which he is responsible. The project anddesign documents are released for construction. A change in projectscope requires revision to a subset of the design documents. BothEngineer A and Engineer B make their respective changes and revisethe design documents for which they are responsible. It is thepractice of the company that the engineers’ work requires aprofessional engineer to manually \"initial\" the revision block ofthe document being revised, identifying the responsible engineer.Engineer A delays release of his revisions which causes completedrevisions by Engineer B also to be held until all design documentsare ready to be released. Management strongly encourages Engineer Ato complete his work so that all design documents can be released.Engineer A completes his work at a point in time when neitherEngineer B nor immediate management is available. In completing hiswork at the behest of management, Engineer A makes minor changes todesign documents prepared and revised by Engineer B withoutconsulting Engineer B. It is understood that Engineer A wastechnically competent to make the revisions of Engineer B’swork.
Is it ethical for Engineer A to make the change? Why?
Could the Engineering Manager or Chief Engineer in chargesignoff the work of his/her employees?
What is the ethical course of action?
What could happen if the proper process is not followed?
