ETHICS TRAINING Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the TPG in 2010 and has been reprinted as the content remains relevant today. Ethics Training
George T. FitzGerald, CPG-06582 Introduction
This paper was developed during 2008 and presented to Texas licensed geologists to satisfy three purposes.
1. Completing the one-hour annual ethics train- ing required by the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) to maintain good standing as a licensed Texas geologist.
2. Giving fellow geologists a comparative list of ethical practices required by four geological entities in Texas including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) which is a Texas commission that regulates geologic practices in the state, the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) which is The Texas Professional Geologist Licensing Agency, the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geoscientists (AEG) and the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) which are both national geological associations.
3. Presenting two examples of working circumstances that would require ethical consideration.
These requirements provide guidelines to work within proper ethical parameters and to complete projects with acceptable quality. It becomes evident that ethics and quality are basically “two sides of the same coin.”
The Paper is organized into three major sections including: 1. What are Good Ethics? 2. What are the Ethics Regulations? 3. What Ethical Situations Do We Encounter?
1. What are Good Ethics? Webster’s Dictionary:
Moral principles of right or good behavior.
Rules or standards of conduct governing the members of a profession. Mother’s rule:
If you can’t do it in front of your mother, your boss, or your spouse, don’t do it.
Newspaper rule:
If you don’t want to see it in tomorrow’s newspaper, don’t do it.
2. What are the Ethics Regulations?
The following section includes ethics requirements of four geologic entities including TCEQ, TBPG, AEG, and AIPG. Although each organization has a different method of present- ing their ethical requirements, they are generally similar and the main purpose is to ensure that geologists plan and imple-
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ment projects in an ethical manner. All entities require that geologic study is performed by persons competent to provide that service and that procedures and resultant reporting fol- lows acceptable geologic and regulatory practices. Some of the more important requirements include determinations based on adequate and complete study using methods that would point out circumstances or data that could result in failure as well as success.
Each geologic entity has procedures to determine if prop- erly trained geologists are providing various services and procedures or principles to guide the promotion of the study of geology.
There are three main differences in the entities. Generally, the TCEQ is an agency of the State of Texas mandated to regulate geologic activity of companies that provide industrial services. The TBPG is the Texas agency mandated to license and regulate professional requirements of geologists working in the state. Both the AEG and the AIPG are geologic asso- ciations that provide educational and associated activities to ensure that licensed geologists have opportunities to advance the science of geology and to further the input of geologic procedures in the planning and implementation of engineer- ing, environmental, and educational programs in the state. It is to be noted that the following lists are condensed and paraphrased from the requirements of the four entities. They include the important material; however, the reader is advised to review the ethics requirements as published by the four entities to obtain the complete information. Any exclusion, omission, or misinterpretation by the author is unintentional.
2.1: Texas Commission On Environmental Quality (TCEQ): Operating Policies And Procedures, Section 12.08: Employee Ethics (Paraphrased)
12.08.01. Policy: TCEQ Mission: Protect Human Health and The Environment Consistent With Sustainable Economic Development. In order to fulfill the public trust, TCEQ employees must treat public and private interests fairly and even-handedly.
12.08.02. Conduct: Strive for excellence, public confidence, no conflict of interest, integrity, impartiality, courtesy, honesty, and adherence to statutes, rules, and regulations.
12.08.03. Guidelines: Concerning Outside Activities And Conflicts Of Interest:
• Inappropriate conduct and interests: Making investments or engaging in business relationships with outside customers who have a direct interest in TCEQ decisions.
• Personal gain: TCEQ confidential information used for personal gain is subject to criminal penalties (penalcode §39.06)
www.aipg.org
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