THE SIZE OF YOUR PRACTISE IS NOT THE ISSUE.
WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU PRACTICE ETHICALLY!

This message is Sponsored By NIS Practise Monitoring Committee

Ethical Considerations for Professional Surveyors

As Professionals we make choices. Depending on the perspective some of these choices can be adjudged good or bad. Ethics is what guides us in making our choices. Good Ethics is key to being a successful professional Ethics defines the best option as the one which best achieves what is good, right, and consistent with the nature of the things in question. At the core of Good Ethics, we will find ‘values’, ‘principles’, and ‘purpose’.

Ethical Considerations for Professional Surveyor

As Professionals we make choices. Depending on the perspective some of these choices can be adjudged good or bad. Ethics is what guides us in making our choices. Good Ethics is key to being a successful professional Ethics defines the best option as the one which best achieves what is good, right, and consistent with the nature of the things in question. At the core of Good Ethics, we will find ‘values’, ‘principles’, and ‘purpose’.

  • Values tell us what’s good – they’re the things we strive for, desire, and seek to protect.
  • Principles tell us what’s right – outlining how we may or may not achieve our values.
  • Purpose is your reason for being – it gives life to your values and principles. Ethics is the process of questioning, discovering, and defending our values, principles, and purpose. It’s about finding out who we are and staying true to that in the face of temptations, challenges, and uncertainty. It’s not always fun and it’s hardly ever easy, but if we commit to it, we set ourselves up to make decisions we can stand by, building a life that’s truly our own and a future we want to be a part of.

    • Not a lot of people realize that Surveying is actually a fusion of art and science. Yes, different types of equipment are available for the Surveyor’s use, but the Professional Surveyor still has the last say on the results. Despite this, however, the Surveyor still has several guidelines to follow. If you’ve had an experience where you were not sure what was the ethical thing to do then, this document should be able to help you out.

    OBJECTIVITY AND COMPETENCE

    A Surveyor should always start a project with fairness in mind. Your client, as well as every party involved in the project, is expecting you to be fair and just; so, make the best possible assessment with the evidence handed to you. New technologies come up for our Surveying practice all the time. When a Surveyor knows that a project is beyond his skills, he should tell the client. There’s no sense in accepting a project only to come up with a subpar result. It will only hurt your business and your reputation.

    INTEREST, CONFIDENTIALITY AND FEES

    Before a project commences, the Surveyor responsible forthe project should come forward if there’s a possibility of a conflict of interest. This is very important to preserve the surveyor’s relationship with the client. A Surveyor should avoid professional impropriety by declaring involvement or any prior affiliations with any of the involved parties. It is also the Surveyor’s responsibility to keep any information regarding the project, as well as the client, confidential even after the project is done. Several cases have been reported where the Surveyor overcharged the client. This usually happens when the client doesn’t know anything about Surveying. A Professional Surveyor running his business with ethics will never do this. Fortunately, our expectation of Professional Surveyors that are members of the NIS is HONESTY at ALL TIMES

    BE SURE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE

    A Professional Surveyor should charge a project according to the length of time needed to get it done as well as the level of technical complexity required for it. For the Surveyor’s sake, as well as that of the client, one should never sign plans, certificates, or reports unless they are personally supervised by him. Not only is this unfair on the client’s side, but doing so could put the Surveyor’s reputation in danger should the results be disputed and he has no first-hand knowledge of the work. Surveyors do not work alone. They usually have staff to support them. The Professional Surveyor needs to be responsible for his actions at all times, and for actions or work carried out by his staff.

    FIDELITY TO PROFESSIONALISM

    Just as in other industries, a Professional Surveyor should never undermine the capability of other Surveyors or their colleagues in the industry. Surveyors should also be responsible enough to study, do thorough research, practice, and perfect their skills in a new service area before offering same to clients. If a Surveyor is new to flood Plain Determination, for instance, then he needs to make sure that he knows how to perform it before offering the service to his clients. It is important that we realize that for every action we take there are consequences. Today too, we are likely to face liabilities for actions that we do take that affect others. So, let every action be well considered and the possible gains be weighed against to possible consequences.

    CONCLUSION

    A Surveyor that practices Ethically is sure to leave a strong legacy and have a fulfilling career. The NIS Practice Monitoring Committee is committed to always emphasizing this as well as promoting it. That is why we have put together this publication as well as others. You too could be part of this effort by first practicing ethically and encouraging others to do the same.

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