I know that an Engineer must have principle foundation of ethics and very high level professionalism. or else one engineer's overlooking on things could corrupt entire project.
may anyone could enlist these points?
What are the Risk areas Where Mechanical Engineers May Get Opportunities to Corrupt Engineering Projects? | Q & A
Nisarg Desai
May 22
Points Where Mechanical Engineers May Get Opportunities to Corrupt Engineering Projects
1. Procurement of Machinery and Materials
Risk: Inflated invoices, kickbacks from vendors, use of substandard or counterfeit components.
How: Engineers responsible for technical specs can specify overpriced or unnecessary equipment.
Example: Ordering a higher-capacity pump or motor than needed and splitting the margin with the supplier.
Risk: Under-reporting of materials, cutting corners in fabrication quality, misrepresenting test data.
How: Collaboration with workshops or vendors to falsify documentation or skip quality checks.
Example: Weld joints marked as completed or tested when they are not.
Risk: Billing for preventive maintenance that never occurred or using poor-quality spares.
How: Falsified maintenance logs or inflating costs of repairs.
Example: Charging for replacing industrial bearings when only greasing was done.
Risk: Manipulating efficiency reports to show false energy savings or fudging payback analysis.
How: Engineers could alter baseline readings or tweak data to qualify for subsidies or bonuses.
Example: Fake implementation of energy-efficient motors to claim carbon credits or green certifications.
Risk: Accepting failed components, hiding defects, or faking calibration certificates.
How: Engineers can collaborate with QA teams or external labs to manipulate results.
Example: Certifying pressure vessels without hydro tests.
Risk: Biased technical evaluations to favor a specific vendor or bidder.
How: Engineers can adjust qualifying criteria, add biased specifications, or leak technical bid details.
Example: Mentioning only one manufacturer’s specification in a public tender.
Risk: Handover of incomplete or poorly-performing systems with falsified completion documents.
How: Engineers involved in project closeout may forge test certificates or performance reports.
Example: HVAC systems that do not meet required airflow or thermal load but are still approved.
Risk: Pilfering of new spares, selling unused items to third parties, or creating fake purchase orders.
How: Engineers managing inventory can falsify stock usage and procurement cycles.
Example: Repeated procurement of the same part without installation trace.
Risk: Sub-letting work to unqualified contractors or reducing material thickness and quality to save costs.
How: Engineers may approve substandard jobs and take commissions from subcontractors.
Example: Using 3mm plates instead of specified 6mm in tank fabrication.
Risk: Falsifying compliance with ISO, OSHA, or Factory Act standards.
How: Engineers responsible for audits may accept bribes to overlook violations.
Example: Not reporting high-decibel machine noise or improper guarding of rotating equipment.
Understanding these corruption points helps:
Promote transparency and ethical training
Assist in policy-making and audits
Encourage whistleblower protection
Build trust in public infrastructure and private industries
