Land Surveying Ethics

In an industry involved in both art and science, it is sometimes difficult to have hard and fast rules that apply to every ethical situation.  But there is a clear set of guidelines that every respectable and honorable land surveyor should follow:

First and foremost, every land surveyor should always approach their work with a devotion to fairness, courtesy and personal honor towards all parties involved.  The land surveyor is depended upon to be a neutral party the people can turn to who will make their best assessment possible given the evidence they are given.

With regards to dealings with clients, surveyors should avoid any professional impropriety in any aspect of their business.  They should disclose any potential conflicts of interest, prior affiliations or involvement with any parties involved before the acceptance of any assignment.  Surveyors should also not receive remuneration from multiple sources for any one project without the full knowledge of all of the parties involved.  A surveyor should also keep any personal or proprietary information received from clients completely confidential, even after the completion of the project.

A surveyor trying to run his business ethically should seek compensation that matches the level of technical complexity and time spent for the services rendered.  An ethical surveyor will not make any fraudulent charges or sign any certificates, reports, or plans unless they were prepared and completed under their personal supervision.  Details on how compensation was determined should be provided at the request of the client; where possible, this should be discussed to the best of your ability before the project is undertaken.

When dealing with others within the business community, a surveyor should not make or allude to any false or misleading statements while advertising your business or service.  As well, surveyors should not seek to undermine or besmirch the reputation or endanger the business prospects of any other surveyor.

Personal ethics in regard to a surveyor’s competency are also important.  No surveyor should accept an assignment that is outside the scope of their professional competence, and should ensure that when working in a new area of expertise they conduct thorough research and utilize the skills of an expert where necessary.  Also, assignments should only be accepted if the project is within the resources and the expertise of the surveyor to allow them to complete the project in a reasonable time and professional manner. If the surveyor has any employees or contractors who perform work for them, the surveyor must accept professional responsibility for any actions or work carried out by them.

As with all sets of ethical standards, a good guiding principal to is to treat both business and personal associates as you would like to be treated.  It is also important for a surveyor to remember that their actions and behavior not only reflect upon themselves, but upon the entire industry of Land Surveying. Most people do not have many dealings with land surveyors during the course of their lifetime, so the interaction that they do have with one surveyor can shape their opinion of the entire industry. All surveyors must keep in mind at all times that they are ambassadors of their profession.

Charles Lee Iner, RLS
February, 2010