Is Skipping Safety Checks Unethical?

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Disclaimer—This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on publicly available information and may not provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk. IS SKIPPING SAFETY CHECKS UNETHICAL?

Jackson Morton ([email protected])

SCENARIO seem. Therefore, I have decided that this is an unethical request and I need to figure out how to deal with it. I am a recent electrical engineering graduate from the University of Pittsburgh and my first job is with the “WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR BOSS ASKS YOU TO Electrical Wiring Company. My boss, George, has been in DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL” the industry for more than 30 years and seems like a good mentor to someone just starting out like me. The first big job Jacquelyn Smith of Business Insider wrote an article I work on by myself is the wiring of a recently built office directly dealing with the dilemma I face when George tells building. Halfway through the project George comes to the me to skip the safety checks. Skipping the checks is illegal site and tells me we need to speed it up because we’ve fallen and could get me in big trouble if someone found out. Smith behind schedule and the owner of the building doesn’t want repeats several times that the most important thing to do is to any delays. When I tell George that I don’t think it will be protect yourself [2]. I could protect myself legally in two possible to complete all the wiring and the safety checks on ways. I could either write an email to George stating my time. George tells me to just skip the checks and get the reservations about skipping the checks and then skip them. wiring done on time. He says that skipping the safety checks Or I could resign and not have to face this dilemma. I agree to save time is a common practice in the electrical field and with Smith that I need to protect myself first but I also think that the safety checks aren’t really that necessary. I should talk to George more before I burn any bridges.

INITIAL ANALYSIS “THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO REACT TO A REQUEST FROM YOUR BOSS THAT MAKES YOU I don’t think it is right to skip the safety checks, there FEEL UNEASY” are checks for a reason after all. I’m worried that if I skip the safety checks, then the system could overload, starting a fire Kat Boogaard wrote an article for Daily Muse that lists that could hurt or kill someone. On the other hand, I, don’t step by step how to identify and react to an unethical request want to get fired from my first job before I’ve even done from your boss. I think that this article will be very helpful anything. I have decided to do some further research into to me when I make my final decision. Boogaard first what I should do in this situation. recommends to take a step back and evaluate the situation before doing anything further [3]. That’s what I am doing SOURCE ANALYSIS now by looking up articles and case studies online. Boogaard also reiterates what Smith wrote about how it is “DOES THAT REQUEST PASS THE SMELL TEST?” important to protect yourself first and to document both the unethical request and your response. Next I will focus on In an article for the New York Times Eilene how to tell George that I think it is unethical to skip the Zimmerman writes about how to determine is a request from safety checks by researching what could go wrong. your boss is unethical or not. Zimmerman writes that the best way to tell if something is unethical is to use intuition COMMON CAUSES OF ELECTRICAL FIRES and follow your gut. “If the request makes you uneasy, you may be right to question it,” Zimmerman writes [1]. One The most likely thing that could potentially go wrong common red flag she says is being told everyone else does it. would be an electrical fire so I researched common causes of This worries me because George told me that skipping the electrical fires. According to the U.S. Fire Administration safety checks is a common practice. I’m worried that these the five most common causes of electrical fires are: faulty checks are a lot more important than George makes them outlets and appliances, light fixtures, extension cords, space heaters, and wiring [4]. After wiring is installed the safety University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering 1 Submission Date 11.01.2016 Jackson Morton checks are done to make sure that everything is connected how important the safety checks are but if he refuses to properly and capable of handling the expected amount of listen I am bound by the NSPE Code of Ethics to go over his electricity. Most electrical fires that are caused by wiring head and notify the owner of the building and the local result from old wiring not capable of handling the increased inspections office even if it means I’ll lose my job. amount of electricity used today [4]. While the risk of electrical fires caused by wiring has decreased with newer NSPE CASE NO. 15-11 and better wiring if something is connected wrong there is a chance of an electrical fire occurring. I don’t feel Lastly, I looked at a case that was brought before the comfortable skipping the safety checks because there could NSPE Board of Ethical Review. The case was about an potentially be an electrical fire in the building that could engineer who was responsible for developing a public works injure or kill somebody. I will continue to do a bit more program to improve a city’s roads. The engineer research into engineering code of ethics to find something to recommended that lanes be expanded to meet current back up my wanting to do the safety checks. engineering standards and design guidelines, but the city council rejected his recommendations and directed him to INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS continue with the project without widening the lanes [7]. ENGINEERS’ CODE OF ETHICS This is similar to my situation except that it is my boss telling me to ignore engineering standards and policies, not I first looked at the Institute of Electrical and the city council. The NSPE Board concluded that the Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Code of Ethics. The first and engineer has an obligation to advise the members of the city tenth directives were most relevant to my situation I believe. council that failure to follow his recommendations could The first states that members of IEEE commit “to accept place the public health and safety at risk. The board also responsibility in making decision consistent with the safety, recommended that the engineer document his advising of the health, and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly city council to protect himself legally. In my situation, I factors that endanger the public or environment” [5]. Per this believe the board would recommend a similar course of directive, it is my duty as a member of IEEE to carry out the action to me. safety checks necessary to keep the people who will use this building safe. If I am unable to perform the safety checks FINAL DECISION because George fires me when I tell him that I will do them even when they delay the project, then I will make sure the After doing my research I have decided that I should owner of the building and the local newspapers know that first talk to George and insist that we do the safety checks. I they were not performed. The tenth directive says that I will share my research with him, especially the excerpts commit “to assist colleagues and co-workers in their from the IEEE and NSPE Codes of Ethics to show him our professional development and to support them in following commitment to public safety. If I am unable to change his this code of ethics” [5]. Therefore, I must do everything I mind on doing the checks, then I notify the owner of the can to ensure that George sees and understands that he must building and the local inspections office that the safety do the safety checks. If the IEEE Code of Ethics won’t checks are not being done. Even if I get fired I will feel change George’s mind, then I will present him with the better knowing that I upheld my morals and stood by the National Society of Professional Engineers’ (NSPE) Code of Codes of Ethics I committed to following. Ethics.

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SOURCES ENGINEERS’ CODE OF ETHICS [1] E. Zimmerman. “Does That Request Pass the Smell I next looked at the NSPE Code of Ethics which is Test?” The New York Times. Date of Publication similar to the IEEE Code of Ethics but goes into deeper 10.23.2010. Accessed 11.17.2016. detail. The first fundamental canon is most relevant, because http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/jobs/24career.html it states that “Engineers, in the fulfillment of their [2] J. Smith. “What to do when your boss asks you to do professional duties, shall hold paramount the safety, health, something unethical or illegal.” Business Insider. Date of and welfare of the public” [6]. This again reaffirms my Publication 12.04.2015. Accessed 11.17.2016. decision to do the check because it is what is best for the http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-when-your- safety, health, and welfare of the public. Section II.1.a of the boss-asks-you-to-do-something-illegal-2015-12/ NSPE Code of Ethics is also helpful to me in making a [3] K. Boogaard. “This Is the Best Way to React to a decision. It states “if engineers’ judgement is overruled Request From Your Boss That Makes You Feel Uneasy.” under circumstances that endanger life or property they shall Daily Muse. Accessed 11.17.2016. notify their employer or client and such other authority as https://www.themuse.com/advice/this-is-the-best-way-to- may be appropriate” [6].” I will do my best to tell George

2 Jackson Morton react-to-a-request-from-your-boss-that-makes-you-feel- https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/BER15- uneasy 11%20APPROVED.pdf [4] “5 Common Causes of Electrical Fires.” FireRecruit.com. Date of Publication 10.17.2016. Accessed ADDITIONAL SOURCES 11.17.2016. https://www.firerecruit.com/articles/1206100-5- common-causes-of-electrical-fires C. Bartlett. “A Sinking Situation.” Markkula Center for [5] “IEEE Code of Ethics.” Institute of Electrical and Applied Ethics. Date of Publication 08.26.2015. Electronics Engineers. Accessed 11.17.2016. Accesssed11.17.2016. http://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html “Roman Holiday (Case 1042).” National Institute for [6] “NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers.” National Society Engineering Ethics, Texas Tech University. Date Accessed of Professional Engineers. Date of Publication 06.2007. 11.17.2016. Accessed 11.17.2016. https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS [7] “Public Health and Safety, Engineer’s Duty to Adhere to Codes, Standards and Guidelines, Case No. 15-11.” National Society of Professional Engineers.” Date of Publication Thank you to my friends for helping me revise this paper. 03.15.2016. Accessed 11.17.2016. Thank you also to the writing center in the Willis Academic Center for helping me write this paper.