H EALTH IN THE W ORK P LACE Zak Bondy Matt Kable Nasser Alrahbi Ayushi Jharia

W HAT IS “E NGINEERING E THICS ”? Honesty and integrity practiced in the work place Leads to improvement in quality of life Services provided by engineers require: Honesty Impartiality Fairness Equity Must be dedicated to the protection of: Public health Safety Welfare

S CENARIO I Don is a supervisor at ABC Manufacturing as a chemical engineer Several workers have developed respiratory problems Don asks his superior about air quality in the workplace and his superior says that they are in compliance with OSHA guidelines However, OSHA guidelines do not apply to chemicals that have not been tested Most chemicals at ABC Manufacturing have not been tested

C ODE OF E THICS - W HAT SHOULD D ON DO ? Section II: “1e. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Engineers shall not aid or abet the unlawful practice of engineering by a person or firm.” Don is suspicious about the health and safety of his co-workers, because the chemicals were not tested at ABC Unclear if the chemicals follow the guidelines of OSHA, he should investigate further and bring it up to his supervisor. Don’s curiosity about the chemicals used at ABC correlating to the respiratory concerns of the workers should be further investigated.

C ONTINUED … Section III: “1. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the highest standards of honesty and integrity. a. Engineers shall acknowledge their errors and shall not distort or alter the facts.” This statement from the code of ethics indicates that Don must research more into what chemicals are being used and how harmful they are to his co-workers. If it isn’t addressed, it may cause even worse health issues in the future.

S CENARIO II Don talks to the librarian at ABC’s science library about his concerns and does a literature search to find why the workers have developed respiratory problems. He asks the librarian for a copy of an article, but needs to fill out a formal request that requires his supervisor’s signature. Don fills out the request and sends it to his supervisor’s office. A month later, the article still hasn’t arrived and Don asks his supervisor about the request. Don’s supervisor says that he never saw the request. Don fills out another request and personally gives it to his supervisor. A month later, the article has not arrived… Don tells the librarian about his frustration and the librarian replies saying that he never received the request from Don’s supervisor.

C ODE OF E THICS Don has now tried to go a step further and tried to determine the harshness of the chemicals through the company’s library. After Cal does not sign the form, Don needs to report to higher authorities, such as Cal’s boss. Section II: “1c.Engineers shall not reveal facts, data, or information without the prior consent of the client or employer except as authorized or required by law or this Code.” Therefore he must continue to get approval for the article he found at the library from another superior. Section II: “ 3b. Engineers may express publicly technical opinions that are founded upon knowledge of the facts and competence in the subject matter.” Furthermore, if Don does find valuable information upon extra research, he may state his opinion based on his research.

R EFERENCES “Code of Ethics for Engineers.” National Society of Professional Engineers. National Society of Professional Engineers, July Web. 6 Apr