A licensed engineer discovers that her companys manufacturin

A licensed engineer discovers that her company’s manufacturing process produces waste that is released into the environment. The toxins in the waste are 25% above the regulated levels. She informs her superiors only to be told that they are aware of the problem but the cost to rectify the problem will be too expensive and the company would have to shut down for a two year period. The resulting shutdown would lead to massive layoffs of employees. The company is the biggest employer in the town, employing about 40% of the population.

What is the engineer’s duty to her employer?

What is the engineer’s duty to the environment and the public?

Which duty is paramount?

Solution

1. The engineer\'s duty to her employer is to inform about the dangarous hazards of toxins released from the company in the form of waste. The engineer should also suggest the necessary steps to be followed by the emloyeer to save the evironement and the city from the massive situations.

2.The engineer should adopt a suitable procedure to recycle the waste toxic products without directly releasing to the environment. If it is not possible for the re-usable recyclic process, atleast the engineer should adopt a proper method where the waste products were burned or made to under go refinery process by which one can reduce/minimise the toxicity of waste materials to the level of control before released to the environment rather than closing the company for a period of two years.

The other alternative is to shutdown the company for a minimum period to rectify the problem. But this could make the employees undergo the survival problem as 40% of population of city were dependent on the company.

3. Instead of closing the company, it is better to take a preventive measures as suggested in the step 2 to save the public and the environment.