Ethical Dilemma Paper: Free Sample Essay To Follow

If you’ve ever watched an episode of the FOX cartoon The Simpsons, you know that Homer Simpson, the father in the family, works as a safety manager in the town’s nuclear power plant. Several of the episodes poke fun at Homer’s casual attitude toward workplace safety, such as the one where he leaves his pet pig in his seat while he wanders around the plant, and the one where he puts on enough weight to qualify for the handicapped designation that will allow him to work from home – only to leave a small toy pushing the button automatically that he is supposed to push while monitoring sensitive statistics in the operation of the plant – almost leading to a meltdown. However, the whole topic is treated with a sort of wry humor.
This attitude toward safety exists in the real world too, as industrial applications for safety often receive short shrift, whether in the form of eye-rolling from employees or poor program design from those in charge of maintaining safety. As the new safety manager in charge of the plant in the hypothetical scenario, it is pretty obvious that I need to haul in the second shift manager, as well as some of the relevant staff, and find out exactly what is going on with the items in question on the report.
This is important for several reasons. First of all, my moral responsibilities as a person mandate that I do what I can to make sure that the safety issues are remedied. The destruction that this plant could wreak on the town is definitely worth the inconvenience that calling personality in would exact on our staff. Conversely, the damage that a plant accident could cause could lead to loss of life.
Legally, if something went wrong in the manufacturing plant and it came back that I had known about the potential problem, then I am personally liable as the manager. This is not a public organization, so I do not have the same immunity from litigation should something go wrong. Even if I were exonerated in the legal setting, the cost of hiring an attorney to represent me and the stain this event would put on my reputation would not be worth going through the situation. The simple fact that my name appeared on this sort of lawsuit would jeopardize my career in safety management.
Professionally, I have been charged with the safety of this plant. If something arises that brings that safety into question, then it is up to me to remedy the problem through the means that have been placed before me. Sure, the prospect of a three-day weekend is exciting to me, and I’m sure that the rest of the staff is looking forward to some time off. However, if something happens and the manufacturing plant blows, the horror will more than overshadow the temporary pleasure that a holiday weekend brings.
Personally, I have my word to protect. When I took the job as a safety manager, I agreed to do everything in my power to make sure that the problems of the plant would not affect public safety. With this report in hand, I have no choice but to call back in that second shift. Until I do that, my entire personal reputation remains at risk.