Ethics study case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics study case - Essay Example The case illustrates two applicable facts into principle of beneficence; the employer’s act not to remove or cover the asbestos rich cables threatens harm on the employees’ lives while an act of whistle blowing threatens the organization’s corporate image and legal liability. Confidentiality is another applicable principle to the case and defines the obligation to maintain privacy of a person or institution’s sensitive information and whistle blowing puts the principle at stake. Lawfulness, another applicable ethical principle, defines the knowledge of laws and their implementation and applies to the organization that should be aware of and uphold health and safety laws and yet ignores the rules. The organization’s failure to remove or cover asbestos pipes is wrong because it contravenes principles of beneficence and lawfulness. The conflict is prioritization of the interest to safeguard the job, employees’ lives, and the organization and it affects the department’s employees at individual level, their families and the society at group level, and also the organization (Pfeiffer and Forsberg 15- 19). Options in resolving the problem from different ethical perspectives Utilitarianism defines ethics from an act’s consequence. ... re to asbestos, effects of the diseases on the employees such as death and incapacitation, and consequences on families and the society would however be more harmful than the company’s financial loss in lawsuits and from poor corporate image. This is because loss of lives or body parts is more significant than financial losses that the company may incur. This justifies ethics in whistle bowing. The scope of deontology ethics that is based on rules and obligations also justifies whistle blowing that is supported by established laws on health and safety at the work place. This is because the organization has decided to operate contrary to the rules that establish its duty to ensure a safe work environment. The general obligation to ensure safety of other members of the society also justifies whistle blowing in the case. Virtue ethics, with its basis on character such as respect of people’s lives and welfare and integrity also identifies whistle blowing as the solution tow ards protecting the employees’ lives by justifying an employee’s integrity and strong personality in raising the red flag (Brooks and Dunn 182- 188). My perceived solution My perceived solution to the case is to expose the condition to relevant agencies for appropriate measures. This would involve a formal communication to the organization’s management of intentions to seek external interventions towards protecting employees’ welfare. I would then write to both the State Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency to inform them of the asbestos exposure at the workplace and the organization’s position against removing or covering the asbestos cables. I would then submit a copy of each letter to the organization’s management before remittance to the agencies. The proposed