Ethics of environmental health profession

Ethics in Environmental Health and Safety

OLS 30000: Safety and Health in Engineering Technologies Shoji Nakayama, Ph.D.

Revised 01/05/15

What are ethics?  The application of morality within a context

established by cultural and professional values, social norms, and accepted standards of behavior.

 Ethical questions are rarely black and white, but typically fall into a gray area.

Ethics Defined

 The concept of ethics means:  “…written and unwritten codes of principles and

values that govern decisions and actions within a company.”

 Workplace ethical dilemmas are more complex than ethical situations in general.

Ethics Defined (Cont.) Ethics in U.S.

 For the most part, industry in the U.S. operates in the scope of accepted legal & ethical standards.

 Be aware of the ethical dilemmas and know how to deal with such issues.

 Employee decisions to behave ethically or not are influenced by many individual & situational factors.

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Example - Software Misuse

You are browsing the internet and see some software that may be useful in your job. Do you download the software to your PC at work and start to use it in your job?

POTENTIAL ANSWERS:  Check the company's Internet Policy to see if this software falls within

a category that is permitted to be downloaded.  Download the software and use it.  Download the software at home, and bring it to work.  Never use software off the internet. .  Never turn down a freebie.

 Social factors influence ethical behavior:  Gender,  Role differences,  Religion,  Age,  Work experience,  Nationality,  Influence of other people who are significant

in an individual’s life.

Ethical Behavior in Organizations

Creating an Ethical Environment

A company that promotes, expects, and rewards ethical behavior can answer “yes” to these questions:

 Do employees have the right of due process?  Do employees have access to an objective grievance

procedure?  Are there appropriate safety & health measures to

protect employees?  Are hiring practices fair and impartial?  Are promotion practices fair and objective?  Are employees protected from harassment based

on race, gender, or other reasons?

Example - Falsifying Records

Your coworker A recently announced that he has completed his academic requirements for his MBA. This achievement makes him eligible for advancement at your company. Due to the location of your work areas, you overhear a conversation where he indicates that a falsified transcript and diploma was all it took to fool his bosses and coworkers. What do you do?

POTENTIAL ANSWERS:  Confront the coworker with your knowledge and tell him he should

correct the record.  Notify your Human Resources department anonymously so your

coworker won't know you reported him.  Discuss the situation with your manager.  Keep it to yourself-he's doing a good job.  Inform personnel that you need to update your education profile.

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Example - Work Environment and Solicitation

The company has a policy against solicitation and posting of notices. However, you are aware that others do occasionally sell things at work. This week, the administrative assistant for the vice president of your group is selling candy to raise money for her kids' school project, and she has the candy on the counter with a sign asking people to buy. What do you do?

POTENTIAL ANSWERS:  Nothing. Since no one is being forced, its an individual choice.  Ask her if she is aware of the nonsolicitation policy, and politely explain what it is and what you have been told about it.

 Do not buy the candy, and quietly discourage others from buying any.  Discuss it with your Human Resources representative to determine what to do.

 Fat the candy, then explain the company policy.

Role of Professionals

 National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics:  Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and

welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties. Code of Ethics

 American Society of Civil Engineers Code of Ethics:  Engineers shall recognize that the lives, safety, health

and welfare of the general public are dependent upon engineering decisions ….

Role of Professionals (Cont.)

 American Society of Safety Engineers Code of Ethics:  Duty to serve and protect people, property and

environment.  Exercise duty with integrity, honor and dignity.

 Board of Certified Safety Professionals Code of Ethics:  “Certificants shall, in their professional safety activities,

sustain and advance the integrity, honor, and prestige of the safety profession by adherence to these standards.”

Role of Safety Professionals

 We represent a significant role -

 Deciding what is ethical is easier than actually doing what is ethical.  of ethical behavior.  the right decision

when facing ethical questions.  Helping employees follow through and

actually undertake the ethical option.

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Legal vs Ethics

The concepts of legal and ethics are not the same thing—just because an option is legal does not necessarily mean it is ethical.

 Illegal = Unethical  Legal = Ethical

There are some legal but unethical standards, etc. A person’s behavior can be well within the scope of the law and still be unethical.

Examples – Legal but ?  Sell a packaged safety program – may not work  Sell a safety system that has not been correlated to

actual results.  Not inform executives of their liability under current civil

and criminal law  Force company to implement safety system that have

been proven effective  Not staying current – even though our code addresses

this  Disregard input of those in the organization – employees

who know both the problem and the answers.  Incentive program  Company have published data that do not include

incidents that other include (CTDs, back strains, etc)

 Apply the morning-after test.  Apply the front-page test.  Apply the mirror test.  Apply the role-reversal test.  Apply the commonsense test.

Guidelines for Determining Ethical Behavior (Cont.)

A four-question test to determine if a given decision is ethical:

1. Is the 2. Is the decision 3. Will the decision generate goodwill for my

organization? 4. Is the decision beneficial to all stakeholders?

Guidelines for Determining Ethical Behavior (Cont.)

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Approaches to Ethical Dilemma

Three approaches to the role of the safety and health

professional.

Company’s Role in Ethics

A company creates an ethical environment by establishing policies and practices that ensure

all employees are treated ethically and then enforcing these policies.

Employees must be able to trust their company to conduct all external and internal dealings in

an ethical manner.

Setting an Ethical Example

 In addition to an ethical internal environment, and handling external dealings in an ethical manner, companies must support safety & health professionals who make ethically correct decisions.  Not just when such decisions are profitable, but in all

cases.

Handling of Ethical Dilemmas

 How, when, should you proceed when confronting an ethical dilemma?  Apply the various guidelines for determining what

is ethical.  Select one of the three basic approaches to handling

ethical questions.  Proceed in accordance with the approach selected,

and proceed with consistency.

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Questions to Ask When Making Decisions

 Has the problem been thoroughly, accurately defined?  Would other stakeholders (employees, customers) agree

with your definition of the problem?  What is your real motivation in making this decision?  What is the probable short-term result of your decision  Who will be affected by your decision and in what way?  Did you discuss the decision with all stakeholders (or all

possible stakeholders) before making it?  Would your decision withstand the scrutiny of employees,

customers, colleagues, and the general public?

Language of Ethical Lapses

 “ Everybody else does it!”  “ If we don’t do it, Someone else will!”  “ That’s the way it has always been done!”  “ We’ll wait until the lawyers tell us it’s wrong!”  “ It doesn’t really hurt anyone!”  “ The system is unfair!”  “ I was just following orders!”

Quote

 “Nothing is more powerful for employees than seeing their managers behave according to their expressed values and standards; nothing is more devastating to the development of an ethical environment than a manager who violates the organization’s ethical standards.”

Dan Rice and Craig Dreilinger: Management. Consultants

Whistle-blowing

What can safety & health professionals do when their employer is violating legal or ethical standards?

 What about those occasions when the safety & health professional is ignored or, worse yet, told to “mind your own business”?

Whistle-blowing: It’s an act of informing outside authority of alleged illegal or unethical acts on the part of an organization or individual.

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Problems with Whistle-Blowing

 American society has an interesting attitude:  Even when the illegal or unethical practice in question

threatens the safety & health of employees, some people still don’t like whistle-blowers.

 Retribution.  Damaged relationships and hostility.  Loss of focus.  Scapegoating.

OSHA and Whistle-Blowing

 Illegal to discharge/discriminate employee 

 http://www.whistleblowers.gov  One more reason safety & health professionals

should encourage their employers to develop comprehensive safety & health policies.