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Social Sciences
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ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS Social Sciences Essay

Essay Instructions:

Ethical Decisions in the Workplace:
After reading your background readings, please review the following scenario and address the questions at the end.
Jerry Stevens heads up an excavation crew for the municipal utilities district in a city in Nebraska. A sewer line needs to be replaced and it has been excavated with a back-hoe. The trench is 7 feet deep. The municipality's safety rules indicate that employees should not go into the trench without a trench box. This rule is to prevent employees from being buried if the trench walls collapse. People die every year from trench cave-ins.
The trench box won't arrive on site for another 6 hours and the city promised residents that the sewer would be fixed by the end of the day, which now seems impossible. The City Administrator called Jerry on his cell phone and indicated that it was imperative that the sewer be fixed as soon as conceivably possible because a City Council member is served by that sewer line and will raise a fuss if it’s not fixed by the promised time.
One of the more experienced workers states, "It's only going to take 30 minutes to dig under the pipe and loosen the fittings. We don't need the trench box. We used to do this all the time before we were required to use one of those darn things."
Jerry knows he's right. He used to do it himself before the rule was put in place. Also, the soil is clearly a cohesive soil and it's highly unlikely that it will collapse. And although there is an organizational policy to use a trench box for trenches deeper than 5 feet, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have jurisdiction over municipalities in Nebraska because municipalities are political subdivisions of the State. The only entity regulating safety policies is the City's Safety Director and he took the day off.
1. In this scenario, to what extent do you think allowing the crew into the trench without a trench box would be pushing (or exceeding) the limit?
2. Discuss any ethical grey areas in this scenario?
3. What in your mind is the right thing to do?
4. What is the value of having an ethics program (and related programs like safety programs) and what are the responsibilities of front line leaders/supervisors and the workers when they face dilemmas such as the one described?
SLP Assignment Expectations:
Please take some time to review the materials and take a position on the issue. Write a 2- to 3-page assessment of the authors’ claims, and your assessment of what might be done in a place of business to prevent the "moral amnesia" phenomenon from taking a foothold in a place of business.
Your paper should be double-spaced and in 12-point type size.
Your paper should have a separate cover page and a separate reference page. Make sure you cite your sources.
Use APA style, and proofread your paper.
Upload your paper by the end of the module.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Ethical Decision Making in Difficult Situations
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Ethical Decision Making in Difficult Situations
In This Scenario, To What Extent Do You Think Allowing the Crew into The Trench Without A Trench Box Would Be Pushing (Or Exceeding) The Limit?
Going into the trench without a trench box would be pushing the limit because organizational policy dictates that excavators working in trenches should not go inside a trench that is more than five feet deep without a trench box. This rule has been put in place for a reason. It is meant to guarantee the safety of the workers in case the trench walls cave in. It does not matter if the organization enforcing the rule does not have jurisdiction in that city. The entity in charge (the City’s Safety Director), would undoubtedly agree that safety comes first. Just because the Director took the day off does not mean that the workers should disregard the need to ensure safety. Some of them claim that they have been doing trench work even before the trench box rule was introduced. But this is not a good enough excuse why they should be risking their lives.
Also, not all of the workers involved agreed with going into the trench without a trench box. While some may have worked without the need for trench boxes before, some are used to using the equipment to ensure their safety. Forcing them to work in uncomfortable situations is not right. Also, if all the excavators chose to go into the trench without a trench box, they would be risking their lives. Even though the soil is cohesive, and, therefore, less likely to cause the trench walls to collapse, the likelihood that this will happen is still there. So, they cannot outrightly ignore it. Finally, it does not make sense that the workers would have to risk their lives because a member of the city council would be angered if they did not fix the sewer line.
Discuss Any Ethical Grey Areas in This Scenario?
One of the ethical grey areas in this scenario involves the city council administrator. The fact that he demands that the sewer line be fixed by the end of the day, and at any cost crosses some ethical boundaries. As head of the city council, he should be a better leader. The safety of the excavators should precede the comfort of a city council member. The administrator should not be swayed by the influence of other authorities in the city. He should do what is right without any regard for what powerful figures in his council might think. This is the only ethical thing to do. He may not be able to secure his position in future, but he will have done what is right.
Another ethical grey area in this scenario involves some of the excavators. As seen in the scenario, one of the experienced excavators notes that in the past, they worked in trenches without trench boxes. Also, Jerry, the head of the excavating crew agrees because he has worked in similar conditions. In essence, the two are suggesting that they could go ahead with the job. However, this presents an ethical issue because the two seem to be disregarding the rules that have been put in place and the safety of the workers. As the two most experienced exca...
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