Bursic 2:00

R05

MY CONSCIENCE OR MY JOB?
David Miller (dsm58@pitt.edu)

INTRODUCTION
My name is David Miller, and I currently am employed at
Bridgetek Incorporated. We have been building bridges
across the country for the past forty-seven years, although I
have only been a part of this company for a mere five years.
Up until three years ago, we did exactly what other bridge
building companies do. We hauled in materials and used
cranes and other large machines to assemble bridges bit by bit
on site. For the past three years, we have deployed a new and
modern take on building bridges, and it has been absolutely
fantastic for business. However, I recently discovered what I
think to be a very slight chance for our method to have a very
serious flaw in structural integrity. I am on a team that is
tasked with the responsibility of checking in on previous
projects and ensuring that all is well with them. During my
teams last trip across the northeastern states, I noticed
something that was present with our bridges that were built
using the new method and was absent from our traditional
bridges. I kept it to myself at the time so as not to worry any
others before I knew if it was a real problem or not. As I
delved deeper and deeper into the blueprints of our bridges
and carefully rechecked the calculations, my worst fear was
confirmed. Now, I worry as to what may happen if I share this
information or make it public?

THE SITUATION
Three years ago, my company, Bridgetek Incorporated,
adopted a product that was newly developed in China and had
still not been perfected. This product is called the SLJ 900/32.
Simply put, it is an incredibly large piece of machinery that
carries massive sections of bridge and drops them in place like
a puzzle piece [1]. We were able to persuade the designing
company to sell us three of their creations for an unspeakable
amount of money. We assumed that the machines would pay
for themselves soon enough. We assumed correctly. Within
these past three years, we erected fifteen large bridges with
high efficiency and satisfaction. As we built those bridges,
more and more orders piled in and contracts were made. The
company made tenfold the initial cost of the three SLJs in pure
profit.
However, I recently discovered what I believed to be a
flaw in our new bridges. The chances are infinitesimally
small, but, if the conditions are right (very heavy winds
coupled with dense traffic), these bridges may experience
catastrophic failure (completely collapse). Due to the size and
location of these bridges, several being in/around major cities,
there is a very high likelihood of that collapse occurring while
the bridge is covered with cars and people. It does not take a
genius to realize that this is an issue. Naturally, I went to my
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering 1
2015-10-06

project leader immediately and presented all that I had found.

He hardly even glanced at what I showed him. He simply told
me that I was in over my head for such a new employee and
that I should drop it.
After several attempts, none of them successful, I decided
to go above his head. I knew that I had to contact the CEO of
the company, Mr. Wilson Fisk, but I was not certain as to how
someone like myself could do such a thing. I decided to send
him an email with the subject line reading, SLJ BRIDGE
FAILURE and was surprisingly called to his office later that
day. He invited me to have a seat and explain my argument
further. I recovered from my shock, gathered myself, and told
him everything I had done to come to this conclusion. At the
end of it all, he simply smiled and guided me to a window
overlooking many of the cubicles and offices in the building.
He told me to look at what this company had become since
the arrival of the SLJ. Mr. Fisk then admitted to me that he
was already aware of the problem, in fact, he had been from
the beginning. He had also informed my project leader about
the situation and offered him a large bonus to look the other
way. He then extended an offer to me that was even larger
than my project leaders. Mr. Fisk told me that he would love
to have someone with my intelligence and passion to work
higher up in his company. My options were to accept the offer
or to lose my job.
Luckily, Mr. Fisk was willing to give me as much time as
I needed to mull it over. I went home and weighed the pros
and cons of my options. If I take the offer, then I will never
have to worry about money or job security again. I will be
able to more than provide for my family. However, my
conscience would eat me alive. I would forever have that
chewing at my very soul, and I do not know that I could live
like that. If the bridges were to collapse, I would be directly
responsible as well because it was my job to ensure that they
were sound. I would be guilty both by law and my own
morality. Also, the entire company would most likely be shut
down and all of the innocent employees would be out of work
because I took a bribe. I would never be able to live with the
blood of one death on my hands, let alone how many could
die as a result of a bridge collapse. It could kill hundreds of
people. My name would be ruined, my company would be
ruined, and the SLJ would never be trusted again. The SLJ,
with the right improvements, could be a monumental
improvement in the area of civil engineering, and it would be
gone before it even got a fair chance. This country needs an
improvement in bridge infrastructure terribly, and if the SLJ
were to fail, who knows how long it could be until something
new happens. Eventually, the bridges in this country are going
to start failing if they are not replaced with more modern
bridges. On the other hand, if I choose to decline the offer and
go public with my findings. I would surely lose my job. It

David Miller

would not be right away because that would be too suspicious

for the company. Mr. Fisk told me exactly what would
happen. He has no evidence of him knowing about the flaw,
so he would simply act as if he had never known, and it would
be his word, the word of a CEO of a company, against my
word, a young engineering working an entry level job. The
company would lose an incredible amount of money redoing
the bridges and would most likely receive far fewer contracts
than it had been. After the whole thing had blown over, I
would be framed and fired for violating some company rules.
My name and reputation would be tarnished, and I would have
difficulty finding another job in this area of engineering.
However, my conscience would be with me on this choice. I
was definitely leaning in a certain direction at this point, but I
figured that it would not hurt if I sought help from a few other
sources.

engineer, human lives have been put directly in my hands, and

it is my duty to keep them safe. Their safety should be placed
before my own quest for success and wealth. Canon 6 was
extremely helpful especially, it helped me realize that I should
have zero-tolerance towards any type of bribery, fraud, and
corruption, [3]. After reviewing these two codes, I was sure
of my decision, and I was prepared to write an article exposing
my company the next morning. I decided to email my boss,
Mr. Fisk, that evening to inform him that I would not be
accepting his offer. Admittedly, that was probably not the
brightest decision I could have made, but I wanted to be the
one he heard it from first, rather than the news. I woke up the
next morning to find that my house had been broken into
overnight. I found a note on my dining room table that said,
Take the deal or next time we wont just take valuables. I
immediately thought of the safety of my family. How could I
be forced to choose between my wife and two young children
and possibly hundreds of strangers? My decision no longer
seemed so easy. I looked at my email to learn that my boss
had replied early that morning, so he could claim he had
nothing to do with the nights events. He simply said that he
hoped I would reconsider, and he was giving me a week to do
so.

SEEKING ADVICE
Upon deciding that I should seek advice, I quickly
compiled a list of what I consider to be very reliable
resources: the NSPE and ASCE Codes of Ethics, ethics in
engineering case studies, articles concerning ethics written by
other engineers, my mother, and my pastor.

The Case Studies

The Codes

I moved on to my next source of advice, ethical case

studies with engineering scenarios. I found several that I
believe are applicable to my situation.
The first website I found provided me with two case
studies that had an impact on me. Case 1039 was about an
environmental engineer who was sent to a site to take sample
on some industrial waste and give a report on its toxicity. He
did so and reported that the results of the test would most
likely say that the barrels are toxic and will require special
disposal, which would cost extra money. A week later, he
notices some men loading up the barrels of toxic waste to take
them away. He asks them what they are doing, and they say
that they were told the contents had been tested and were
clean. He knows that his samples have not yet been tested and
not enough time has passed for a second test to have been run,
so he is immediately suspicious. A poll was taken to
determine what would be the best action for the engineer.
Basically, it was decided that he should take his sample to a
lab right away and request a rushed analysis. Depending on
the results, he should then confront his boss or not have to
worry because the barrels were clean, [4].
The other case study I read on that website was #1042 and
it was about a newly hired engineering who had been given
the task of making sure steel beams had been treated with a
protective coating during the construction of an office
building. He noticed that some sections of the beams were
inside of walls when the spray was applied and is concerned
that they were not treated. He is told by the superintendent of
the project that they were treated properly and to forget about
it. He is troubled by the way he was told to forget about it

The first place I went to assist in making my decision was

the National Society of Professional Engineers Code of
Ethics. Three of the fundamental canons stood out to me: 1.
Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
5. Avoid deceptive acts. 6. Engineers shall conduct
themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so
as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the
profession, [2]. More specifically, Canon 1 states that
Engineers shall not aid or abet the unlawful practice of
engineering by a person or firm, [2]. Under the Professional
Obligations section, it also states that Engineers shall
acknowledge their errors and shall not distort or alter the
factsEngineers shall at all times strive to serve the public
interest, [2]. As I am reading this, my decision is becoming
easier and easier, which is very relieving. Then, I notice this
statement, Engineers shall not disclose, without consent,
confidential information concerning the business affairs or
technical processes of any present of former client or
employer, or public body on which they serve, which makes
it sound as if I will also be committing a crime by going public
with the information that I have about my company, [2]. I still
feel rather confident about my initial feeling though, I find it
the right thing to do.
I decided to look at the American Society of Civil
Engineers Code of Ethics as well. It is very similar, as
expected, to the NSPE Code, but some things are worded in a
different way that provides a somewhat new opinion.
Essentially, the ASCE Code of Ethics told me that, as an

David Miller

rather than shown why he had nothing to worry about. Again,

there was a poll taken to see what the best course of action
was. The answer that took the most votes: follow the code of
ethics. If I follow the code of ethics, it leads me to my original
decision which may harm my family. I press on and find case
studies on other websites and find several with similar
scenarios and results. However, there was one other that stood
out to me because it was very similar to my situation.
In the case study, The Cost of Integrity, a well-known
engineer had constructed an impressive building that he
believed was structurally sound. Out of the blue one day, he
receives a phone call from a student at a local college who
expresses concern about his building actually being unsound.
The professional blows him off at first, but then he begins to
realize that the student is correct. He is faced with a tough
dilemma. He can either admit that he designed and built and
unsafe building and have to fix it, lose money, and lose
respect or he can allow it to stay as is and risk it collapsing
and killing many people. The solution provided was that the
engineer swallow his pride and admit his mistake and seek to
fix the problem before anyone gets hurt [5]. After reading
these case studies, my decision again has become fairly cut
and dry. I must expose Bridgetek, accept losing my job and
reputation, and do my best to protect my family. My family is
what I care about most in this world. I would never forgive
myself if something happened to them. Of all the information
I have looked over so far, none of them have involved the
engineers family being at risk. The chance of putting them in
danger is all that is holding me back. I ponder, pray, and
research some more throughout the night.

The People
I quickly call my mom because she is the one who taught
me right from wrong and introduced me to Christianity. I tell
her everything, except that my family may be in danger
because I do not want to worry her. I simply told her that there
may be certain consequences if I decline Fisks offer. She tells
me exactly what I was expecting, and needing to hear. I have
to stop being selfish, in relation to my job, and do what is right
in order to save lives and expose corruption in my company
[8]. I get off the phone with her and immediately call my
pastor, Dr. Eric Molicki. This man has played an enormous
role in my Christian life; he is very knowledgeable in
Christian ways and is also extremely educated and intelligent.
After I explained my position to him, he paused for a moment
and simply told me that I did not need his advice. He told me
that he knows me and knows that the answer to my problem
is within my heart [9]. As I hung up with him, I knew what I
had to do. After all of this time spent searching for answers,
my pastor was right, all I had to do was look in my heart. I did
not need a code of ethics to tell me that allowing hundreds of
people to die so I could make money was wrong.

MY DECISION
Finally, I was set on sticking it to the man. I was going to
fully expose everything that Bridgetek was doing wrong and
accept whatever consequences would come my way. When I
had done so, I would be sure to show authorities both the
threatening note and my boss email in hopes that they would
protect my family until this was over. I went to bed that night
and slept better than I had for days, feeling sure of myself and
content with what was to come. No job, no amount of money,
no reputation could ever be worth even one human life. No
matter how slim the chances were, if I knew that the bridge
could fail and I could prevent it, I would sacrifice anything to
do so. I decided that it was time to let my wife know about the
situation, and she was angry with me for taking so long to
make my decision. She told me that it was not even a difficult
decision to put her life at risk to potentially save many others.
I was fully aware of all the consequences that I may have to
suffer once I made this decision, and I was willing to accept
whatever came my way. I trusted that whatever was to happen
was in accordance with Gods will and was meant to happen.

The Articles
My next source of advice comes from ethical articles
written by engineers. I found one specifically concerning
bridge collapses. The very first sentence of the article says,
Another duty of the engineer is the duty to warn, which only
strikes another pang of guilt into my conscience [6]. Source
after source has confirmed that my decision is indeed the
correct one, yet I am so very afraid of that decision. I was
almost looking for a source that would tell me it was okay to
ignore this and protect my family.
The next website provided by my search engine was one
that led me to an article titled, Christianity and Engineering
Ethics which instantly grabbed my attention as I have been a
strong Christian since childhood. The article discussed how
more and more engineers are becoming adept at ignoring as
many ethics as possible and just becoming good at doing their
jobs, almost like machines. The author, Karl D. Stephan,
credits this to the slow and steady removal of God and
Christianity from society. He goes on to talk about how the
very origins of ethics are based in Christianity and that a spark
in Christianity is the only way to bring about an improvement
in ethics in engineering [7]. This gives me an idea that I am
ashamed to have not thought of before.

MY ADVICE TO OTHERS
To any of you out there who may be stuck in an ethical
dilemma, whether it be similar to mine or nothing like it at all,
I have three pieces of advice for you: look within yourself,
look at the codes of ethics that have been established by those
before you, and, finally, turn to the Bible. Even if you are
someone who may be considered to be unethical, chances are
you have the same knowledge of ethics as most others, it is

David Miller

rare not to. Many unethical people have just gotten very good
at ignoring their conscience in order to gain from corruption.
Reviewing over what is deemed ethical by your predecessors
and peers may trigger something within you. If you find your
conscience eating at you from within, trust it. Also, read the
Bible, pray, talk to your/a local pastor. I am sure they will be
happy to help you apply Gods loving instruction to your
situation. Oftentimes, the decision is within us and just
requires some prodding to get it out. My best advice is that
you find someone who is willing to ask you the tough
questions that make you really search within yourself to find
what you know is the correct course of action.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES
National Society of Professional Engineers (2014, April 30)
(online website with case studies)
http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/BER%20Case%20No
%2013-11-FINAL.pdf
Stanford University (2011) (online website with case studies)
http://biodesign.stanford.edu/bdn/resources/ethicscases.jsp

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr. Janet Zellmann for taking time out
of her busy week to meet with me to discuss this essay and
my plans for it. I would like to thank all of my floormates who
helped me out with remembering formatting and details of the
instructions for this essay. I would also like to thank whoever
uploaded the three-hour playlist of *classic rock* music onto
YouTube because that is what got me through writing this
essay in one sitting.

CONCLUSION
After many countless hours of thinking, praying, and
asking, I came to the only solution that is acceptable. I must
reveal that my companys new bridges may be unsafe and
need to be repaired as swiftly as possible. I have weighed the
impacts of my decision and decided that it was best for the
most people if I do this. I am sacrificing my job and
potentially my familys and my own lives for the jobs of my
coworkers and the lives of random, innocent pedestrians. I am
happy to do that because it is the right thing to do in
perspective of both human law and Christian beliefs. I hope
all of my decisions in life will fulfill that statement.

REFERENCES
[1] SLJ 900/32 Bridge Girder Erector Mega Machine
(original) Funny & Amazing Planet (2015, April 26)
(Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6X82g2UZOs
[2] National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics
http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/
CodeofEthics/Code-2007-July.pdf
[3] American Society of Civil Engineers Code of Ethics
http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/About_ASCE/Ethics/Co
ntent_Pieces/CodeofEthics2006.pdf
[4] Ethics Cases Texas Tech University (website)
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.ph
p
[5] Ethics Case Studies Webguru (website)
http://www.webguru.neu.edu/professionalism/casestudies/cost-integrity
[6] J. Kardon (1999, March) The Structural Engineers
Standard
of
Care
(online
article)
http://www.onlineethics.org/Topics/ProfPractice/PPCases/st
andard_of_care.aspx
[7] K. Stephan (1999, October 22) Christianity and
Engineering Ethics (online article)
http://www.leaderu.com/aip/docs/stephan1.html
[8] S. Miller (2015, October 28) Telephone Conversation
[9] E. Molicki (2015, October 28) Telephone Conversation