The film “Gilbane Gold” features the eponymous town, which is known for the excellent fertilizer made from its sewage plant sludge. To maintain the quality of the product, which benefits all inhabitants of the town via tax revenue supplementation, it has introduced stringent regulations on materials permitted to be in sewage. However, at the same time, it has also attempted to create a business-friendly environment and introduce tax abatements for companies that would move in. As a result, Z Corp moved in and established a plant that has recently discovered that it has been dumping excessive amounts of toxic waste. From the viewpoint of David, a new employee, the author will review the unethical behaviors of the engineers presented in the movie.
The first ethical issue is the engineers’ behavior prior to the usage of the new test and the discovery of the problem. The city’s regulations regarding toxic waste were flawed, enabling companies to dilute their waste with water to increase the overall volume and reduce the proportion of harmful materials in it. Moreover, an engineer needs to sign the test results before they are submitted to the city. They were presumably aware of the unethical practice or the possibility of it but did not report it to the city. In doing so, they violated the first fundamental canon of the NSPE Code of Ethics, disregarding the safety, health, and welfare of the public. In their place, the author would have reported the problem to the city, even if it did not manifest in practice.
The second ethical issue is whether Z Corp should present the results of the new test to the city. The city does not require it to use the new test, and the old one would not show that the company’s effusions were above the limit. However, in submitting the old test instead of the new one, the engineer signing the results would violate the fifth fundamental canon, avoiding deceptive acts. As such, in David’s place, the author would report the problem to the city regardless of the consequences for the company.
The final ethical issue is in David and the other engineers’ continued association with Z Corp despite its questionable actions. Tom Richards, the environmental engineering consultant for the company, voiced an opinion that it had violated regulations repeatedly. However, instead of investigating the allegations, the company fired him, which may have indicated awareness of an unlawful practice and the desire to conceal it. Engineers who follow the first rule of practice, paragraph e, should have questioned the firing and pressured the company to investigate.
Overall, the engineers in the film acted too passively, preferring to overlook potentially problematic actions so as not to risk their positions at the company. In doing so, they violated multiple components of the NSPE Code of Ethics, enabling Z Corp to exceed regulations in its toxic waste effusions and endanger the public in multiple ways. It is critical to remember the purpose for which the Code of Ethics was created, which is to avoid the development of situations such as the one depicted through constant vigilance.