Ethical Engineering: Definitions, Theories and Techniques - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 56

The legislation includes protection against victimisation. Dismissal for making a
protected disclosure is automatically considered unfair dismissal. The degree of
protection depends on who the disclosure is made to. Workers are also entitled to
compensation if victimisation occurs. However, there is no protection against any
third party other than the employer. It remains to be seen how effective this legisla-
tion will be, particularly in encouraging people to report serious violations which
pose a real threat and in effectively protecting whistleblowers from retaliation.

4.6 Safety Considerations

Safety raises legal, practical and ethical issues. The catastrophic accident at the
Union Carbide plant at Bhopal, as a result of which 3,800 people were killed and
more than 200,000 others injured ( New York Times , Sept 12, 1990), shows the con-
sequences of ignoring safety. It also illustrates the ethical dimension of safety, since,
for instance, safety precautions, including the use of computerised instruments to
control safety systems and detect leaks, were not transferred from the West Virginia
plant to Bhopal, where the workers were required to detect leaks by seeing or smell-
ing them (Martin and Schinzinger 2004 ).
Organisations therefore need to have a safety culture, including at a minimum
the following:

1. Safety rules and procedures which meet appropriate national and international
standards and are regularly updated.
2. Regular training of all personnel in these procedures.
3. Clearly displayed information about hazards and the most important safety
procedures.
4. All safety information notices and materials to be made accessible with regard to
both language and format. This may require them to be provided in several dif-
ferent languages and different formats, including large print and sign language
videos.
5. All safety-related materials, including fi re extinguishers, fi rst-aid equipment and
protective clothing to be supplied and maintained by the organisation not
individuals.
6. Regular health and safety audits.
7. Effective evacuation procedures in the case of fi re or other emergency and which
include individual procedures for disabled or other people who require support.

Protecting research subjects and participants from mental harm can be more dif-
fi cult than protecting their physical safety and generally receives less attention in
the design of research and development projects or from ethics committees. It can
probably be assumed that a well-run project is unlikely to cause severe damage to
the physical health of research subjects. However, it may be more diffi cult to iden-
tify and avoid possible sources of mental distress, as this may require extensive