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Case Analysis for Oil Spills

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Case Analysis for Oil Spills
Engineering Ethics

Case Analysis and Action Proposal

Oil Spills

Students: Fatima Al Khouri 100020247 Hind Al Muhairi 1000020268

Instructor: Dr. Jorge
Submission Date: Wednesday October 17th, 2012

------------------------------------------------- Case Summary
Peter has been working for with the Bigness Oil Company's local affiliate and established a trusting relationship with Jesse, manager of the local facility. Jesse was pleased with Peter's work and recommended that he be retained as the corporate consulting engineer. One day, Jesse started telling Peter a story of a mysterious loss in one of the raw petrochemicals he receives by pipeline in the 1950's. Since there was no surface or groundwater pollution off the plant property, the plant manager decided to do nothing and not report the states. Tests showed that there is zero concentration of gasoline in the groundwater within 400ft of the surface. Peter recognizes that the state law requires him to report all spills but doesn’t know about spills that happened a long time ago. He tried to convince Jesse that he has to report such a loss. However Jesse refuses and told him that reporting will not do the company, peter's career and the environment any good. Jesse also noted that, Peter's own Engineering code of ethics requires confidentiality and he can't have a consulting engineer that doesn’t value client loyalty.

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"What?" - Situation There are several facts issued through the issue that have different levels of importance. The oil spill happened a long time ago in the 1950 and it stayed in a vertical plume and slowly diffused into a deep aquifer. The surface water and 400 feet deep into the groundwater there was zero gasoline concentration. The state law acquires reporting all spills, however the plant manager decided to do nothing. Peter and Jesse agree on the facts but disagree about

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