Ethics in the Manufacture of Cyclohexane - Essay Example

Ethics in the Manufacture of Cyclohexane Introduction: Cyclohexane is a commercially important chemical with several industrial uses that include use as a solvent for dissolving cellulose ethers, lacquers, resins, fats, waxes, oils, bitumen and crude rubber. It is also used in the manufacturing industry for perfume manufacturing, surface coating operations employing lacquers, synthesis of adipic acid in the manufacture of nylon, synthesis of caprolactum and in the extraction of essential oils. Its multi-industrial use has led to large scale manufacturing of cyclohexane (Cyclohexane fact sheet). Yet, the manufacture of cyclohexane is replete with the issues of safety and health hazards and through this poses questions o ethics in its manufacture. Ethics in the Manufacture of Cyclohexane: Given that cyclohexane manufacture is replete with safety and health hazards for the workers and those living in the nearby vicinity, the best solution would appear to be not to manufacture cyclohexane. Yet this solution is deficient, as it does not take in to account the negative impact that the lack of manufacture of cyclohexane would have on business enterprises that use cyclohexane in their industrial processes and the customers of products from these industries. An example is useful in understanding this paradox in the continued manufacture of hazardous products. Let us take the example of hazardous pesticides. It is well known that pesticides are harmful to the farmers and the environment. Still the manufacture and use of pesticides in agriculture continues on a large scale. This continued use of hazardous pesticides is known to be the cause of the death of many farmers. Its manufacture and use is continued to sustain production levels to ensure food production meets the demand, for otherwise many would die from starvation. In this scenario the best solution with regard to hazardous chemicals is not the stopping of its manufacture and use, but from the moral perspective not right, for it requires farmers to continue to die from in its use. Thus the best practical solution is seldom the best moral solution (Kline, 2005). The continued manufacture of cyclohexane however, requires that steps are taken to minimize the possible safety risks and the hazards to health. From the perspective of a business organization there are several needs and wants and safety and health hazards do not necessarily fall among its needs and wants. The best solution requires that safety risks and hazards to health are minimized, which is an example of the best solution exceeding the needs and wants of an organization. Failing to heed to the requirements of reduced safety risks and health hazards by an organization is not a wining situation for an organization, for should there be any such occurrence it would wipe out all its other needs and wants (Hardin, 1968). Management quite often fails to perceive all the need and wants of am organization, and such a perspective can come from the engineers, who as a profession have learned to handle things. In the case of the manufacture of cyclohexane engineers know the safety problems that occur with the manufacturing process and the piping of the hazardous materials involved in the process, whereas the management may be only conscious of the mandated safety requirements in the handling of hazardous cyclohexane and believe that adhering to these are the only needs of the organization. Engineers know that there is far greater risk in not monitoring and adhering to safety practices in the processes involved and in the piping of the hazardous chemicals involved. In short, ensuring that plant production equipment and piping control and materials are fault free may not be considered as an essential need of an organization from a management perspective, but is so from an engineering perspective and the engineering professionals need to be proactive in this regard. A leaking valve would be as or more disastrous than the faulty “O” ring in the Challenger disaster (Davis, 1991). We may consider a profession as a group of individuals that would like to cooperate towards the same ideal to serve it better than if the did not cooperate, and engineers can be considered as a profession. This is because engineers, as such are considered to serve the ideals of efficient design, construction, and maintenance of useful objects. The engineering professional code of ethic requires that these common ideals are pursued so that each engineer may do the best possible at a minimal cost to self and all in their care, which also includes the public. Viewed from this perspective the engineering professional code of ethics makes it essential that engineers take into consideration the wants and needs of not just the organization, but also the engineers themselves, other employees, the community in which they work, the consumers of their products and the environment. In the manufacture of cyclohexane removing safety risks and health hazards are wants and needs of the all in the care of the engineers and needs to be a constant consideration of engineers (Davis, 1991). The public and environment may be extraneous to the work place of the engineers, yet they are part of those who fall under the care of the engineering professionals as a part of their functional responsibilities at the work place. They become part of the care of the engineers because of the impact that the safety of the work place and the pollution that could result from faults in this safety. In the case of the cyclohexane this aspect is heightened because cyclohexane is toxic to the humans that breathe, consume or come in contact with it and cyclohexane pollutes the environment for a long time, because of its poor biodegradable property (Cyclohexane fact sheet). Though the manufacture of cyclohexane does not come under strict EPA guidelines, there are mandated guidelines, which need to be adhered to by the organization manufacturing cyclohexane (Cyclohexane fact sheet).The engineering code of ethics is not governed by any mandates and so engineering professionals set their own standards of safety. Should mandated guidelines fall below the expectations of the engineering profession, then the engineering profession has every right to ensure that its higher safety standards are maintained on the principle of the good of many is more important than the good of one (Hardin 1968). This principle makes the solution that reduces pollution and increases safety in the eyes of the engineering profession the best solution, even if it surpasses the legal requirements, and is not the best solution in the eyes of the organization, for it ensures the safety of all by preventing disasters (Davis, 1991). There is the possibility of objection from the organization to the best solution of the engineering profession based on its code of ethics by management, when it does not view it as the best solution. Pressure may be applied for the engineering profession to reduce the standards of its solution based on its code of ethics. The engineering code of ethics calls for engineers to stand up for its solution without diluting it. The example of the Challenger disaster, which occurred as a result of engineering bowing to organizational pressure and accepting an inferior solution, is a stark reminder (Davis, 1991). Yes the engineer is required to have a wider range of knowledge and skills than I had originally imagined. Knowledge of materials involved in the manufacturing processes and the products obtained is required, so that an understanding of the potential safety and health hazards are known. Knowledge of the legal guidelines for minimising health and safety hazards is essential along with the skills to evaluate these guidelines for any flaws in the eyes of the engineering profession and coming up with solutions to rectify it. Finally engineers also require communication and persuasion skills to communicate clearly the required safety guidelines and persuade management to accept it, even though they may not view it as the best solution. Literary Resources Davis, Michael.1991, Thinking Like an Engineer, Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT, ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY [Online] Available at: http://ethics.iit.edu/publication/md_te.html Hardin, Garrett. 1968, ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’, The Garrett Hardin Society. [Online] Available at: http://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_tragedy_of_the_commons.html Kline, M. John. 2005, Ethics for International Business: Decision Making in a Global Political Economy, Routledge, Kentucky. ‘OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH GUIDELINE FOR CYCLOHEXANE’, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor [Online] Available at: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/cyclohexane/recognition.html (Accessed March 3, 2008) Read More