Ethical Issues in Aviation - Term Paper Example

Aviation Mechanic Ethical Issues Introduction In every given sector of the economy, ethics are very important because they allow coworkers to live in harmony and in addition, customers receive the best treatment because employees are mandated to follow the laid down procedures. It is of paramount importance to note that customers are very important in any given business because they ensure that the business succeeds. The world of business is increasingly becoming very competitive thanks to globalization. All organizations in the aviation sector have to come up with enticing products and services that will ensure that their customers do not opt to go to their competitors. This is unachievable if employees in the organization do not follow strict ethical standards (Hoppe, 2011). Mechanics in the aviation sector are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that aircrafts and any other important machines in the industry are in the best conditions. This can be attributed to the fact that accidents in the sector are very lethal in most instances because survival is limited when an aircraft crash lands. This implies that all mechanics should follow a good set of ethical standards because it plays a critical role in saving lives. It is worth noting that managers, as well subordinate staff in the industry should always strive to ensure that all their duties are performed diligently. Performance of duties should be based on someone’s willingness to deliver to his or her potential at any given time. It is the responsibility of the management to ensure that all workers are playing their role because this goes a long way in saving lives and increasing the performance of an organization. An organization that records a high number of accidents would definitely lose customers because of loss of faith in the organization (Oderman, 2004). On the other hand, organization with a high reputation of ensuring customer safety, would gain in the market because customers need the best services in the market. The increasing competition between organizations in the world means that an organization that aspires to have a competitive edge must strive to deliver to customers’ expectations. In addition, one ought to understand that the performance of each employee determines the overall performance of an organization because a rope is as a strong as its weakest link. Although some organizations might ignore the importance of ensuring that its mechanical sector is performing to its potential, it has to be noted that, this is the bottom line for an aviation organization’s success (Hoppe, 2011). Aviation Mechanic Ethical Issues It would be practically impossible to achieve safety in the air without ensuring that there is quality on the ground. Contrary to what happens in road automobiles, aircrafts do not give the mechanic a chance to test drive the vehicle before it is allowed to take in goods or passengers. This means that aircraft mechanics have to be sure of what they are doing in order to ensure the safety of the other members of crew and their passengers. The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) offers guidelines to what is expected of mechanics because their actions can have an adverse effect on thousands of lives. In order to ensure that mechanics are performing their duties diligently, PAMA organizes scholarship programs, holds national and local meetings, gives various excellences, merit awards, and gives the mechanics an overview of what is expected of them. Moreover, PAMA is charged with the responsibility of publishing and promoting Code of Ethics for Aviation Maintenance Technicians, which all mechanics in the aviation sector must follow (Oderman, 2004). Responsibility of PAMA Members All PAMA members should be responsible to the government and the republic as stipulated in the Code of Ethics for Aviation Maintenance Technicians. The behavior of all mechanics should be in a manner that draws confidence from the public. During their performance of the assigned duties, they are expected to follow principles of the highest order in their code of conduct. Mechanics are expected to understand that the live of other people in the sector depends on their skill and the ability to utilize it to the maximum. The mechanic is expected to pledge that s/he would never subject others to risk because of his/her ignorance. In addition, s/he would never subject him/herself and his/her loved ones to any risk under any given circumstances (Hoppe, 2011). Limitations in the Code of Ethics Although the mechanics acknowledge avoiding endangering the life of anyone because of negligence, it has to be noted that some aspects cannot be met. Mechanics agree that they cannot possess express knowledge about the needs of any given aircraft because aircrafts come in different makes and designs. This implies that a mechanic can be unaware of a mistake s/he has made because of having to deal with a new design, which s/he has never seen before. This leads the mechanic to agreeing that s/he will never undertake to do or supervise work that is beyond his/her knowledge (Oderman, 2004). Outside influence might have devastating effects on the work of an aviation mechanic. This implies that a mechanic must agree that s/he would never perform his/her duties if there were an outside influence. It is worth noting that outside influence might arise from superiors or any other person in a position of authority. If the mechanic has doubts with a certain aircraft, s/he is expected not to qualify it irrespective of any influences from the outside. Moreover, the mechanic should never accept any gifts or money for the purposes of swaying his/her judgment. The mechanic’s judgment should be final and no compromises should be accepted because the safety of the aircraft’s crew depends on the mechanic’s judgments (Oderman, 2004). The mechanic agrees that his/her personal judgment is in accordance with the safety standards expected. Since the mechanic/technician is certified, s/he acknowledges that his/her position can be used to deliver the best judgment at any given time. This implies that the mechanic should take responsibility for any mishaps that might happen once the aircraft takes off. Certification of a technician or mechanic is accompanied with the responsibility of ensuring that judgments are done in a way that advocates for safety and advancement of aviation as well as dignity of the mechanic’s/technician’s vocation (Oderman, 2004). Ethical Issues Faced by Aviation Mechanic Employees Employees in the mechanical and technician sector in aviation understand that it is their responsibility to ensure the safety of all other employees in the sector. On the contrary, it comes with several challenges mainly because of outside influence. Seniors, sometimes treat employees in the lower cadres like subjects. This leaves the low cadre employees in a tight spot because they have to choose between their jobs and loyalty to their bosses. It has to be noted that in most cases, a person in a higher political position might threaten a technician or a mechanic with even death if the technician/mechanic does not choose to follow what is on offer (Oderman, 2004). It has to be understood that choosing between death and life happens to be a tricky issue. This implies that employees are subjected to numerous issues because their bosses might ask to certify a non-performing aircraft. It has to be understood that it is the responsibility of PAMA to ensure that all undertakings in the aviation sector are according to the law but some organizations do not follow the laid down procedures. This proves to be a challenge to a technician/mechanic who aspires to give his/her best at any given time (Hoppe, 2011). A lot has changed since the terrorist attacks that happened in United States of America on September 11 2001. Passengers’ scrutiny has been on the rise and some employees feel that a certain religion is being targeted by the immigration officials. This means that some of the employees are treated with skepticism despite the fact they are loyal to their obligations and expectations. It is of paramount importance to note that this has a devastating effect on the morale and motivation of certain religious groups because the management views them as a potential source of threat to an organization’s safety standards. This implies that although employees are aware of what the organization and the society expects of them, sometimes they are faced with the daunting task of eliminating the stereotype associated with their religion or race. It has to be noted that in most instances, some of the employees are very loyal to their organizations and as a result, they feel demoralized when they are accused for unconceivable ideas (Hoppe, 2011). According to Hoppe (2011), apart from Asian-Americans, the number of trained technicians and mechanics in the aviation sector is very low and as a result, those working in the sector from the minority groups in the United States feel insecure. This can be attributed to the fact such individuals feel that the sector does not want them to work with them. This is despite the fact that the American constitution guarantees equal rights for every person living or working in the country. The time taken by technicians and mechanics in the preparation of the job to be done is equal to the time taken to accomplish the real job. This implies that the job is strenuous and as a result, some aspects might be forgotten. This does not mean that such a person is ignorant, but mistakes arise from the fact of being stressed and having to work for extra hours. This means that employees should be given enough time to accomplish their duties (Hoppe, 2011). Ethical Issues Faced by Aviation Mechanic Managers Management of people in any given sector of the economy is hard because people hold different personalities. Managers are faced with the challenge of ensuring that all employees in the technical and mechanical sector perform their duties diligently. On the other hand, it is worth noting that ascertaining whether one is doing what is expected of him/her, happens to be very difficult because of the threats that are posed by terrorists across the world. In addition, managers are expected to be unbiased in the way they choose their employees. It is worth noting that employee promotion cannot be done based on religion or ethnicity, which leaves managers at a tight spot because some organizations depict a certain group of individuals as terrorists. This is despite that extremity in religion is an individual’s choice, which means that some employees might be victimized for errors they knew nothing about (Hoppe, 2011). Human factors such as complacency, stress and fatigue are important in the performance of technician or a mechanic. Studies have established that human factors account for more than eighty percent of the accidents happening across the world in the aviation sector. Detection of such human errors is very important because it leads to reduced chances of accidents or even wastage of time. One ought to understand that it is the work of the manager to ensure that all employees are in a good working condition, because when one is forced to work under stress, chances are high that s/he would lead to an error. Aviation errors are very costly and they should be avoided at all times (Hoppe, 2011). Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT) is subjected to certain stresses that do not occur in the other sectors of the transport system. This can be attributed to the fact that in most cases, they are forced to work in the evenings or during the early hours of the morning. The management is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all the work that has been done is up to standard. This is unachievable because in most cases the mechanics and technicians have to work in enclosed perimeters, which means that whatever they tell the managers has to be taken as the reality of the situation (Hoppe, 2011). Conclusion Safety in the air starts with the amount of quality work that has been done on the ground. This is because aircrafts in most cases engage in fatal accidents. In order to avoid such accidents, managers and all other employees in the mechanic sector of the aviation industry must ensure that their duties are performed diligently because this goes a long way in minimizing the chances of accidents happening. Majority of accidents that affect the aviation industry are from human errors, which means that they are preventable. On the contrary this in unachievable if all the stakeholders do not take time to ensure their duties are error free. It is worth noting that human is to error but some errors can be eliminated or reduced when following the right ethical rules and standards set for any sector of the economy. References Hoppe, E. A. (2011). Ethical Issues in Aviation. New York: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Oderman, D. B. (2004). "Ethics Education in University Aviation Management Programs in the US. Part Three--Qualitative Analysis and Recommendations." Journal of Air Transportation, 9(1): 58-85. Read More