DP3

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP3

Should Engineer A calibrate his escalation scope to the non-imminent, limited nature of the barn's snow-load collapse risk — pursuing a proportionate multi-step response that distinguishes this case from BER 00-5's imminent bridge collapse — or does the Public Welfare Paramount principle demand the same full-bore multi-authority escalation regardless of imminence once a non-engineer authority fails to act?

Proportional vs. Full-Bore Escalation: How the Non-Imminent Barn Risk Compares to BER 00-5's Imminent Bridge Collapse in Calibrating Engineer A's Escalation Scope

Calibrate the escalation scope to the non-imminent nature of the barn risk by pursuing a proportionate multi-step response: issue a written follow-up to the town supervisor with a defined response deadline, notify Jones in writing simultaneously, and escalate to county or state building officials only upon continued inaction — distinguishing this approach from BER 00-5's immediate full-bore multi-authority campaign on the grounds of lesser imminence and Engineer A's private-citizen rather than public-employee role.

Apply the same full-bore multi-authority escalation as BER 00-5 — notifying county and state building officials, the state engineering licensure board, and other appropriate authorities immediately upon the town supervisor's inaction — on the grounds that the Public Welfare Paramount principle applies equally regardless of employment status or risk imminence, and that a non-engineer authority's failure to act is itself sufficient to trigger maximum escalation.

Treat the single verbal contact with the town supervisor as a proportionate and complete discharge of the escalation obligation for a non-imminent, limited-scope structural risk, distinguishing the present case from BER 00-5 on the grounds that Engineer A's private-citizen role, the non-imminent character of the snow-load risk, and the town's own certificate-of-occupancy review collectively justify a more restrained approach that does not require further escalation after the supervisor's non-response.

Engineer