DP3

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

DP3

Upon receiving Engineer A's internal report of the adjacent safety hazard, should ES Consulting actively coordinate a response — including determining whether to notify Owner Y directly — or may ES Consulting treat the matter as outside its contractual scope and decline to take further action beyond acknowledging receipt of Engineer A's report?

ES Consulting, upon receiving Engineer A's internal report of the observed adjacent safety hazard on Owner Y's property, faces its own independent organizational obligation to coordinate an appropriate response. This decision point addresses what ES Consulting must do with the information — including whether it must determine whether direct notification to Owner Y is warranted — and how the firm's response (or inaction) affects the collective discharge of the public welfare obligation.

Upon receiving Engineer A's report, ES Consulting actively evaluates the severity and imminence of the observed hazard, determines whether direct written notification to Owner Y or the relevant subcontractor is warranted, and takes documented action — fulfilling the firm's role as the institutional intermediary through which the collective public welfare obligation is discharged.

Acknowledge receipt of Engineer A's internal report, document it in the project file, and take no further action on the grounds that Owner Y's project has its own site supervision and professional oversight, that ES Consulting has no contractual mandate to assess or report on adjacent properties, and that intervening without invitation could expose the firm to liability for unauthorized professional advice.

Inform Client X of Engineer A's observation and seek Client X's guidance or consent before taking any action toward Owner Y or the subcontractor, on the grounds that ES Consulting's primary duty runs to Client X and that any action affecting adjacent parties should be coordinated with the client whose project created the context for the observation.

Employer