DP6

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

DP6

If the automobile manufacturer overrides Engineer A's harm-minimization recommendation and programs the vehicle to prioritize passenger safety above third-party welfare, what actions must Engineer A take — and does Engineer A's consultant status alter the scope or sequence of those obligations?

Engineer A's residual obligations when the automobile manufacturer overrides the harm-minimization recommendation — including graduated internal escalation, assessment of whether to certify the system, and evaluation of whether external reporting is triggered — and how the consultant relationship affects the scope and sequence of those obligations

Formally document the safety disagreement in writing to the manufacturer's responsible decision-makers, decline to certify or approve the passenger-priority system if it cannot be reconciled with the public welfare paramount obligation, and evaluate whether the foreseeability and severity of third-party fatal harm triggers an external reporting obligation beyond the consulting engagement

Document the safety concern in the consulting deliverable, communicate the disagreement verbally to the manufacturer's project lead, and continue participating in the technical optimization of the passenger-priority system while treating the manufacturer's policy override as a legitimate business decision within the client's authority — on the basis that Engineer A's professional duty is satisfied by having raised the concern and that the manufacturer bears ultimate design responsibility

Withdraw from the consulting engagement upon the manufacturer's override without formal written documentation of the specific certification threshold crossed, on the basis that the consultant relationship does not obligate Engineer A to pursue multi-tier internal escalation through an organization in which Engineer A holds no employment standing, and that withdrawal itself constitutes a sufficient professional signal of non-endorsement

Engineer A