DP2

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

DP2

Should Engineer A apply the standard sequential escalation pathway — giving Engineer B a reasonable opportunity to respond and self-correct before reporting to authorities — or, upon assessing the severity and imminence of the risk, bypass the collegial step and report immediately to proper authorities without awaiting Engineer B's response?

After notifying Engineer B of the discovered safety code violations, Engineer A must assess the severity and imminence of the public safety risk and determine whether the standard sequential escalation pathway applies or whether the circumstances require immediate bypass of the collegial step and direct reporting to authorities. This decision turns on whether the 'may be in violation' standard triggers the same escalation obligations as a confirmed violation, and how Engineer A should document the professional judgment underlying the chosen pathway.

Conduct and document a professional severity-and-imminence assessment, determine that the risk is potential rather than confirmed imminent, and proceed with the sequential escalation pathway — notifying Engineer B, establishing a clear corrective action expectation with a defined timeframe, and committing to escalate to proper authorities if Engineer B fails to respond adequately.

Upon assessing that the severity and imminence of the public safety risk is sufficient to trigger the imminent harm exception, bypass the collegial notification step and report the discovered violations directly and immediately to the proper governmental authorities — potentially notifying Engineer B concurrently but not awaiting Engineer B's response before contacting regulators.

Before initiating either the collegial discussion or external reporting, engage an independent technical expert to verify whether the identified discrepancies constitute actual safety code violations — on the grounds that the 'may be in violation' standard does not yet meet the good-faith threshold for mandatory escalation and that premature reporting could damage the peer review program and Engineer B's reputation without sufficient basis.

Engineer A Peer Review Safety Violation Discovering Engineer