DP9
Individual
81af64b3
http://proethica.org/ontology/case/89#DP9
Properties
Parent
Decision Point Id
DP9
Decision Question
Should Engineer A treat the obligation to protect public safety as a risk-based duty requiring withdrawal once a foreseeable danger is identified and the client refuses the recommended safeguard, or as an outcome-contingent obligation that permits proceeding so long as harm has not yet materialized and the lower state board standard is satisfied?
Focus
Engineer A's Ethical Standard Governing the Decision to Proceed: Risk-Based Duty vs. Outcome-Based Harm, and the Role of NSPE Membership in Foreclosing Lower-Standard Defenses
Option1
Treat the identification of a foreseeable, non-speculative danger as the trigger for the paramount safety obligation, recognize that the ethical violation is complete at the moment of proceeding with a known unmitigated risk regardless of whether harm materializes, and withdraw from the project as required by the NSPE Code's higher standard to which voluntary membership commits Engineer A.
Option2
Treat the state engineering registration board's rules of professional conduct as the operative floor of obligation, proceed with the project on the basis that the NSPE Code's stricter withdrawal requirement is an aspirational standard not binding as a matter of professional discipline, and satisfy the lower mandatory standard by having made and documented the safety recommendation.
Option3
Proceed with the project while applying heightened professional vigilance during the construction phase — including increased periodic site visits and written safety advisories — on the theory that the danger is foreseeable but not near-certain, and that remaining engaged as the safety-aware engineer of record produces better expected outcomes than withdrawal and replacement with a less safety-conscious successor.
Role Label
Engineer
TTL
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@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
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@prefix proethica_case_89: <http://proethica.org/ontology/case/89> .
<http://proethica.org/ontology/case/89#DP9> a owl:NamedIndividual ;
rdfs:label "DP9" ;
rdfs:subClassOf <http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint> .
Metadata
Ontology
Type
Individual
Content Hash
81af64b3f66cbe61...Last Updated
2026-03-08 16:29
Extraction Provenance
Generated
2026-03-01T18:54:18.794021
Generated By
ProEthica Case 89 Extraction