Freelance Mechanical Engineer (Ethics)

In my future, as a Freelancing Mechanical Engineer, I will be solving problems for various companies. I will have to get accustomed to new coworkers every time I start a new contract. Ethically, it would be my responsibility to stay sharp in order to keep all my calculations from ruining a project. If I were to ever work for opposing companies I would have to respect the secrets of each company, so that the opposing company does not copy anything from the other to get ahead. Freelancing allows me to choose the kind of jobs I wish to take and since I am not sure what it is exactly I want to do, it gives me the opportunity to experience different jobs.

My first priority, when starting a new contract for any company, would be to get to know the people I would be working with. Understanding my team's abilities and their knowledge about the project is only one part of my job. We must trust each others skills to test all possibilities to ensure the project is completed without failure and on time. It is important that all members of the project follow the procedures of the task even if that means the team will not make the deadline.

It is everyone's ethical responsibility to tell the truth about each experiment and calculation that was made. We must avoid any short cuts so that the projects we work on do not end like the Bhopal Disaster. In the Bhopal Disaster there was a Union Carbide pesticide plant that had released a toxic gas into the air.

Bhopal Disaster

The toxic gas immediately killed 2,259 people and about 11,000 more following the disaster with many more left injured. The disaster in Bhopal is the perfect example as to why safety procedures need to be followed and why taking short cuts is an ethical issue.

Another great example of an ethical issue is the Hindenburg disaster, which happened in 1937. There were mistakes made with the electrostatic discharge. The discharge caught fire, leaking hydrogen from the 200 million liters of hydrogen gas. The disaster killed 36 people.

Hindenburg disaster (1937)

 If the engineers had been able to catch the miscalculation with the discharges they could have avoided causing a massive tragedy. This is why it is important for engineers to keep their minds sharp about every project they take on.

One of the biggest ethical issues that can occur, as a freelancing mechanical engineer, is sharing a companies secrets. Not only is it ethically incorrect but it can become a legal issue. Once a person shares the secrets from another company it opens the door to many lawsuits and becomes a big issue for both companies. These legal issues will only hurt the project and interfere with its production.
 
Most ethical issues can be avoided if all members of a company or project are honest. If an employee sees that there is someone who is sharing company secrets or skipping procedures to meet a deadline, it is that employees responsibility to tell the supervisor or higher ups about the incident. All members of a project have the responsibility to help each other understand any issues involving the project. Each member of a project has ethical responsibilities they must abide by. If there are ethical issues in a group it would interfere with the final product, which would be an ethical issue within itself.