Responsibilities Under the IET Rules of Conduct
Under the IETs whistleblowing guidance, it is stated that if one or multiple members of the team discover a significant design flaw in a specific product that could potentially lead to harm to the user or others, they are obligated to raise the issue with a superior. This is supported by specifically rules 10 and 14 in the IET Rules of Conduct.
Team Responsibilities as Whistleblowers
In this scenario, the defect in the production will likely lead to the death of a pedestrian and therefore our responsibilities are to first consult the company’s policy regarding whistleblowing. If these are ineffective or do not exist, the issue should then be raised with an external authority such as ‘Protect’, a charity that specializes in allowing individuals to speak up about specific issues within their workplace or a defect in a product that goes against engineering ethical standards.
Companys’ Response to Whistleblowing
The company should have sufficient internal policies that ensure that if a team or team member discovers a defect in a product (fatal or otherwise) or an issue within the workplace, said team or team member should not be afraid to speak up and discuss the issue with their superiors. However, these policies should also extend to those who raise these issues externally in such a way that they should not be persecuted or prejudiced against for speaking up.
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