Chapter Twenty-Six – ETHICS AND SAFETY
TRUE OR FALSE: Place T or F in the space provided.
_____1. Machiavellianism is the perspective of workers concerning who or
what controls their behavior.
_____2. Ego strength is the ability to undertake self-directed tasks and to
cope with tense situations.
_____3. Locus of control is the extent to which he or she will attempt to
deceive and confuse others.
_____4. Three personality characteristics that can influence an employee’s
ethical behavior are ego strength, Machiavellianism, and locus of control.
_____5. No person will serve long as a safety and health professional without
confronting an ethical dilemma.
_____6. Companies have no role to play in promoting ethical behavior among
their employees.
_____7. A person’s behavior can be well within the scope of the law and still
be unethical.
_____8. Morality refers to the values that are subscribed to and fostered by
society in general and individuals within society.
_____9. Companies that take the “Do as I say, not as I do” approach to ethics
will succeed.
_____10. Ethics may be defined as the application of morality within a context
established by cultural and professional values, social norms, and accepted
standards of behavior.
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Circle the letter before the correct answer.
1. Morality refers to which of the following?
A. Values
B. Ego
C. Pride
D. Legality
2. Managing which of the following is one of the most pervasive and complex
problems facing business organizations today?
A. Merit systems
B. Evaluation methods
C. Ethical behavior
D. Production deadlines
3. The ethical dilemma faced by Camillo Garcia, MilTech’s safety and health
manager, was brought about by top management’s decision to use:
A. New alloy
B. New paint
C. New computers
D. New vendors
4. Select the guideline for determining ethical behavior, which requires you
to listen to your instincts.
A. Common sense test
B. Role reversal test
C. Mirror test
D. Front page test
5. Safety and health professionals may use which of the following
approaches to handle ethical problems?
A. Best ratio
B. Black and white
C. Full potential
D. Any of the above
10. T
5. D
1. De4ne the term morality.
2. De4ne the term ethics.
3. Brie$y explain each of the following ethics tests: morning-after, front-
page, mirror, role reversal, common sense.
Morning-After Test – This test asks, “If you make this choice, how will
you feel about it tomorrow morning?”
Front-Page Test – This test encourages you to make a decision that
would not embarrass you if printed as a story on the front page of your
hometown newspaper.
Mirror Test – This test asks, “If you make this decision, how will you
feel about yourself when you look in the mirror?”
4. What is the safety and health professional’s role with regard to ethics?
5. Brie$y explain the following approaches to handling ethical behavior: best
ratio, black and white, full potential.
6. Brie$y explain a company’s role with regard to ethics.
7. Explain how one should proceed when facing an ethical dilemma.
8. Write a brief ethics philosophy for a chemical company.
9. List the individual and social factors that might influence an employee’s
ethical behavior.
10. What questions should safety and health professionals ask when making
decisions that have an ethical component?
Has the issue or problem been thoroughly and accurately defined?
Have all dimensions of the problem been identified?
Would other stakeholders agree with your definition of the problem?
What is your real motivation in making this decision?
What is the probable short-term result of your decision?
Who will be affected by your decision and in what way?
Did you discuss the decision with all stakeholders before making it?
Would your decision withstand the scrutiny of employees,
customers, colleagues, and the general public?
11. Explain the most common problems associated with whistle-blowing?