Write a 250-word reply to the following discussion board:
The scenario described in this post reflects a not-so-uncommon reality. Hire, and fire are still the normality in many companies. We are all humans, and we make mistakes. If we are not allowed to make mistakes, we will not be able to learn from them and will try to hide them, which will lead to a possibly dangerous situation. The Safety Management System is a top-down approach. If I had been told that the leadership was not reacting well when speaking up about unsafe conditions, I would have tried to figure out how far this mentality would go. If the top management does not live up to the SMS, the others will not follow. If the top management is up for the challenge, that would be a great example to see if they believe in the system. Speaking up to them about the issues would show their true face. Of course, it is risking your job, and it is easy to say as an outsider and not be in the shoes and have to support a family and children. However, it might be the right and safer decision in the long run. Sooner or later, when corners are cut, violating procedures and rushing documentation in aviation is never the right thing to do. Safety is of utmost importance.
You would have to ask yourself if you could live in a situation where an accident happens because of this cutting corners, and people would lose their lives over it. You would be a part of the system, and even if not legally, you are morally responsible, as you could have avoided this. The system which worked for me so far is I ask myself, would I feel good if my wife sat in this aircraft? If the answer is no, I have to do something. As a Christian, I have been raised to do the right thing. God’s wisdom and love will guide me to take the right path and do the right thing.
If the top management is truly not on board with the SMS, there is always a way to report this to the FAA directly. Switzerland has a system where we can report anything we might consider unsafe anonymously to the authority, who then must follow up on this. This approach would be, however, the last resort. I still believe in the good in the people, and when faced with a fact-based problem and showing the costly consequences, every management would agree.
Hopefully, only the middle management or the floor leaders will think this way. However, sadly, the history of Boeing has shown that greed is the devil’s work, and it is still too familiar in our world. Nevertheless, in the case of Boeing, if the management had been made aware of the possible outcome, which we know now costs them way more than what they saved by cutting corners and not following the proper procedure, they might have reacted differently.
“A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good-yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread. The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.” Proverb 28:20-22
Reference:
Bible gateway passage: Proverbs 28:20-22 – new international version. Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+28%3A20-22&version=NIV
