This is an ethical question pertaining to government Please help?

Question

The Environmental Protection Agency requires a company to self-report pollution discharges daily. The reports could be easily fudged if the company exceeded its designated limits. Excessive discharges would cost the company $25,000 for each day its limit is exceeded. One morning, your superior forgot to start the pollution control device, and the designated amount of pollution was exceeded. Your superior strongly implies that you should

fudge the figures. You are worried that if you do not, you might be fired. Should you report the correct figures to the EPA? Would your answer be different if you knew whether or not the excessive pollution caused any damage?

Answer 1

You should be honest and report the correct figures.  Fudging numbers can lead to trouble if EPA discovers issues of non-compliance.  It is better to be honest and face a fine than to risk getting caught in a lie.  Facing the music now may help your supervisor remember to turn on the pollution control device to avoid future issues.  Also, you may want to consider putting an enviromental management system (EMS) in place if you do not already have one as these can help identify some issues before they occur.

Answer 2

Be honest.

This is one of those, "damned if you do/damned if you don't" situations.

At least maintain your pride, because you could lose your job either way.

Answer 3

You don't have many choices.  If you fudge the numbers you are committing a Felony and could go to jail.  Your boss threatening you does not hold weight in court.  You have a few choices.

1. Contact your supervisor's boss.  He probably does not want to go to jail either.

2. Quit.  Life can be cruel.

3. Quit and call EPA (or state equivalent) under the whistleblower statutes.  You may want to call them anonymously first to discuss.

Under no circumstances do the fudging.  It isn't worth it.  In most cases fines are never part of the punishment for self reporting unless it was a real big screwup as in dead fish.