Reflection on a Tragic Event

Tragic Event On December 2, 1984, a calamity occurred in a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, that caused the release of almost thirty tons of the toxic gas, methyl isocyanate, along with a few others along with several other toxic gases into the environment. The pesticide plant had been nestled at the center with a spattering of small towns, exposing in excess of six lac people to several fatal gases.

Due to the weight of the gas, it stayed low causing throat as well as burning eyes and multiple deaths in the area. The immediate death toll was estimated at anything between 3,800 to an upper limit of 16,000. However recent government calculations show roughly 15,000 died over the years as a direct consequence of the accident. Due to the toxicity that remained in the area even 30 years later, physical and mental disabilities have been recorded in newborn children (Taylor 2014).

Direct and indirect Organizational and Individual Actions that contributed to the Tragedy Safety of procedures and people involved or in direct contact is the major ethical responsibility of any industry. Damage to the environment is perhaps the most far reaching consequence of such an event. The users of such technology that can have such catastrophic consequences need to focus on the safety aspects of their operation. The analysis and inspection of safety systems at the plant directs towards gross negligence. The UCIL and its engineers failed ethically.

Risks were taken and ignored until the cumulative consequence of ignorance and carelessness resulted in a loss of human life. The quality of labor and lack of any 'risk assessment' measures factored greatly in this incident. UCIL stood to profit hugely from minimization of cost which led to the hiring of cheaper and inexperienced labor and poor security and safety setups. Local and Federal Actions related to the Tragedy The actions of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were steeped in controversy as well.

The criminal probing of the event was handed over to the CBI to an unsatisfactory end. An Indian court convicted eight of those accused for tragedy, after a long drawn-out trial in 2010. Since the catastrophe was multifaceted, the investigations were immediately initiated with three major parties at the center, the UCC, the United States and the Indian government. Even the local Bhopal authorities and the victims were involved immediately.

The local government had prior knowledge of safety issues with the chemical plant but was reluctant to lose a huge employer at the cost of industrial safety and pollution control, especially when the local industry was already struggling economically. The Clean-up Strategy and the Organizations Involved After the accident, the site was sealed and the clean-up process taken up by UCIL was conducted only till the time its stock was not sold by the UCC's in 1994.

The Company spent around $2 million on the cleanup effort and each effort was monitored and recorded by Local and State authorities. Under the instructions of the Indian Supreme Court, the state and federal governments paid for the disposal of garbage on-site by either land filling or incineration of waste. The Supreme Court ordered the Pithampur Waste TSDF (Treatment Storage and Disposal Facility) in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. It was considered the most fitting facility for the waste's incineration.

The CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) handed an official declaration during 2014 assuring to the reliability and facility suitability, as opposed to the opinions of many environmental NGOs (Union Carbide Corporation, n.d.). How was the ethical culture affected in the United States? The Bhopal tragedy fueled adverse public opinion regarding safety procedures in chemical plants and the entire industry faced criticism and demand for strict legislation was consistently aired. There was a demand for rules and regulations and a call for the protection of employees.

The aims were becoming more solidified after the establishment of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 1970 (OSHA 2004) (Willey, Crowl, & Lepkowski, 2005, p. 367). The accident was a rude awakening within the U.S. and many changes were made. The AICHE Center for Chemical Process Safety was formed along with the establishment of the Safety and Chemical Engineering (SACHE) program. These programs led to more awareness and safety concerned future, where engineers and employees alike were better educated regarding the chemical safety guidelines and procedures.

Lessons from the Bhopal Tragedy After the.