Ethics in Aviation

 

Ethics is a very important aspect in the aviation industry.  It is knowing what the right thing to do is and acting upon that knowledge, even when no one is looking. It seems pretty straightforward, but it can sometimes be difficult to put into practice during an actual situation where ethics are put into play. For example, you are doing maintenance on the aircraft and you break a tool. A little piece of the tool ricochets across the floor and now you’re spending an hour looking around for it. You can’t find it but you know that you must for total tool accountability and to make sure it didn’t somehow end up in the aircraft. No one saw this situation happen and your shift ended a while ago. You are also quite certain that it didn’t land in the aircraft somewhere. Do you continue looking for it?

Situations like this happen every day in the aviation industry and it’s imperative that everyone who is involved in this industry have good ethics. A wrong decision can have dire consequences that can cost lives. I see questionable ethical decisions that airmen make almost on a weekly basis, and they are afraid of admitting any wrongdoing. “This group of professionals will not altruistically and voluntarily step forward and report safety violations that may impugn their professional competence and threaten their livelihood.” (Stanford & Homan, 1999). A lot of people are afraid of reprisals, but it is important to understand that doing things in the ethically correct manner is critical to safety. By having this important professional attribute, you set an example to everyone else you work with, and it becomes the norm to do what is ethical.

 

References

Stanford, L., & Homan, W. (1999). A Model of “Applied Ethics” in Aviation Safety: The Aviation Safety Reporting System. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.15394/JAAER.1999.1235