Member Avatar for dina

I just want your opinion on a situation/case study I been given for an assignment at university. I would like to use your opinions to make a critical summary and get opinion from computer professionals.

The situation i've been given is that a X works as a project manager and is working on medical equipment at the moment. X and his team have tested the equipment and found serious faults that can cause fatal consequences however regardless of this, company still wishes to go ahead and release the equipment. X has expressed his concerns about this to superiors.

I would like you opinions if you were in such a position - would you try and prevent equipment this from being released and if not and a fatal consequence did occur would you accept reliability. and also would you inform a third party of the malpractice outside the company your employed by in such a serious case? I have looked at the consequences all of this and acts and professional bodies that X may violate (like ACM) but would like to know what the majority of people would do so that I can draw up a conclusion.

  • 5 Contributors
  • 6 Replies
  • 230 Views
  • 2 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Member #11424

Dani AI

Generated

This is a clear public-safety conflict that requires a structured, evidence-first response rather than a gut reaction. Several contributors have already hit important points: argues stopping the release by any means, stresses legal cover and documentation, and rightly asks for proportionate risk assessment. Below is a practical, professional pathway a project manager (X) can follow that balances duty of care with legal exposure.

  1. Document the fault precisely: reproducible test steps, raw logs, firmware/software versions, dates/times, test rig details, failure rates and a plain description of likely clinical consequences. Keep originals and a secured backup.
  2. File a formal safety/QA report and request an immediate product hold. Send a concise, factual escalation email to line management, QA, regulatory affairs and legal attaching the report; keep copies and time stamps.
  3. Ask for an independent technical and clinical review (third-party lab or clinical expert) and for a formal hazard analysis (e.g., FMEA). Obtain written minutes and written decisions.
  4. Decline to sign any release or sign-off that asserts the product is safe. Record refusals in writing and log the reason.
  5. If internal routes fail, consult employment/whistleblower counsel before contacting regulators or professional bodies (the ACM code of ethics supports preventing harm). Use anonymous corporate hotlines if appropriate.
  6. Do not take illegal shortcuts (unauthorised data disclosure, sabotage, or privacy breaches). Those actions undermine credibility and create criminal/civil exposure.

Documented, proportional, and lawful steps are the strongest ethical and legal defense if harm occurs. The best outcome protects patients while keeping X out of avoidable legal trouble — it aligns with ’s call for counsel, respects ’s point about weighing risks, and addresses ’s urgency by prioritizing immediate, documented holds rather than extralegal measures.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for Slade

The faults are serious. Yes, I would prevent the equipment from being released and contact a third party about the situation.

Member Avatar for dina

Thank you for your reply. I've found that many of you are viewing this thread it would be really great if you could all share your opinions...... also if you think it is ok to do something unethical to achieve a good outcome? eg X does something unethical like violates company data protection act and company & ACM codes of conduct to stop the equipments release.

Member Avatar for Slade

Well yes, I would do that. Pretty much I would go to any lengths to stop the release of that equipment, worry about my courier later.

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello Dina,

Your situation and answers will vary largly on if the person in question has a conscience. I also think that the legal people are dangerously close to opening a pandora's box concerning confidentiality agreements.

I know that medical lawsuits are not only naming the hospitals, but the individual doctors and nurses as defendants for a particular case.

I am a firm believer in disclosure of dangerous elements. If I was in such a position, I would consult with supervisors, and if not satisfied, I would contact a lawyer and make sure I was not held personally liable.

A number of companies are also providing employees with a "anonymous" line to tip off malpractice at the company. I would make a report there, and then document it on paper, again providing evidence that I tried to prevent a disaster, and was working for the best interests of both the community, and the corporation.

I wonder if legal opinions would show that confidentiality agreements remove personal liability from the individuals... "Your Honor, I could not prevent the sale of this item because if I would have told the regulatory commission about the defect, I would have violated a confidentiality agreement that I signed. I could not expose my family to damages."

Let us know what you find out.

Christian

Member Avatar for Chainsaw

Just to chime in here if it is not too late....

On the surface it seems simple. Ya, stop that puppy from being released into the world with your name attached because it will kill people.

But, wait, what do you mean by "serious faults"? 1 in 10 are killed? 1 in 100? everyone?

So, say we built a machine to remove brain tumors from people but it killed 1 in 10. How many would die if the machine didn't operate at all? 1 in 3?

Polio vaccines have saved tens of millions from contracting polio, yet about a dozen people a year get Polio from the vaccine. Release it? you bet!

On the other hand, say you work for a tobaco company. Your product that you worked on will kill millions of people, but not for 40+ years.

You work for Firestone and release tires that occasionally explode causing Ford SUV's to roll over. Do you stop them?

You work for Smith and Wesson. Do you send a memo to your boss saying "Hey, this could kill someone!" Probably not.

You work for Microsoft. You release a version 1 of a product with several hundred bugs. Yet, the product makes a ton-o-money for the company. You will fix many of the bugs in version 2. Someone may use your product for a mission-critical application. Do you stop the release?


So, your question is a tough one to give a reply to. I'd like to think that I would not be associated with anything that kills people. Unless I worked for a defense contractor (which I do not). However, I do work on wireless devices, and who knows what we'll discover about them in 10 years?

Member Avatar for Member #11424

Expose the faults.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.