Bhopal Union Carbide Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bhopal Union Carbide Case Study - Essay Example With an incidental accident occurring in the year 1984, in Union Carbide Chemical Factory, in Bhopal in India, a lethal chemical gas was released in the air killing and injuring thousands of people who were living in the region. While several individuals were killed, thousands of others suffered from severe health illnesses even till death. The company was held responsible for the incident considering their lack of sincerity and effectiveness in maintenance of the equipments and units that caused the leakage on one hand and on the other hand could not prevent the spread of the chemical as well. Although the US Union Carbide Company had its holdings in the Indian Company; yet it was the Indian company and its members who were accountable for the incident (Bhopal-Union Carbide Case Study). The present study focuses on studying and analyzing the case and discuss on the ethical issues associated with the incident, and also issues such as liability of the members, the effect on the workfo rce, the effect on the management, and ways to reduce negativity. Analysis of the Case: As could be obtained from this particular case, the Indian Union Carbide Company can be said to have neglected severe issues in relation to the maintenance of its units and equipments which was significantly necessary as the factory was dealing with harmful chemicals. The management of the company should have been careful to understand that the slightest of the leakages or malfunctioning of the units or equipments could lead to such massacre. Particularly, when individuals were working within the factory, and also there were people living in the surroundings, the company should not have neglected even any minor issue in regard to handling of the chemicals and their leakages. It could be obtained from the case study that the company had been performing well initially and opportunities of jobs were also increased for the Indians at a time when the welfare of India could not be considered as healthy . However, gradually negligence occurred in the activities of the company and few years before the incident even the US inspectors detected faults and warned them of areas that needed repairing and monitoring. But, the Indian company did not take such warnings seriously and the result was the accident. It is clear from the case that if the company had been careful in its handling of chemicals, and in maintaining their units and equipments, then the incident would not have occurred in the first place. Even if it occurred, the company could have prevented the spread of the chemical in the air, but no equipments worked at that time. Hence the Indian company was to be blamed and was blamed, an incident that has left several lives into suffering till the present day. Ethical Issues Raised by the Case: The most essential ethical issue that could be observed from the case study is in regard to the responsibility of the company to provide for protection of the human lives. The company effec tively failed to protect the lives of its employees. Not only that, the company also proved to be inefficient in protecting its environment as the incident killed hundreds and injured thousands of people residing in the surroundings, affecting the entire area. Ethical issue arises as such an incident clearly reflects that the company had not been sincere in following and maintaining the safety procedures that it needed to. The focus of the company was only on increased production of pesticides and hence gained profits. Thus profits were given more value by the company than the protection and safety of human lives. The company did not care to ensure the fundamental standards of safety in the factory. Moreover, although the company was under the holding of its American company, yet the standards set by the American firm were not followed by the Indian company. Ethical issues can also be raised to be in the way the factory was built in a surrounding where so many people resided. The