Bhopal Gas Tragedy: An Analysis of Ethical Issues at Union Carbide

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethical failures associated with the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, focusing on the responsibilities of Union Carbide. The discussion explores the introduction to ethical issues, the ethical responsibilities of businesses, and the consequences of corporate negligence. The essay highlights the lack of safety measures, including the shutdown of refrigeration units, and the company's failure to inform the public about the risks. The analysis also examines the violations of ethical codes, government regulations, and the impact on the affected population. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of prioritizing stakeholder welfare, safety, and health. The essay uses the provided references to support its claims and offers insights into the broader implications of the tragedy.

Ethical Issues at
Union Carbide

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Ethical issues can be considered as a number of situations where conflicts majorly takes
place due to impacts on decision making process of an individual, group or company. Including
this, conflict both the individual and the business are involved in the conflicts and the decisions
are to be taken in the proper manner so that in future no conflicts will arise. This discussion
reflects unforgettable incident of the gas leak on 2-3 December that Union Carbide faced. Due
the leak of hazardous gas Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) which infected almost 5,00,000 people.
Looking at the huge impact of this incident, it was named as Bhopal Gas Tragedy (McGinn,
2018). This incident took place in Union Carbide India Limited. This discussion is based out of
the status of ethical position and responsibilities of the organisation and then procedures they
followed to implement it. This discussion also reflect the challenges faced by the organisation
and the general public resulting out of the violation of the responsibilities pertaining to the
functioning of the organisation.
MAIN BODY
This discussion reflects the responsibilities pertaining to the Bhopal Gas leak on 2-3
December 1984. This incident is also remembered by one of the huge industrial outbreak that
took place the era that shook the thousands of people. It is the moral and ethical responsibility of
the any business to fulfil the social cost. The safety, health of the people related to the
organisation and the general public should be given the priory acknowledged. According to the
data collected it is being stated as lack of equipment and bad quality of facilities resulted the
outbreak (David, Mayes and Coppola, 2020).
According to National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the health and safety of
all the people and the general public related to Union Carbide India Limited, a subsidiary of US
Union Carbide should be treated as the most above everyone. An organisation should not only
follow the norms while phrasing the dynamics but also while the development of the
stakeholders (Howland, 2020). As per the data, all the ethical values and responsibilities were
violated in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The report in NSPE also states that the major safety systems
were been not implemented and thus the situation went uncontrollable. The reports also state that
the water sprinklers were not functional. The refrigeration units developed were shut down for
months before the incident took place. The refrigeration units were used to store Methyl

Isocyanate (MIC) but the shutdown of the units resulted the gas leak outbreak. The chemical
gases stored needs to be stored and maintained in a temperature, so the refrigeration units play
very crucial role in storage and maintaining the pressure of the chemical gases but due such big
negligence caused such massive gas leak leading huge loss of live (Børsen and Schummer,
2018).
The management of the organisation was having the complete information about the
impact if the gas leaked, but still due to their irresponsible ignorance of shutting down the
refrigeration units caused the such massive outbreak. US Union Carbide must be well aware that
the ignorance would not only violate norms of the organisation but also the legislation framed by
the government and the responsibility of such massive social cost. The legislation framed by the
Indian government states that any organisation can store such hazardous substance or chemical
only in a case if the organisation solely holds itself responsible for any uncertainty caused by
such and carry the all functioning of the business when the within the ethical code of conduct of
the business. If the management would have acted in accordance of the ethical code of conduct,
then the scenario could have been different.
The people who got affected by this massive destruction were not aware about the storage
of Methyl Isocyanate in the industry (Bhat, et al 2018). The legislation framed for such chemical
storage where there is threat to the safety and health states to aware the general public residing in
the diameter of infection about the chemical storage and educate them about the prevention of
any miss-happening but Union Carbide didn't take any of such responsibilities. This incident was
one of the massive outbreak of chemical gas which caused huge loss of lives resulting of the
ignorance of the organisation (Banerjee and et. al., 2020).
The irresponsibility or ignorance were the shutdown of the refrigeration units for months,
these units are very crucial for the storage of the chemical gases as all the gases has to be stored
in a pre-determined temperature if in any case the temperature is unable to maintain then the gas
starts leaking and this was exactly what happened in the Union Carbide, due to the lack of the
refrigeration units and the other units crucial for the storage and the maintenance of the gases,
the gas leaked. Moreover, it was the social and ethical responsibility of the business to inform the
general public about such massive storage of the chemical gas and methods of prevention of any
future uncertainty but the organisation did not mention. Resulting in the huge loss of human

lives, holding the organisation solely responsible for such outbreak. Union Carbide was being
held liable of the violations of the social and the legal laws framed by the government.
Installing such a huge chemical plant near stablished habitation or huge number of
individuals residing nearby may be considered as a really very serious question in relation with
business ethics. Awareness of its responsibility towards people of society is very necessary part
for all those business working in a sector of hazardous chemical plant or any chemical that can
create danger and harm humanity (Lampton, 2020). Ingredients such as methyl isocyanate which
is very necessary part of several operations can be a big threat of which people living nearby are
unaware, also all these types of specific operations need highly technical and prudent approach
because a small mistake could mark a big loss. All these facts and information related to harm
these chemicals can cause is well known by management and also can easily be managed by
management. For causing no harm to individual living nearby management should either keep in
check the amount of ingredients used or make sure any other lapses may not occur by the
authorised person. In such cases where these ingredients can mark so much of damage and harm
to nearby people, it is responsibility of government and businesses to make people aware of this.
Non-governmental organizations, media and press and other such institutes can also play very
vital role in stopping these accidents.
A little information in this concern can play a very vital role. A knowledgeable public can
take preventive measures and also can question government and businesses so that stop or limit
these processes which will also help them fight to future threats. Also in case if any accident
happens due to some uncertainty, they can take timely and right actions. Then administration will
also work on their toe providing hospitality and medicine at right time and leaving no room for
mistakes and under the aftermath of accidents they can timely action in evacuating people,
organising them in camps and providing them with basic necessities like food. Also, these
incidents will force administration to look after these business and stop if there is any unethical
process is going on. Apart from all these, business enterprises should be solely responsible for all
these activities as these are invincible and damage may last long (de Miguel Beriain and
O’Mathúna, 2019).
However, it is also analysed that different range of organisations have fulfilled ample
number of roles and responsibilities where they basically become reluctant in nature. On the

other hand, it is also observed that companies have made their aim to earn profit only through
considering optimum utilisation based approach. In case of Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the same type
of approach was utilised by the organisation through building up an effective cost cutting
campaign. Due to this, a range of jobs were cut and also training sessions were also reduced to
minimal (Santoro, 2017). This basically resulted into a range of human errors, and this is why
leakage of MIC through improperly sealed pipeline took place. In case of Union Carbide, it was
needed for the company to carry a range of responsibilities and also manage failed to conduct
themselves lawfully, ethically and responsibly.
CONCLUSION
This report concludes that welfare, safety and health of the stakeholders associated with
an organisation should be their biggest priority. Along with this the report has also develops an
agreement that an association is an expansion of will and needs of the general public as they
work inside and in this manner US Union Carbide who is a subsidiary of Union Carbide India
Limited was liable for ignoring all the moral qualities that ought to be thought about by an
association.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
McGinn, R., 2018. The ethical engineer: contemporary concepts and cases. Princeton University
Press.
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Ethics. Humanistic Management Journal, 5(2), pp.215-230.
Børsen, T. and Schummer, J., 2018. Editorial introduction: ethical case studies of chemistry, Part
III. HYLE—Int. J. Philos. Chem, 24(1), pp.1-3.
Banerjee, N., Banerjee, A., Sabde, Y., Tiwari, R.R., Prakash, A., Chincholkar, T., Chitriv, P.,
Tiwari, S., Rajmohan, H.R., Singh, S. and Sharma, M., 2020. Morbidity profile of
communities in Bhopal city (India) vis-à-vis distance of residence from Union Carbide
India Limited plant and drinking water usage pattern. Journal of postgraduate
medicine, 66(2), p.73.
Lampton, J.A., 2020. ETHICS MUST BE GLOBAL. Strategic Finance, 101(8), pp.13-14.
de Miguel Beriain, I. and O’Mathúna, D.P., 2019. Introduction to Ethical and Legal Issues in
CBRNE Crises. In Ethics and Law for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear &
Explosive Crises (pp. 7-13). Springer, Cham.
Santoro, M.A., 2017. Book Reviews: Business and Human Rights: From Principles to
Practice. Business Ethics Quarterly, 27(4), pp.645-647.