Lemessurier's Ethical Decisions

Structural engineer William LeMessurier’s decisions regarding the Citicorp building’s repair display his strong morals and provide an excellent example of the actions that should be taken to prevent a possible catastrophe. Once he discovered an issue with the building he designed, he persisted to conduct more research, inform the companies and people involved, and support the reconstruction of the issues found in order to protect the safety of the public and the integrity of his engineering career. Therefore, LeMessurier’s actions are crucial to discuss, as his ethical decisions set a good precedent for future scientists who may face difficult dilemmas.
The Citicorp Center trusted LeMessurier to create the structural design of the company’s Citicorp tower, in which he developed an innovative new steel framing system that allowed more air space for a church to remain on the same corner. After the Citicorp tower was constructed, LeMessurier discovered that the Citicorp company used bolts instead of stronger welded joints for the bracing of the building, as the bolts were cheaper and seemed competent. Shortly following …show more content…
He feared that sharing this information would ruin his career and reputation as a structural engineer, yet he decided that keeping silent or committing suicide simply wouldn’t fix anything. Despite his concerns, he was deemed a trustworthy engineer when he finally consulted with the Citicorp company and the insurance, attorneys, and architects. When LeMessurier’s actions became known, his reputation was not ruined; in fact, he earned respect from all those around him, and repairs to the building were immediately underway. LeMessurier’s personal company was not affected, and he continued to be a successful engineer and advocate for data integrity. Therefore, his decision to be truthful about his mistakes not only potentially saved many lives, but it was also an important action that positively changed his career and