It would be ethical for Joe Martin, the Chief Design Engineer, to be unconcerned that the design specifications set by management for the new plant have safety standards that are well below those for similar plants in his home country.

No it will not be ethical for Joe Martin, the Chief Design Engineer, to be unconcerned that the design specifications set by management for the new plant have safety standards that are well below those for similar plants in his home country.

Explanation:

This is unethical because he suppose to know if the minimum safety standard of a plant in the country of the site of the project to ascertain if it complies with Global Engineering Standards and Global Best practices. If it falls below the aforementioned standards, he should reject the said standards of the project location and insist on the Global Engineering Standards and Global Best practices. Otherwise, he should discontinue the project until they agree to work with the Global Engineering Standards and Global Best practices or report the project owners to the regulatory authorities if they insist on compromising the standards because he will be held responsible should the breach of safety standards results in any loss of life or property.

It would not be ethical.

Explanation:

The chief engineer of a project must always appreciate that project specifications promote the highest level of safety for his workers. This is because low safety standards can compromise the health (harming them to a great extent) and the lives of workers.

For this reason, it would be unethical if Joe Martin allowed the project to be established with safety guidelines below the mandatory safety guidelines in his home country. Joe should demand that safety standards be as efficient as possible.