A line-balancing recommendation would increase output but disables a required machine guard. The engineer should:
- (A)Approve it for experienced operators only
- (B)Reject the unguarded configuration and escalate a compliant alternative
- (C)Hide the change in a trial run
- (D)Let production targets decide
Show worked solution
Answer: (B)
Public and worker safety takes precedence over the throughput gain.
The guard is an explicit hazard control, so disabling it creates foreseeable exposure.
A compliant redesign can be evaluated against the same production target without accepting the hazard.
FE Reference Handbook — Ethics: Safety, Health, and Welfare
Why the other choices appear
- (A)Experience does not remove the known guarding hazard.
- (C)Concealment prevents safety review and exposes workers.
- (D)Output goals cannot override protection of worker safety.