The situation that Bruce faces appears somewhat more problematic than the one that Stephanie found herself in,
since it is less clear that for Bruce to "round off" in order to have the numbers fall below the limit for reporting to
the state would constitute falsification of data and ethically impermissible lying or deception. In Bruce's case,
there seems to be genuine uncertainty about the accuracy of the measurements (data) and, in particular, how
significant are the digits that he is considering "rounding off". Engineers are taught early in their professional
education how to tell which digits in calculated quantities are significant and should be taken into account. They
also learn that measurements are often imprecise and can reliably be placed only within certain tolerances
associated with the accuracy of the measuring instruments, the circumstances under which the measurements are
obtained, etc. Thus, in some situations, whether a certain measurement is above or below a certain limit may be
impossible to determine with assurance.
In general, there is nothing wrong with "rounding off" if it is done in accordance with established engineering and
mathematical precepts. However, if Bruce's rounding off were in violation of those precepts and were motivated
by his desire not to antagonize Adam or not to jeopardize his job standing at XYZ, then this would be a violation
of the ethical considerations discussed in Scenario I above. It would be wrong for the same reasons that
Stephanie's agreeing to falsify data at Adam's insistence would be wrong. Bruce should make the most
reasonable estimate possible of the dimensions of the spill in light of the available data and what he knows about
the accuracy of the measuring instruments or processes, and then he should use that estimate in his report. He
should not "round off" primarily for the purpose of not confronting Adam with "bad news". No doubt Bruce's job
and his career at XYZ are important to him. However, it is difficult to see what ethical significance they have in
this case