Health and Safety: Erin Brockovich Movie Questions &

Reflections

PERSONAL STRUGGLE
1. What struggles did Erin Brockovich have with balancing her family and her job?
Erin Brockovich faced many problems throughout her life, and in the film. She had three
children, and being a single mother made things difficult for her. She found it difficult to get a
job to support herself and her children. This made it difficult to send her kids to daycare and
have them taken care of when she is out at work and such. She also faced a lot of ate from
people in the workforce, as they did not respect her at all. Many times, she was judged, or
treated differently because she was not only a woman, but a twice-divorced single mother.

2. Do you think a man would be likely to have the same problems? Why or why
not?
I definitely think that many of the problems Erin faced, would not be the same for a man. She
was not respected in the workforce. She was treated as if she had no knowledge or ability to do
a job due to both her being a woman and due to the fact that she was a single mother. Many
people saw this as a problem for her. If it were a man, these factors would not be as much of
an issue.

PROFESSIONALISM
3. Did Erin Brockovich show professionalism in her job? Why or why not?
Erin Brockovich did not show much professionalism throughout her job. She was very blunt and
spoke her mind freely, no matter the consequence. Often times she let her emotions get the
best of her, in arguments with her boss or other attorneys. Though she did not show much
professionalism, that lack thereof was able to take her even further in her job. Many people
trusted her more, knowing she was not a lawyer. She wasnt going to sugar-coat anything, and
that made people trust her a lot more.

4. What image did she project?

She projected an image that was sort of provocative. Erin used this to her advantage at times,
such as when getting the documents from the Water Board, but many times it did not help her
such as at work.

5. Did this image make things at work more difficult for her?
It isolated her from the others. It caused a lot of tension between her and her coworkers, and
they often judged her very harshly for her image and the way she communicated with her
colleagues.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

6. What was the substance that was making people sick?

Hexavalent Chromium was the substance making people sick.

7. What did the substance penetrate (air, drinking water, soil)?

The Hexavalent chromium penetrated the soil, and the water supply to the nearby town. This
poisoned their drinking water, and all tap water being used.

8. What company/type of company was responsible?

Pacific Gas and Electric was the company responsible for the act. They are one of the largest
natural gas and electricity providers in the area.

9. What was Erin Brockovichs motivation for pursuing this issue?

Erin first started following this issue after looking further into a particular pro-bono case within
the law firm she was looking at. She investigated a family whose home was trying to be bought
by PG&E. She was curious why the familys medical visits were in the files for their case. It
turned out that the company was paying for their medical visits as well, and then she found
out about what was recently happening to the family medically, and that chromium may be
involved.

10. What illnesses did the substance cause?

The substance caused a variety of issues. They ranged from nosebleeds and headaches, to tumors,
miscarriages, kidney failure, cancer, and more.

SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

11. What risks did Ed Masry take as a small business owner?

Taking on a large-scale business such as PG&E is always a risk in the law

firm world, especially with a firm as small as his. Companies such as that
have a lot of money, and can use that and their stature to bury things
away, including a small firm such as Eds. He also took a risk following
the lead Erin had created. If he went too far, he could lose a lot of money
in the process. He took a lot of risks but it ended up being worth it.

12. Did Ed Masry take a risk by hiring Erin? Why or why not?

He did take a risk in hiring Erin. He was hiring someone with no

background of education in Law, no experience in the field she was
working in at all. Then when she started following this case, he was
taking a risk because of her inexperience in how things were
supposed to be done.

CORPORATE DECISIONS

13. Why do you think that PG&E continued to lie to the residents of Hinkley about
the water conditions?
I think they became scared. They knew that the chromium was toxic to the residents, and that
it was poisoning the people living nearby, and they wanted to sweep it under the rug. It was
easier for them to use it in their plants for its anti-corrosive properties, and their care for the
residents was very low.

14. What should PG&E have done instead of lying?

They should have caught it early, when they found out about the negative effects it was
causing. If they were able to catch it early on and stop its use before things got much worse
and more people became sick, it would have been a much lighter settlement for them. It also
would not have tarnished their name as much as they did by lying.

15. Consider thisis it sometimes harder to make the right (ethically correct)
decision is than the wrong decision (unethical)? Why is this?
The unethical decision is often times the easier one to make. Many times, its a lower cost,
easier on employees, or less of an effort for the person to go with the unethical decision. So,
the morality of it does not outweigh the cost for them, so they continue with what is unethical.

16. What should the government do to prevent companies from making unethical
decisions?
They should put more harsh consequences in place for these actions. More inspections being
done on their practices and facilities. These things would help in stopping companies from
hiding their unethical practices.

17. What should the consequences be?

Depending what the offense is, the company should have the option of being suspended or
having their license suspended, even if that means putting them out of business.

PERSONAL REFLECTION/ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS & CONNECTIONS

 18. Think of a time in which you had to make an ethically tough decisionnow,
write what helped you to make the right or wrong decision.
I think what really helps when put in that decision is thinking beyond yourself, and thinking
about who else would be affected by your actions. Other people can be affected by a negative
choice, and that needs it be taken into consideration. When you do think about that, it helps
with knowing which decision is the right decision to make.

19. What are some suggestions for others who will face tough ethical decisions?
What can help them to make the right decision?
As I stated in the previous question, it helps to take a step back and think of who if negatively
affected by your actions. Often times, this allows you to know what can come of your actions
and that helps to make the right decision.

20. Should businesses demonstrate corporate social responsibility?

Yes they should take social responsibility. Anything that makes a company more accountable is
something that should be demonstrated and kept in place.

21. Do the decisions I make impact others?

Of course! Every decision that is made, leads to an action, which ultimately affects others in the
process. This is why careful consideration of actions should always take place.