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Contractor Forced to Protect Workers Who Voice Quality/Safety Concerns

10/24/13

By: Kamy Molavi
A construction contractor involved in the expansion of Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, has agreed to take measure to correct conditions that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission characterized as “a chilled work environment for raising and addressing safety concerns.”
As part of an agreement with the NRC, the contractor, CB&I, committed to address those conditions. The agreement resulted from the settlement of two alleged employment discrimination violations by the previous owner of a plant now owned by CB&I. An NRC investigation concluded that 27% of the workers at the plant feared retaliation for raising concerns over quality.
The measures that CB&I agreed to implement reportedly include updating its work-environment policies, providing employee-protection training for supervisors and staff, ensuring independent review of proposed adverse actions against employees, and performing safety-culture assessments of nuclear-related operations. For more details and the ENR source article, click here.