NASA Contractor Fired for Blowing Whistle

TOTKChief writes "NASA Watch reported on this the other day, but now the Huntsville Times has dug into the firing of a NASA contractor charged with radiation safety at Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA is so serious about safety and redundancy that they're sending two probes nearly simultaneously to Mars, but it's apparent here that they don't give a rip about the safety of their employees."

Comments

Whistle blowing.

[cajun603]

Hmm. Perhaps someone should develop an "anonymous tip" model for companies to use that allows "double blind" notification of potential problems. Along with training to attempt to minimize abuse of the system, this could help the small-time whistleblower keep from getting fired.

Currently, though IANAL, IIRC there are laws already on the books that make it illegal to fire someone for being a whistleblower. There are certainly some laws regarding OSHA standards, according the the training I just recieved. Unfortunately, this does nothing to help the guy who, despite successfully suing to get his job back, now has to work in a negative environment, as will often happen in those companies that have enough to hide to want to fire whistleblowers.

Heck, I've been warned not to spread around our OSHA violations at work...

-cajun

NASA & Whistle-blowing

[jd]

At NASA Langley, problems "do not exist". That is official. If you report problems (be it with radiation, computers, etc), expect it to be ignored. Risks to man or machine are definitely SEP (Somebody Else's Problem).

If you take it higher up the chain, such as to the officer responsible, at a security or safety meeting, there's a good chance you'll be looking for other work in a surprisingly short space of time.

Documentation, there, is also fascinating to behold. ISO 9000 compliancy is easy, if you reword the requirements and downgrade your project. Safety isn't an issue, when you can blame a technician or metal fatigue.

Whistle-blowing at NASA is further complicated by the strict security regulations. Anyone with an alternative lifestyle, "unapproved" sexual orientation, or even just plain enthusiasm, is classed as a Security Risk, according to the Red Tag safety/security briefings. Co-workers are encouraged to watch these Potential Subversives, in an NSA documentary designed to instill terror and fear in the Unwashed Masses.