In 1985, pipe-fitter Wensil worked for DuPont B.F. Shaw Company, a subcontractor at South Carolina’s Savannah River facility, which handled highly radioactive nuclear waste. He reported the use, sale, and distribution of illegal drugs among construction workers, warning that impaired personnel could create serious safety risks. He was dismissed six months after making the disclosure. His wife, Norma Morris, who worked for Shaw, alleged that she was harassed and forced to leave her job because of her husband’s complaint.
Wensil filed with the Department of Labor and Department of Energy in 1986. The DOE upheld his termination, but the Labor Department found credible evidence of safety violations and ruled that he had been unfairly dismissed. Wensil was reinstated, then faced further retaliation and was forced out three months later. The case contributed to passage of nuclear-weapons whistleblower protections in 1992, extending legal safeguards to workers who report dangerous conduct at weapons-production facilities.
