Whistleblowing retaliation from employers, managers, colleagues and other stakeholders, can be subtle and difficult to point out. For example, when others ostracise or mock the whistleblower, there is often no evidence of wrongdoing.
However, adverse reactions to whistleblowing can also escalate dangerously. They can threaten the reporter’s physical wellbeing and, in some cases, even their lives. That may be what happened to Karen Silkwood.
The Story of Karen Silkwood
Silkwood grew concerned about poor safety regulations and incompetent quality-control measures at the plant she worked at. She felt the lax management of her workplace placed herself and her fellow employees at risk of high radioactivity.
Silkwood was selected as a member of the plutonium plant’s union. She testified to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission about the plant’s dangerous conditions. However, in November 1974, she died in a mysterious car accident. This happened before Silkwood could present her testimony and evidence containing both documents and photos.
The folder that contained all evidence of the facility’s negligence was never to be found.
Various questions and claims circled after Silkwood’s death. Dents on her vehicle implied that it may have been a homicide. However, the autopsy showed a residue of alcohol and prescription medication in her system.
Authorities ruled it an accident, stating that she fell asleep while driving. Upon further investigation, it was also discovered that Silkwood would likely have had cancer due to high exposure to radiation. They also found large traces of plutonium in her apartment, leading to Kerr-McGee’s argument that she had intentionally contaminated herself.
Her case made national and international news despite the confusion about the cause of her death and the baffling claims of her self-poisoning. Anti-nuclear activists and some whistleblowing organisations hail her efforts. They note her death as an example of extreme retaliation. However, critics suggest she made herself ill to prove a point.
No matter how we view the situation, Silkwood brought the poor working conditions at the plant to the fore. A year after her death, the facility shut down due to the findings.
The Importance Of Reporting Risks To Work Environment Health And Safety
Silkwood’s story not only highlights whistleblowing retaliation, but also prompts us to think about the cause for which she died.
Safe working conditions must always remain a priority for all businesses. It is especially important for those that deal with dangerous materials, equipment, and other conditions.
Safety observations, like the ones Silkwood was reporting, are necessary to ensure that working conditions are like they should. So, encouraging, rather than condemning, reporting can and will decrease possible risks in your work environment as well.
To make the most out of everything we observe, it is important to lower the threshold of reporting as much as we can. Modern near-miss and incident reporting platforms are making this possible. They will also help create a culture of accountability, where everyone is responsible for safety.
Final Thoughts
Ensuring your workers’ safety is important. Set up an agile whistleblowing channel and use it as a tool to improve workplace health and safety. Engage all forms of reporting, feedback and critique from your employees to reduce risks for them and for you.
Are you looking for a tool to enable and monitor whistleblower reports or any other issues in your organisation? Falcony | Observe ticks all the boxes for anonymous reporting, investigation management, is easy to customise, enables real dialogue and is a lot more.
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.
