Whistleblower on Nuclear Plant Safety

On February 2, 1976, Gregory C. Minor, Richard B. Hubbard, and Dale G. Bridenbaugh blew the whistle on safety problems in nuclear power plants. To this day, their action stands as an exemplary instance of whistleblowing.

They were effective in getting the respectful attention of journalists, in the press and on television, and their disclosures had a strong impact. Tthey timed their revelations to coincide with their resignations from responsible positions in General Electric's nuclear energy division. Following the whistleblowing, they established successful careers as consultants on the nuclear power industry for state governments (including Illinois), federal agencies, and foreign governments. The consulting firm they formed, MHB Technical Associates, was technical advisor for the movie, "The China Syndrome." They held their ground in Congressional hearings which their whistle blowing precipitated.

A case for teaching that discusses the whistleblowing of these engineers, written by Vivian Weil, was published in 1983 as "The Browns Ferry Case" in Engineering Professionalism and Ethics, edited by James H. Schaub and Karl Pavlovic, and published by John Wiley & Sons, New York, pages 402 to 411.

On July 20, 1999, Gregory C. Minor died of leukemia at the age of 62. Here is the article about him on July 31st 1999 issue of New York Times

---

Want a career in the engineering? You may want to take a look this article about Arthur Raymond, DC-3 Maker