A former employee at the Hanford Vit Plant in Richland, Washington, has filed a lawsuit against her former supervisor and a Bechtel unit, alleging repeated incidents of sexual harassment on the job. The plaintiff, the only woman apprentice electrician at the plant, claims that a general foreman made frequent comments about her appearance, asked her to send photographs of herself, and sent her texts unrelated to work.
According to court documents, the foreman’s behavior escalated over time, and he retaliated against the worker after she reported the incidents, eventually leading to her termination. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, names the foreman, Waste Treatment Completion Co., and Bechtel National as defendants.
The lawsuit outlines a persistent pattern of inappropriate behavior by the foreman, including exposing his chest to the worker and making comments about her appearance. The worker’s husband, who also worked at the plant as an electrician, was allegedly harassed by the foreman as well.
The foreman reportedly claimed that he was “bulletproof” and “untouchable” due to his family’s five-generation legacy as journeymen working at the Hanford site. The lawsuit states that the IBEW Local 112 union hall is named after his grandfather, and that the worker was also harassed by the foreman’s father, who worked at the jobsite’s material tent.
Following a broken finger, the worker was rendered unable to perform her assigned duties and did not receive reasonable accommodations, according to the complaint. She left her job in September 2024, and her husband left later that month due to continued harassment.
Related: Front-line workers want AI transparency
Bechtel and Waste Treatment Completion Co. are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace. Spokesperson Staci West said in an emailed statement, “Bechtel does not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or discrimination of any kind. Given that this matter is the subject of pending litigation, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
The lawsuit seeks redress for multiple forms of relief, including lost wages, emotional distress, attorneys’ fees, and other damages. The construction industry has a history of harassment and discrimination, with a 2021 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research finding that 26.5% of women who work in construction reported being harassed just for being a woman.
Waste Treatment Completion Co. is a Bechtel-AECOM entity created to complete construction and lead the startup and commissioning of nuclear waste treatment sites at the Hanford site, which aims to turn 56 million gallons of radioactive waste into glass that can be safely disposed of, according to the Department of Energy.
The Hanford Vit Plant, where the alleged harassment occurred, is a significant project that aims to clean up radioactive waste. The plant’s workers, including electricians like the plaintiff, play a role in this process, and they can work in a safe and respectful environment, free from hostile workplace harassment.
Leave a Reply