A federal judge on Friday gave up to $500,000 to a Florida power company that violated federal safety rules and caused a 2017 explosion at a coal-fired power plant near Tampa, Fla., that killed five and injured several. fined.
The Tampa Electric Company pleaded guilty in May to “willful” violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules. The rule required workers to be briefed on the work they were to do, including potential hazards and related procedures, prosecutors said. Five employees died because they were unable to hold briefings, prosecutors said in court documents.
As part of the ruling, U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell of the Central District of Florida also ordered Tampa Electric to be placed on probation for three years and to comply with a safety compliance plan.
According to the plea deal, Tampa Electric had previously negotiated a confidential civil settlement with the families of each person killed in the explosion and several other families affected by it.
Tampa Electric’s “deliberate violations had devastating consequences, killing five workers and injuring several more, highlighting the importance of workplace safety standards,” according to the Department of Justice environment. and Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Division of Natural Resources, said in a statement on Friday. .
A representative for Tampa Electric was unavailable for an interview, but a spokesperson released a statement from the company’s president and CEO, Archie Collins.
“We take responsibility for this tragedy and reaffirm our commitment to keeping our employees safe as part of the world-class safety culture that all Tampa Electric employees are working together to build,” the statement said. says.
On June 29, 2017, one of the coal-fired furnace slag tanks at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach clogged with slag, a glassy waste product that forms after the remains of burned coal are mixed with cold water. was Florida operated by Tampa Electric.
Rather than shutting down the furnace, Tampa Electric asked the contractor to perform a waterblasting technique to remove the slag, prosecutors said, but no procedures were found for this work.
The ensuing explosion sprayed workers with molten slag that could reach temperatures well over 1,000 degrees, officials said. According to prosecutors, one witness described the explosion as “like a volcano and a jet dragster. It was a fireball with molten slag coming out.”
After the explosion, OSHA investigators interviewed nine Tampa Electric operators who were working that day and had seen the company’s procedures regarding waterblast slag tanks, according to court records. found to be only one.
By holding a pre-employment briefing, prosecutors said, Tampa Electric realized it was dealing with a rare blockage that presented a “unique hazard” and asked the company to stop work and shut down the unit. would have urged