Power plants focus of safety inquiry

OSHA inspectors are looking into a rash of complaints at three plants filed since the April explosion at Gannon Power Station.

By AMEET SACHDEV

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 20, 1999

Federal inspectors are investigating several worker complaints about safety at Tampa Bay area power plants that were filed after April's deadly explosion at a Tampa Electric Co. facility.

Some of the cases deal with working conditions at Gannon Power Station, the Hillsborough County plant where three people died and 45 were injured when hydrogen gas used to cool generators exploded. The complaints arose while inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were interviewing employees after the blast.

But two other complaints are related to safety issues at another Tampa Electric facility, Big Bend Station in south Tampa. And a third involves a plant in Pasco County owned by Florida Power Corp.

"Basically, after the explosion we got deluged from complaints about various power companies," Larry Falck, OSHA's central Florida director, said Thursday.

The explosion has heightened awareness of safety issues at power plants among employees and company officials. Plant workers were reminded again last weekend about the danger associated with their jobs. Seven workers at a Georgia power plant were injured Saturday when a chemical they were using to clean equipment ignited with coal dust.

"Anytime you have something like that, you're going to look at your own systems," Florida Power spokesman Mac Harris said.

Falck declined to give details about the nature of the recent complaints, citing the ongoing investigations. But Florida Power said the complaint against the company stemmed from an incident at its plant on the Anclote River.

In April, just three days before the Gannon blast, the plant began releasing hydrogen from one of its generators, a routine procedure to prepare the generator for maintenance. But plant supervisors failed to warn employees about the release. A company official acknowledged that safety procedures were violated but said there was no danger of an explosion because the gas was vented into the atmosphere away from workers.

Harris said OSHA inspectors visited the plant but have not reported their findings to the company. "We're satisfied that what we do is a safe process," he said. "It's our belief that nothing will be found."

Tampa Electric declined to comment on the complaints concernings its plants until OSHA's investigation is completed. The agency normally has 180 days to issue a report on its findings.

OSHA has not completed its investigation into the explosion at Gannon. The company said worker error caused the blast.

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