PG&E fined $5.45 million over gas inspections

[TexasTowelie]

California utility regulators on Friday slapped Pacific Gas and Electric Co. with a $5.45 million citation for using unqualified workers to perform roughly 500,000 inspections of gas distribution meters and the lines leading into them in the wake of the deadly 2010 San Bruno explosion.

The contract workers were checking for signs of corrosion around distribution meters in seven areas of PG&’s sprawling service territory, with all of the inspections taking place in 2014. The affected areas included the Peninsula and San Jose area as well as part of the East Bay and part of the North Bay.

PG&E has already reinspected most of the segments and plans to examine the rest by the second quarter of 2017, according to the California Public Utilities Commission, which issued the citation.

According to the commission, 101 inspectors working on contract for PG&E lacked the proper training and qualifications for the work, which involves checking for signs of corrosion along pipes that are exposed to open air. Using unqualified inspectors for the work violates both state and federal law, according to the commission.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/PG-E-fined-5-45-million-over-gas-inspections-10816427.php

[onecaliberal]

1. And those same people will allow pg&e to pass that on to ratepayers.

We're already paying for every mistake they have made in the last 2 decades.