Homepage DesignBuild Source newsroom

Did Utility Know Pipelines Weren’t Safe?

Announcement posted by DesignBuild Source 05 Aug 2012

Engineering

There is sure to be an uproar – not to mention questions asked aboutengineeringpractices – any time a gas pipeline explodes in the middle of a suburb, killing eight people and razing around 50 buildings.

When an employee of the utility concerned testifies that he repeatedly warned management that its gas records were incomplete, matters are made far worse, and senior personnel have a lot of explaining to do, especially when the same employee tells a courtroom that absolutely nothing was done about it.

According to a report in Business Week, Todd Arnett, a senior engineer for Pacific Gas and Electric Co, has testified before a San Mateo County Superior Court that he repeatedly warned his supervisors before a 2010 blast in the San Fransico suburb of San Bruno that the utility’s gas records were incomplete and that lives were in danger as a result.

He contends no action was taken to rectify the situation.

Arnett’s testimony was given as part of a civil suit in which 350 plaintiffs are taking action.....

Continue Reading