Municipal Light and Power was not cited due to their prompt evacuation of the site when unsafe conditions were identified.

Violent shaking

On September 17, 2016, a pressure relief valve was removed from a steam piping system and the system was placed into service without any other safeguards present. Two days later, an event occurred that caused sudden high pressures and violent shaking of the system. Municipal Light and Power asked Universal Energy operators to shut down the system to prevent a catastrophic failure, which could have resulted in injuries or fatalities and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. However, operators delayed shut-down, causing Municipal Light and Power to evacuate their employees until the area could be deemed safe.

"Lives could have been lost"

“Jeopardizing worker safety with hazardous work environments will be met with strong enforcement action,” said Labor Commissioner Heidi Drygas. “Lives could have been lost in this incident, and these employers must be held to the safety standards our laws demand.” The citations, which carry the maximum penalty allowed under the law, were issued as “willful” due to the indifference the employers displayed towards occupational safety and health standards and the suppression of employee concerns regarding an unsafe work environment.

Each employer has the right to formally contest their respective citations.