AmeriGas Propane has been cited for six serious violations and owes $18,000 in fees in connection to the December fire and explosion at Vashon Energy that injured two employees.
According to an investigation completed by the state’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) this month, AmeriGas — Vashon Energy’s parent company — failed to train employees on a variety of topics and failed to have a plan in place in case of an emergency such as the one that occurred.
AmeriGas Director of Communications Justine Staub said Friday that the company believes the violations are unfounded, but will cooperate. She declined to say much else, but said the company is still conducting its own investigation into the incident.
“It’s an ongoing investigation, so I can’t give you much detail,” she said.
On Dec. 2, 2016, two Vashon Energy employees were injured in an explosion and fire that destroyed the Vashon Energy building on 204th Street. A King County fire investigation report later revealed that the incident was caused by human error when an employee repairing a hose nozzle inside the building accidentally released propane in the process.
That employee, Owen Dailey, was hospitalized with serious burns and later fired from his job as a propane delivery driver.
But the L&I investigation outlines a variety of violations deemed serious because of their potential to cause injury or death. The violations are:
1. Vashon Energy’s employees were not trained to respond to emergency propane leaks.
2. There was no emergency response plan for a propane leak.
3. Employees were not trained on how to change out propane hose valves.
4. Locations were not properly classified by their contents of flammable materials.
5. The company’s accident prevention program did not cover the specific hazards of the Vashon office.
6. Employees working at Vashon Energy were not working in an area free from recognized hazards.
When asked about whether the findings could affect Dailey’s employment status, Staub said she could not comment on personnel matters.
AmeriGas had until Monday to file an appeal to L&I. As of Friday, one had not been filed.
The company must correct the violations and provide documentation it has done so by July 5. Elaine Fischer, a spokeswoman for L&I, said the violations have to be corrected “whether they appeal or not.”
L&I has conducted seven inspections of AmeriGas since 2011, and in most of them, there were no violations cited. The exception was in February 2014, when L&I cited the company for three general safety violations and one serious one. There was a $400 fine. The company paid and did not appeal.
— Anneli Fogt
