Regulators cited PGW for only giving drug and alcohol tests to three of 38 employees who responded to the incident. PGW said only 18 employees were on the scene at the time of the explosion and it "tested all personnel who were available to be tested who were in charge of the leak investigation, could have caused the accident or contributed to the accident."
One of the utility's key defenses against the PUC is that the agency had reviewed PGW's procedures in previous years "and never questioned" the utility on the quality of the procedures, their completeness or for noncompliance.
It argued that the PUC is now violating PGW's right to due process by citing it for "new interpretations" of regulations.
The PUC's complaint says that PGW failed to shut off gas mains and electricity to the neighborhood in violation of its own policies, which the utility denies. Fire investigators said the blast was triggered when built-up gas was sparked by the electronic pilot light of a furnace.
The Jan. 18, 2011, explosion killed Mark Keeley, a PGW employee with less than one year's experience, as he was attempting to ventilate gas built up in the basement of a two-story rowhouse.
The blast destroyed the rowhouse, which contained a chiropractic clinic and two apartments. It flattened cars, shattered windows for blocks, and burned for two hours before being brought under control.
Five other utility workers were injured, three critically.
The complaint now goes through a formal process of review before an administrative law judge, which often ends in a negotiated settlement. Any settlement or decision must be formally approved by the commission's five members, who are appointed by the governor.
A PUC spokeswoman could not be reached for comment Monday.
