A federal prosecutor told jurors in a San Diego U.S. District Court earlier this week that San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) had a “culture of corporate arrogance” that encouraged workers to disregard safety standards when removing asbestos from a Lemon Grove site.

According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, SDG&E, two employees and a contractor are named in a five-count criminal indictment alleging that they violated safety standards while removing asbestos from nine miles of pipe at a storage station near the Lemon Grove-San Diego boundary.

The workers – Jacqueline McHugh, a supervisor in the environmental department; David Williamson, an environmental specialist; and Kyle Rheubottom, project superintendent for contractor IT Corporation, face the possibility of a $250,000 fine for each charge and imprisonment of up to 5 years. SDG&E could be fined as much as $2.5 million.

Melania Pierson, assistant U.S. attorney, told the jury that the workers totally ignored the fact that the asbestos on the pipes was “friable” or easy to crumble. Such damaged asbestos allows for fibers to be released into the air, causing potential health problems for those who inhale the dust.

They used a machine that scraped chunks of coating containing asbestos off the pipes, she said, instead of a more costly machine designed for removing asbestos more safely.

“It’s about time and money and personal recognition,” Pierson said. “But mostly it’s about the money.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 8:43 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.