Worker-safety findings prompt appeal by city

Spokane city officials Wednesday filed an appeal with the state Department of Labor and Industries challenging some of the worker-safety violations issued against the city in connection with a May 10 accident at the city’s sewage treatment plant.

The incident at one of the plant’s three large “digester” tanks killed one worker and injured three others.

State L&I officials found 16 violations, 12 of which carried fines totaling $66,600.

In its appeal, the city is asking for a sixth-month extension to implement changes or improvements sought by the state. They involve written procedures, hazard analyses, operating manuals and training regimens.

“We need more time to respond,” Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch said.

In addition, the city is challenging the department’s jurisdiction over citations involving the capture and reuse of methane gas at the plant. The city contends that in-plant use of methane is exempt from state labor regulations.

Lynch said compliance would involve updating procedure manuals throughout city operations, not just at the sewer plant, and that would be costly and time-consuming.

The L&I investigation did not identify a cause of the accident, but pointed to failures in overall supervision. The fines were in the middle of the range of possible penalties from the agency.

Monday, the Spokane City Council increased the amount of a contract to Exponent Failure Analysis Associates of Menlo Park, Calif., which is conducting an independent probe of the accident. An additional $100,000 is being spent to look at computer systems that were used to monitor sludge levels in the digesters, as well as other tasks. The contract amount now stands at $443,000. The company’s report is expected later this year.

Workers at the plant reported problems stemming from modifications installed at the plant a year earlier. City officials also said the workers reported unexplained fluctuations in gas pressures and sludge levels inside the digester tanks in the hours leading up to the accident. Those readings were monitored by computer.

Sludge in the tank is processed into a fertilizer byproduct.

The accident occurred as sludge spilled from roof vents in tank No. 3. Mechanic Mike Cmos Jr. was killed when he went up on the tank roof in an effort to contain the spill.