Worker fatigue examined in Kleen blast
MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT - A federal agency investigating a power plant explosion in Connecticut that killed six workers last month says some workers were putting in long hours and they're looking into whether fatigue played a role.
Authorities say the February 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown happened as workers were using natural gas to clean out gas lines.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board lead investigator Donald Homstrom says some workers were working 12-hour shifts, including some of those involved in cleaning the gas lines.
Kleen Energy declined to comment.
Erik Dobratz, whose father Ray Dobratz was killed in the blast, said last month his father had told him he was working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for six months.
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Power customers in British Columbia, Quebec have faced fees for refusing the installation of smart meters
SAINT JOHN - NB Power customers who do not want a smart meter installed on their home could be facing a stiff fee for that decision, but so far the utility is not saying how much it might be.
"It will be based on the principles of cost causation, but we have not gotten into the detail of what that fee would be at this point," said NB Power Senior Vice President of Operations Lori Clark at Energy and Utilities Board hearings on Friday.
In other jurisdictions that have already adopted smart meters, customers not wanting to participate have faced hundreds…
