California has issued citations against a contractor following a May blast at a hotel under construction in San Diego that injured 13 construction workers and a firefighter.According to officials, natural gas seeping from pipes resulted in an explosion at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel on May 19.
Sherwood Mechanical Inc., a plumbing and heating contractor based in Mira Mesa, garnered the majority of the blame for the blast.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health levied fines of $67,500 against Sherwood for four “serious” violations. Six additional subcontractors were penalized for less-serious violations, while five others were cleared of wrongdoing.
According to the citations, Sherwood Mechanical workers “did not install natural gas piping in accordance with good engineering practice, or in a manner which provided reasonable safety for employees.”
Workers trying to flush air out of the pipes feeding a hotel boiler inadvertently permitted natural gas to leak into a fifth-floor mechanical room.
Sherwood Mechanical received two $6,750 fines for failing to comply with injury prevention rules. It also received a pair of $27,000 penalties for improperly installing piping and not testing for unsafe vapors.
Despite damage to the hotel from the blast, it is still slated to open for business on Dec. 3.
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