Category Archives: Catastrophes

The consultants report on recordkeeping within PG&E (US)

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Synercon

The testimony of Paul Duller and Alison North wrt to the San Bruno Gas disaster is now available on the  California Public Utilities Commission website. Read the full report.  Records Management within the Gas Transmission Division of Pacific Gas and Electric … Continue reading →

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Records show Japan foresaw possible Fukushima meltdown

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Synercon

TOKYO (AP) – Just four hours after a tsunami swept into the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan’s leaders knew the damage was so severe that the reactors could melt down, but they kept their knowledge secret for months… The revelations … Continue reading →

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Fukushima task force kept no records of meetings

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Synercon

 It was the world’s worst nuclear crisis for 25 years. But now, Japan’s energy minister has admitted no one thought of keeping records of top-level discussions in the critical early days after disaster struck at the Fukushima plant. The admission, … Continue reading →

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Law puts pipeline records off-limits

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Synercon

Californians concerned about dangerous pipelines running underneath their neighborhoods are barred from obtaining government records about them by a 60-year-old state law backed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and other utilities, a Chronicle investigation shows….The commission’s confidentiality powers have … Continue reading →

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Mystery surrounds loss of records, art in World Trade Center towers (US)

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Synercon

Letters written by Helen Keller. Forty-thousand photographic negatives of John F. Kennedy taken by the president’s personal cameraman. Sculptures by Alexander Calder and Auguste Rodin. The 1921 agreement that created the agency that built the World Trade Center. Besides ending … Continue reading →

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At probe’s end, San Bruno pipe’s origin is unknown (US)

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Synercon

ASHBURN, VA. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has been unable to provide federal investigators with records showing where it got the pipe that exploded in San Bruno, officials said Monday – a failure that has major implications for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Breakdowns in Accountability, Catastrophes, Inadequate Systems, Incomplete records, Non-compliance, Operational Failures | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

NTSB says source of flawed San Bruno pipe still a mystery (US)

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Synercon

A yearlong federal probe into the San Bruno natural gas disaster hasn’t determined where the ruptured pipe segment came from or who is responsible for its numerous welding defects, a critical problem that means PG&E and state regulators can’t say … Continue reading →

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PG&E faces new probe (US)

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Synercon

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. faces the start on Monday of another state probe into its record-keeping, one which could be far more serious as regulators examine whether the utility’s record-keeping practices contributed to the deadly pipeline blast in San … Continue reading →

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PG&E agrees to $3 million fine over safety records (US)

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Synercon

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. agreed Thursday to pay an unusual gas-safety-related fine of $3 million for what state regulators called “willful non-compliance” with orders to provide key documents about transmission pipelines.

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PG&E launches massive record search after San Bruno disaster

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Synercon

PG&E launches massive record search after San Bruno disaster Confirming worries about the disorganized state of its pipeline records, PG&E on Tuesday said it has launched a massive effort to find documents that can prove it has set safe gas-pressure … Continue reading →

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NTSB seeks urgent review of pipeline records (US)

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Synercon

U.S. safety investigators, acting in response to a deadly California gas line explosion, urgently recommended on Monday that pipeline operators review their records to ensure their systems were built correctly. The National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, which also seek cooperation … Continue reading →

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