PECO technicians made mistakes, forged report after Bristol nursing home explosion, new documents show

It's been almost 11 months since a nursing home explosion in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, two days before Christmas. Three people died, and at least 20 were injured. Newly released documents from the National Transportation Safety Board, totaling more than 3,000 pages, shed light on what went wrong.

The Details

According to the NTSB documents, a PECO technician did not perform "bar hole testing" before the explosion, which is a standard test to detect and measure gas leaks. The report says the technician was aware that he should have run the test in this situation but forgot.

Another PECO technician had limited experience with the indoor meter style in the nursing home, which was a 1940s model. The PECO tech told the NTSB that the day of the explosion was the first time he had seen an indoor valve like the one that was leaking in the basement of the Bristol Health and Rehab Center in Bucks County.

One of the documents released also detailed an attempt by PECO to fabricate a report after the blast. A PECO technician told federal investigators that the "leak sheet" was inaccurate because management told them to forge the information.

A nurse and two residents were killed and at least 20 other people were injured in the explosion last December. The NTSB said the explosion happened within hours of the gas leak being reported to PECO. The new documents revealed that PECO workers struggled to find the source of the leak because the address in its system was incorrect.

PECO released a lengthy statement following the release of the documents, saying in part, "We recognize the importance of continuous improvement and vigilance with respect to the safe and reliable delivery of electric and natural gas service." The company said it has already taken steps to enhance safety, including relocating indoor meters to outdoor locations and more training for technicians.

"The sins of PECO management were paid for in blood, and this is a wake-up call," Lawrence Anastasi, the president of IBEW Local 614, the union representing PECO workers, said in part. "There is catastrophic neglect across the system that will cause more fatalities if left unaddressed."

PECO then released an updated statement Friday evening saying, in part, "Commenting publicly on the investigation before it is complete is irresponsible. Speculation and premature conclusions undermine the process, distract from the facts and do a disservice to those affected."

The NTSB will continue to investigate the explosion and usually issues final reports one to two years after an accident.