Tampa Electric To Pay $500K Fine For Deadly 2017 Explosion
WUSF Public Media – WUSF 89.7 | By Associated Press
Published May 8, 2022 at 3:42 PM EDT
Tampa Electric Co. has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for a 2017 explosion that left five workers dead.
A plea agreement filed Friday in Tampa federal court says the power company has pleaded guilty to violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard causing death.
The agreement outlines safety procedures that TECO must follow in the future.
The agreement also notes that the company previously reached confidential civil settlements with the families of the victims and others injured by the explosion.
The explosion occurred at TECO’s Apollo Beach power plant, located just off Tampa Bay, in June 2017.
The explosion happened when the workers were trying to unclog a blockage in a tank of molten coal that’s burned to generate electricity.
Two workers died that day and three others later succumbed to their injuries. Another worker was left seriously burned.
