Grant PUD probes employee gambling, asbestos exposure

WANAPUM DAM - Grant PUD officials said Friday they are investigating a report of employee gambling with work equipment that possibly coincided with asbestos exposure at Wanapum Dam. 

The state Department of Labor and Industries was contacted by the district because of the asbestos allegation and no basis was found for a fine, said Dorothy Harris, a district spokesperson.

Air testing revealed a pad on the generators showed higher-than-permissible levels of asbestos exposure for employees without protective gear, she said.

The district decided to replace all breaks with nonasbestos breaks at its dams, she said. 

Grant PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson said he doesn't believe any employees sought medical care because of exposure. 

The district sent out a questionnaire asking if employees wanted to be tested.

It started on March 4, when employees were allegedly playing a game of "rotor roulette" with PUD equipment, according to an anonymous letter sent to the PUD and media.

To play, rotor poles are numbered and a marker is made inside the barrel of a generator.

The exposure was coincidental with the time of the gambling game, when a turbine was spun and brakes, containing asbestos, were applied, Culbertson said.

The district has an adverse action committee, comprised of Culbertson, PUD attorney Mitch Delabarre and human resources Manager Darla Shannon. They meet this week.

"We will be talking about appropriate levels of discipline," Culbertson said. 

No employees have been placed on administrative leave.

"I think it's easy to think those things might be OK, without thinking about the perception issue," he said.

To Culbertson, the situation should have raised concern because of the amount of the $4,200 winnings and use of district equipment, he said.

Each time the wager takes place, there are 150 spots. He estimated between 150 to 200 people participated in the game since 2005. 

Culbertson is aware of the PUD's policy that states gambling isn't allowed at work, but he believes district staff informed him that sports pools aren't considered gambling.

He was told many employees believed the March 4 incident circled around a celebration for the new turbines once they were completed.

Another anonymous letter sent to the PUD and the media alleges a second gambling game came to life for the NCAA basketball tournament.

"We're going to reeducate and reinforce those policies," Culbertson said. "We've got to look at that."

He plans to meet with hydro employees Wednesday.

Asbestos is contained in some older district equipment at the 50-year-old dam, said Harris, of the PUD.

Culbertson said the reports prompted an updated inventory of where asbestos is located in the PUD's dams and reevaluation of its policies on how to treat the material.

He brought back a retired employee to serve on a safety committee to provide updates on the asbestos issue.

He is waiting on information explaining how the district decided to reuse asbestos brake pads.

He is not sure how many, if any, employees knew the brakes contained asbestos.