Emergency Reporting

Electric Utilities must report any incident, within two hours during working hours and four hours outside of working hours, that is attributable or allegedly attributable to utility-owned facilities, and which results in:

• Result in fatality or personal injury that requires medical attention from a healthcare professional at a hospital or other medical facility and are attributable or allegedly attributable to utility-owned facilities; or
• Are the subject of media coverage and are attributable or allegedly attributable to the utility electrical facilities (media as used in this context refers to any of the major news outlets and publications (i.e. a minimum daily circulation of 25,000 or minimum daily followers of 25,000) in the area, city and/or county where the incident occurred); or
• Involve damage (caused by a utility facility) to property estimated to equal or exceed $200,000. Property in this section refers to any utility-owned and/or non-utility owned property and facilities. In calculating the amount of damages, the utility shall estimate the cost to replace any damaged facilities that belong to the utility or properties of a non-utility entity. The cost does not include the labor involved to replace the damaged facilities and should be broken down to show the cost of damages to the utility’s facilities and non-utility properties; or
• Prompted a government entity to investigate whether the infrastructure owned or operated by the utility caused a wildfire.

Deadlines:

• Notification to CPUC within 2 hours of learning of incident (within 4 hours if after hours); and
  
• Full report due at 20 days.
  

See excerpt from Resolution ESRB-12.

Gas Utilities must report, within two hours during working hours and four hours outside of working hours, incidents which involve the release of gas that result in:

• Fatality or personal injury requiring in-patient hospitalization;
• Significant public attention or media coverage; or
• Damage to property of the utility, including loss of gas, or others, or both, is above $50,000.

Utility should follow up with a more comprehensive report on the designated form within 30 days. See excerpts from GO 112-E and CFR 49 § 191.9.

Major Electric outages must be reported.

• See excerpt from GO 166.

GAOs and ESSOs must report, within 24 hours of its occurrence:

• Death to a person; or
• An injury or illness to a person requiring overnight hospitalization; or
• A report to Cal/OSHA, OSHA, or other regulatory agency; or
• Damage to the property of the Generating Asset Owner or another person of more than $200,000; or
• Involves a Generating Asset or Energy Storage System malfunction or failure resulting in fires, explosions, hazardous emissions, or safety related reports to other agencies; or
• Any other incident involving a GA or ESS that has resulted a significant negative media coverage (resulting in a news story or editorial from one media outlet with a circulation or audience of 50,000 or more persons) when the GAO or ESSO has actual knowledge of the media coverage.

View information on whistleblowing or file a complaint online.

You can report unsafe conditions to the CPUC by calling the whistleblower hotline at 1-800-649-7570 or by sending an email to safetyhotline@cpuc.ca.gov.