Electrician Donovan Hemway last month asked the board of directors of the Metro Water District for whistle-blower status to protect his job—and to investigate his near-electrocution.
He was fired the next day.
Metro’s risk-management specialist, Janet Gallup, then resigned in protest. A state investigation is now under way.
Speaking to the board of the water district—which serves about 50,000 people in the northwest, northeast and southwest areas of metro Tucson, according to its website—Hemway on Aug. 13 said he was nearly electrocuted on May 10, when he became drenched while working in a live, 480-volt cabinet at Metro’s DeConcini well site. A single father, Hemway had worked for Metro for almost six years.
“I was nearly killed,” Hemway told the board. “I have concern for the safety of my co-workers as well as my own.”
Hemway had been ordered to do a pump-efficiency test by deputy manager Chris Hill, and he believes that Hill’s change in normal test procedure is what triggered the accident.
This was not the deputy manager’s first possible misadventure. In an incident last year, Gallup said, she asked general manager Mark Stratton to discipline Hill for ordering employees to work in a trench that had not been shored up, a violation of safety rules.
Stratton responded that Gallup “was a cancer at Metro Water.”
Gallup, who was also Metro’s chief safety officer, said she was reprimanded for reporting to the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or ADOSH, that a contractor was forcing employees to work in unprotected trenches.
Hill was named Metro’s safety officer following Gallup’s resignation. The apparently close relationship between Stratton and Hill may stem from their eight-year business partnership in a private company, Agua Southwest LLC.
An ADOSH investigation of Hemway’s near-electrocution is under way. ADOSH’s Tucson office told the Tucson Weekly that it could not comment while an investigation is in progress.
Hemway claimed that supervisors on the scene failed to report the accident to the company’s risk-management officer. Gallup confirmed that and said that Hemway’s firing was “a major blow” to Metro after he “did so much to improve their electrical system.”
Insomnia has plagued Hemway since the near-electrocution and helped lead to threats of discipline for absenteeism, even as Metro’s employee-assistance program was reportedly recommending medical leave for him. Hemway had received only one disciplinary warning letter prior to the accident, but after it occurred, he received four more.
Stratton issued a written rebuttal to Hemway’s charges on Sept. 7, available online at www.metrowater.com, for the Sept. 10 board meeting. Denying any violation of safety procedures, Stratton said Metro had acted “in an appropriate manner,” including requiring employee sign-off of a “hazard awareness form.”
Stratton wrote that a hose rupture involved with the accident occurred because a 200 PSI (pounds per square inch) hose had been replaced with a 50 PSI hose. How that happened is not explained. He also said that “corrective action” has been taken to avoid similar incidents, and that this change “eliminated the need to follow up.”
Stratton and Hill did not return the Weekly’s phone calls.
Metro’s security and safety procedures involve the use of video cameras, and the entire incident was recorded. The original video, however, was lost, according to Stratton, and a second download came up four minutes short. Stratton said that the shortened version begins just before the hose rupture and shows Hemway wet.
The letter of termination from Stratton, received the day after the Aug. 13 board meeting, charged Hemway with “blatant disregard of policies” and “excessive absenteeism.” In his report to the board, Stratton added a charge of “continued insubordination.”
Gallup told the Weekly that Hemway “certainly has a valid stress claim” and that Metro was “trying to sweep it under the rug.”
Metro faces a $1.2 million deficit that board Chairman Bryan Foulk said is “strangling the district.”
Stratton’s response claims that management has been “professional” and that Hemway has no “substantive proof of any wrong-doing,” so no board action is required.
Gallup, who said she’d finally “had it” with Metro after six years, added: “When management isn’t following the rules, there is a big problem. I believe Metro Water has a duty to provide honesty, integrity and safety to its ratepayers and employees.”
Dave Devine contributed to this article.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.
As a Metro Water consumer, but, more importantly, a person who can read one of these articles and come up with a serious case of “peee yewww;” something smells very bad in all of this mess, I can only say that this case has to go further to determne a clear and unprejudiced evaluation of the facts in this case. It sounds like this man, Mr. Hemway, was very concerned for not only his own, but others safety from electrocution.
If Metro Water is, pardon me, “underwater” for debt, then they need to up the cost of water to it’s users, as well as finding other ways to conserve. In my neighborhood, there simply are not any green grass vistas, no mid-west horticulture, but pretty much xeriscape. So, what do we do now?
Wow! Is this a case of shooting the messenger or what? What does this say about Metro Water’s administrative team?
Something doesn’t jive. I went to the Metro Water website and saw this:
“Response to Tucson Weekly Article
A recent article in the Tucson Weekly makes a number of allegations against Metro Water District. Although the District declined to comment for the article, these assertions stem from comments made by a former employee at the August 13, 2012 Board meeting. The General Manager responded to these comments at the September 10, 2012 Board meeting. Here is the link to that full report – http://www.metrowater.com/pdf/IVH_091012.pdf
The District has been and continues to be committed to a safe work environment for its employees and customers.”
… so, I clicked on the report they referred to and WOW there is a lot more information. Right there on page 3 it says, “Because of continued insubordination by Mr. Hemway, his employment with the District was terminated on August 13, 2013.”
So this is a guy who had just been fired and then he went to the board meeting later that night. The TW article says he was fired the next day but that’s false according to the report.
TW fact check FAIL.
Sounds like this Henway dude is just trying to get revenge. They already investigated. He got fired for other reasons and now he’s going to the press. I feel bad for the guy almost getting electracuted but what does he want now? I worked with his kind before. He’s trying to get payed.
What a frightful thing to have gone through, and survived! 480 volts? Their management appears to be trying to cover up big time… I wonder how much more we don’t know. What type of overspending is getting their water district so deep in debt? I’ll bet the non-management employees past and present could tell us a lot more about what is going on at this sketchy operation. This guy had guts to come forward, sounds like they will say anything to discredit him now.
Was nearly killed, lost videos, wrong hoses, safety officer resignation, who is in charge at Metro Water District and have serious crimes been committed there? Who is to provide whistle blower protection anyway? Was he really fired on the same day their board met? A coincidence or a criminal act? Metro Water’s Website leaves more questions than answers. Something definitely fishy to me about this whole thing. Where are the cops?
I ran for the Board last year with the intent of my way of giving back. There are so many things wrong with Mark Stratton’s hold on Metro Water. I tried avenues through the State, local media, neighbors. I resigned as it was a battle I couldn’t win. I am just so happy to see the Weekly ran this article. And very pleased to see it revealed that Mark and Chris own another water company. Also would like to see more discussion on why the debt has not been refinanced.
Helen Ireland former Board member.
“And very pleased to see it revealed that Mark and Chris own another water company.”
Why? What is wrong with that?
Running your own water company while getting paid 200k per year from Metro Water and keeping your business partner as a favorite employee sounds a little fishy to me. I wonder if this is why they keep raising water rates. Every little bit is needed to help run both metro and their personal water company.
Fact checker – Hemway appealed to the Board for whistleblower protection and received notice that he was fired the next day, not before. I was present at the Board meeting and no one present from management said anything about his being terminated.
Be advised also that General Manager Mark Stratton’s rebuttal to Hemway posted on the Metro website September 7 was rewritten on September 11.
Also, as the primary author of that article, facts were checked and re-checked. Indeed, when Abbe Melissa Goncharsky, Metro Water’s attorney, called me this morning the only “fact” in question was that her call to me stating that Stratton and Hill had “no comment” was left out of the article. Actually it was in there but hit the cutting room floor at the last minute, probably due to space problems. Stratton and Hill never did return my calls.
Ms. Goncharsky wants a correction. I want accountability.
Albert Vetere Lannon
The “insubordination” for which he was fired was pushing for the truth to come out about what really happened that day – that safety rules were violated by supervisors despite several employees’ objections – and for changes to be made to keep everyone safe. Everything else was just an excuse to get rid of him and discredit him in case he went to the media. Look how well it worked. I hope that OSHA is taking a very close look at what goes on over there.
As a district customer I found the Metro website comments first, it wasn’t enough just to fire Mr. Hemway, Mr. Stratton used four pages to malign him publicly in every way. Accident my azz, it’s clear to me they intended to hurt him and are still trying. He should sue the bastardz for defamation of character and who knows what else! Poor Ms. Goncharsky is either working for the wrong client or she is giving the world’s worst legal advice.
I worked for Metro for 10 years and am not surprised at all about this. The way they intimidate their employees, and get away with so many infractions to the law such as this incident and singling out and specifically checking only 1 persons work to look for errors, keeping a large file on them alone to reprimand them and not the others in the same area is horrendous. This was very clearly a cover up-and the way Mr. Stratton twisted the truth is abominable! I filed a grievance in my case with the board. I was told to give names of witnesses and it was dismissed without even talking to my witnesses. The grievance policy is now removed from the procedure manual and my supervisor was removed from her position after the board told me I had no case! Isn’t that strange that things were changed after I filed the report? I know what I am talking about; I had to live with it going on for years.
Shame on Metro Water! I have heard for years from former employees how this company sweeps things under the rug. This is inexcusable to shred a man’s character when all he was doing was trying to look out for his co-workers’ safety. Mr. Hemway was fired the day AFTER the board meeting and the current employees were told “We are watching you!” What do you suppose they meant by that? Who wouldn’t be affected after nearly being electrocuted? Where was they compassion for a fellow human being and concern for a current employee’s safety? If I were looking for a job, I would never apply at this place, where they show such little concern for their employees! Beware of Metro Water!
So these guys finally got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It’s about time! Metro Water district is a sleaze bag outfit. Mark treats the field workers as if they are children. (They are the back bone of the operation) All of management hides under his dress. What was not mentioned was the fact these guys have their hands into so much more. Oh and the water buffalo’s? 1.2 mil in debt. How many hands greased? They have ruined many lives. Turnover of employees speaks for itself. Hat’s off to Janet and Don, for the obvious. Many questions need to be answered. No buying their way out of this one. Hopeful they get what is coming to them!
Board Meeting tonight at 6:00pm. Open comments from the public are welcome beginning at 6:00. 6265 N. La Canada Blvd, Tucson AZ 85704. Accountability or Resignation!