Public Utilities Commission: electrical and gas corporations: close call reporting programs.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations. The California Constitution authorizes the commission to establish rules for electrical and gas corporations, subject to control by the Legislature. This bill would authorize the commission to establish procedures and processes to implement a confidential, nonpunitive, and independent close call reporting program for purposes of facilitating the identification of accident precursors by persons familiar with the operations of electrical or gas corporations and of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating unbiased safety information. The bill would authorize any person to voluntarily submit through the program a confidential close call report that both involves an electrical or gas corporation and relates to public, employee, or contractor safety. The bill would also require the commission to implement, through a proceeding, a close call reporting pilot program that would be consistent with the program described above.