Neutral earth faults

[daz216]

Hi all,

I've got an electrician at work who constantly keeps putting n-e faults off the rcd side to the non rcd side & leaving them.

Now in the past I've been out to two n- e faults which have melted the insulation off the 1.5mm cable thus requiring a rewire,now what should I do..

1, have a quiet word again (which I have been doing for 7years).

2, start a disaplinary

being a supervisor i need to put this to bed so I'm thinking a written warning what do you think.

 

[Toneyz]

OK Right, sounds like he is a bit of a cowboy.

Sounds like he justs wants an easy life if got N-E fault just put on non-RCD side I assume that a lot of these consumer units are split boards with non-protected and one side protected by RCD or are they all RCBO'S. Fault finding can take as long as a piece of string then you could have to replace the damaged cable (if that is the cause) are you only given so long as you have other appointments.

 

[Dillb]

Can you orove what he has been doing or will it be your word against his?

 

[Pete999]

No I'm the other electrical section team leader/supervisor so hes my equal but im 33 years in & hes only 12 years less job swap training,so as you can imagine once I start this it will become a battle ground.

Whilst it is in everyone's best interest to ensure a safe environment, do you really think that it is your responsibility to do the deed on this bloke, a far better approach would be to, email your LM "staff in confidence" with your concerns.
Not really in your remit to take disciplinary action, think of the damage to your working environment if you made it your concern, inform your LM keep copies of the time line etc, but after 7 years, I think you have left it far to late, is the Management any idea as to what has been going on over the last 7 years?

 

[Dillb]

Can you orove what he has been doing or will it be your word against his?

 

[Pete999]

No I'm the other electrical section team leader/supervisor so hes my equal but im 33 years in & hes only 12 years less job swap training,so as you can imagine once I start this it will become a battle ground.

Whilst it is in everyone's best interest to ensure a safe environment, do you really think that it is your responsibility to do the deed on this bloke, a far better approach would be to, email your LM "staff in confidence" with your concerns.
Not really in your remit to take disciplinary action, think of the damage to your working environment if you made it your concern, inform your LM keep copies of the time line etc, but after 7 years, I think you have left it far to late, is the Management any idea as to what has been going on over the last 7 years?

 

[daz216]

Yes I've got recent pictures of the faults from the tech he left last week whilst on call out & this is happening every time he is on call even my electricians have had enough of what he does when he's on the tools.

 

[Pete999]

Can you orove what he has been doing or will it be your word against his?

It's been going on for 7 years Dillb bit late for any action I reckon.

 

[Pete999]

Yes I've got recent pictures of the faults from the tech he left last week whilst on call out & this is happening every time he is on call even my electricians have had enough of what he does when he's on the tools.

If he is only doing this when he is on call, you may wish to consider that he is doing this as an emergency repair, and reporting the fault the following day for further remedial action. From what you have said, it sounds as though this Bloke isn't everyone cup of tea, am I right?

 

[daz216]

The last straw in my book is that he had a l-e fault on a lighting circuit last week which he put back as a n-e fault then removed the rcbo & put a old non manufacturer mcb in its place so theoretically energised a faulty circuit with a mcb which might not have worked under fault conditions.

 

[Octopus]

The last straw in my book is that he had a l-e fault on a lighting circuit last week which he put back as a n-e fault then removed the rcbo & put a old non manufacturer mcb in its place so theoretically energised a faulty circuit with a mcb which might not have worked under fault conditions.

So this is factual disciplinary territory .................... what will the boss say?

 

[daz216]

Don't know yet I'm meeting with my other two supervisors on Wednesday to decide how we play this,then we will tell him

 

[daz216]

If he is only doing this when he is on call, you may wish to consider that he is doing this as an emergency repair, and reporting the fault the following day for further remedial action. From what you have said, it sounds as though this Bloke isn't everyone cup of tea, am I right?

How I look at it is that you don't energise faulty circuits no matter what.

 

[Pete999]

The last straw in my book is that he had a l-e fault on a lighting circuit last week which he put back as a n-e fault then removed the rcbo & put a old non manufacturer mcb in its place so theoretically energised a faulty circuit with a mcb which might not have worked under fault conditions.

I'm not defending the bloke but what would you have done in this circumstance, especially if it was after hours.

So this is factual disciplinary territory .................... what will the boss say?

Difficult situation Murdoch as it's been going on for 7 years and rumor mills being what they are, it makes me wonder if the management aren't already aware, and choose to ignore it, or "it's not my problem, let someone else deal with it", having worked for a large concern, I have had similar situations like this one. People in Management are the most devious people I know, when it come to, who is to blame, CYA comes into play and many are Past Masters, when comes to apportioning blame, Slopping Shoulders, or Teflon, was what we called them.

 

[daz216]

Whilst it is in everyone's best interest to ensure a safe environment, do you really think that it is your responsibility to do the deed on this bloke, a far better approach would be to, email your LM "staff in confidence" with your concerns.
Not really in your remit to take disciplinary action, think of the damage to your working environment if you made it your concern, inform your LM keep copies of the time line etc, but after 7 years, I think you have left it far to late, is the Management any idea as to what has been going on over the last 7 years?

The thing is we need to be upfront due to when the evidence is produced he will know because we are the investigation team also.

 

[daz216]

Sounds like he justs wants an easy life if got N-E fault just put on non-RCD side I assume that a lot of these consumer units are split boards with non-protected and one side protected by RCD or are they all RCBO'S. Fault finding can take as long as a piece of string then you could have to replace the damaged cable (if that is the cause) are you only given so long as you have other appointments.

When on call we find upto the fault & isolate,so at the least they still have some Form of power..not just swap to non rcd