untrained/unskilled persons carrying out electrical work/repairs within a company

[thebassman]

Hi All

I would like some opinions from fellow sparks,I work as a foreman electrician for a large Logistics company and I am part of the building maintenance team we have all trades in the team. Each depot has a what my Manager calls maintenance men ( I call them caretakers/Janitors), they carry out weekly checks of the depots and do simple repairs and change lamps.
My question is we have one guy who claims to know everything, recently he has been replacing light fittings, hand dryers, hydro boils and has tried to repair faults in our dock levellers and caused more faults.He was also going to wire 2x 3phase supplies to compressors this was stopped when our other spark got wind of it.
The above is just few of what he does. I have spoken to the manager he told me he is not to carry out any electrical repairs but our traveling foreman is telling him to do the repairs
As far as I can see regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work regs would stop him???
I don't see the point of me being at work. We have a 1st year apprentice who asks why can this unskilled person carry out works that he cant do in his first year, it must make him feel whats the point of collage.
I look forward to your comments or advice. The guy in question has no trade skills he was a labourer.

Danny

 

[Richard Burns]

The wiring regulations, the electricity at Work regulations, the building regulations and the health and safety at work act all agree that work on electrical systems must be undertaken by persons competent at the work they are doing so as to prevent danger to themselves and others.
Whilst there is no specific requirement for training this is implied and probably expected although long term experience may be acceptable.

If your manager is stating that he should not be doing repairs then the manager should be communicating this to the foreman.

If you have a near miss or incident reporting system then this may the time to make use of it.

 

[telectrix]

what he said.^^^^^.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Are you stating that this person does not have sufficient technical knowledge, experience or is not under such supervision so as to prevent danger or injury?

 

[Darkwood]

Set him up in an interview and hand him a copy of the regulations, that create a scenario to which he needs to calculate a cable size, then ask him the checks he needs to perform and the testing sequence....

I love a Mr know it all and I always take pleasure in bringing them down to earth with a big thud! :83:

These are the same kind of people that you see in a pub giving out the dangerous advice while totally oblivious to the fact they know jack!

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Jack's my Nephew, and he's a plumber/gas engineer.
Knowing him wouldn't be much help when it comes to electrics.

 

[Darkwood]

Jack's my Nephew, and he's a plumber/gas engineer.
Knowing him wouldn't be much help when it comes to electrics.

In the interest of Forum rules I left his last name out... so a different Jack I believe ... I knew when writing it someone would comment lol

 

[ackbarthestar]

If you and your fellow colleagues have no confidence in this person then the overall manager in charge of maintenance needs to pull him into the office for a chat about policies and procedures, limitations, liabilities and retraining. Since if your company does not act and he does damage to him or others then the 'elf' will be summoned.........

 

[Gavin A]

Ask the travelling foreman to put his instructions in writing, and put your concerns in writing, then you're covered and he's liable.

no chance the foreman will do that, in which case you're free as electrical foreman to tell the maintenance guy that he's not competent to carry out electrical works beyond changing lightbulbs. If he does works he's not competent to do then he's personally liable if anything goes wrong, and the company insurance wouldn't cover him for those works.

 

[Parker27]

All of the above.

Why not insist on MWC on the work he completes, when he realises that he does not know how to test equipment, he will soon stop.

 

[ackbarthestar]

All of the above.

Why not insist on MWC on the work he completes, when he realises that he does not know how to test equipment, he will soon stop.

The problem is that characters like this don't know where to stop. He is likely to carry on blagging is way on until he does some damage and then attempt to pass the buck. It should be nipped in the bud. I agree with Gavin here that he should be made to declare his intentions in writing.

I have spoken to the manager he told me he is not to carry out any electrical repairs but our traveling foreman is telling him to do the repairs

There is also other problems with this company if this a correct statement.

 

[thebassman]

Hi All
Thanks to all who replied to my post, I agree with everything said and having thought hard about my next move I am going to set up a meeting with our project and maintenance manager and our health and safety dept to try and get this resolved before someone gets injured or worse.
As the last post stated he does not know when to stop he will try anything. This man in his own house was told by gas board he needed bonding to his gas meter, he installed a cable from his kitchen cold water pipe to the gas meter, the actions of a man who knows everything!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to post. Danny