ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Has ECN created a "Monster"?

Hoo boy, what a day...

You know, no good deed goes unpunished.

Let me start from the beginning:

A little more than a month ago, I started this thread about code violations that I found after taking over a job where the electrical contractor had split. Immediate concerns of liability came into play since these houses are being leased for about $1M and customers with that kind of money sue people regularly as a hobby. I could only imagine the Fire Marshall sifting through the ashes and myself receiving a subpeona to appear in court for negligence.

So I reported what I had found, and they told me to continue with my report. So I took more pictures of random receptacles and other violations I had come across, and gave them a report, with a little help from you kind folks here.

Well, the guilty culprit shows up on my job today, with a look that could kill demanding another report from me stating that the last report was merely my opinion and not fact, and that a certain employee of the General Contractor's persuaded me to do the report... "or all h*ll will break loose" he says.

So, I'm thinking he either wants to kick my @$$ or he has a slander lawsuit in mind.

So I'm freaking at this point, and I call my favorite local inspector, who tells me in so many words that "we all make mistakes, we're all doing the best we can, none of us are perfect, you should only be concerned about yourself and I would NOT have done anything like what you did, and I don't want to be involved."

Called another inspector and "I can agree with your liability concerns for why you did this, but I won't inspect the place for you to back you up on it..." Oh, and he regulary uses those little boxes too...
I called him on it and said "for what? Phone wire?" and he got a little miffed. Guess I've really been putting my foot in my mouth alot lately.

So anyway before I continue, I solemnly promise to Bill that I will NOT proceed with the following plan until I have permission from him to do so... I don't expect that he'll want to get involved in a slander lawsuit, but here goes.

My choices are either to lie about the violations, apologize, and help persuade the General Contractor to pay this guy and get him off my back...

Or... (here goes) with help from the plethora of professionals here to back me up, I'll stand my ground and give him a report stating that it is not only my opinion, but the opinion of several other electrical contractors, inspectors, etc and here are their names and credentials.

My idea is to get some posts on the other thread from you guys and gals to help me point out that most of these aren't just nit-picky violations, but real fire and electrocution hazards exist here.

Or am I just plain wrong?



[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 07-10-2002).]