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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,876
E
e57 Offline OP
Member
At this point, I have no idea what to make of this...

Many of you already know of my opinion of this law, I won't bore you with that. However, one of the many unanswered questions about how this thing is all going to work has been enforcement.

I spotted a new item on the DAS website the other day, and I'm a little puzzled as to what to make of it. (Other than a slight invasion of privacy...) What could this information be used for?

Start here: List of Certified Electricians
Pick a number off the list...
(For those of you who don't know Zip codes are recent addition to this list.)

Then go here: Certification search
Click "Search", and that name will pop up, what type of certification they have, and a code that includes the last four digits of thier drivers license number! You can then click "Add to list", and then "Certification print page", and that gives you a cute letter stating the obvious...

Now go here: Yellow Book
Enter name and zip code to get thier address, and phone mumber.

So to sum it all up: Name, address, phone number, of course your occupation, and a portion of your drivers license number.

If you are going for a job interview, they already gave you a goofy card with your picture, certification number, and expiration date on it already.

What purpose does this serve? (Other than a 3 digit guess from credit fraud)


Mark Heller
"Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Good Lord e57, [Linked Image]
Having that sort of information in the public domain all at the same time is rather worrying.
I certainly think that this raises some privacy issues, especially when you consider that things like identity-theft are on the increase.
Even so, could a system like this be used by disgruntled customers?.
I'm glad my name isn't on that list. [Linked Image]

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,391
I
Moderator
Here is the info my State provides.
Bobs Info

The driver license number does seem extreme

Name, Address and Phone number does not seem out of line IMO.

The idea here is consumer protection which is the point of licensing at least in my area.

Quote
The Board of Registration of Electricians licenses approximately 29,300 electricians throughout the Commonwealth. In fiscal year 2004, investigators completed 764 inspections. The Board received 446 new complaints and resolved 262 complaints, resulting in twenty-three consent agreements, 19 license revocations, three license suspensions four license probations. The Board also secured $6,100 in refunds to consumers.

We also have to post our license number on any advertising or business papers.

The idea is to make it easy for consumers to report you to the licensing folks.

Check out what happens to the people that are caught violating the rules.
Disciplinary actions against 14 electricians and two systems technicians.

Be sure to read #9

I am all for the disciplinary actions, if I have to maintain my license the least the state can do is nail the hacks.

Bob

[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 01-04-2006).]


Bob Badger
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
Massachusetts
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
I was totally aghast when I went to one of the neighboring County's court sites and entered a friend's name.
Very little browsing returned:
Name, Address, Phone #, Driver's License #, Occupation, and his FINANCIAL STATEMENT along with a dandy copy of his signature. This all due to a small claims case because his dog got out and damaged a neighbor's property.
Entering a relative of his name returned all the same info, and her minor daughter's names and ages, due to an auto accident 8 yrs ago.

Point is, much info is easily available about many of us.(Law abiding citizens)
I never thought that the certification would affect the No-Taxes-Paid-Cash-Non-Person group anyway [Linked Image]


As Bob says "I am all for the disciplinary actions, if I have to maintain my license the least the state can do is nail the hacks".




[This message has been edited by electure (edited 01-04-2006).]

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
By the Way:

As of Dec 30, 2005 (the deadline for applications), there were only 36,646 applications logged.
The number of electricians that have taken and passed the exam? 20,003, or about 1/4 of the estimated number of people working in the Trade as electricians.

Now What?? [Linked Image]



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 01-04-2006).]

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
L
LK Offline
Member
____________________________________________
"I am all for the disciplinary actions, if I have to maintain my license the least the state can do is nail the hacks."
____________________________________________

Forty years have passed, here in New Jersey since the Lic. requirement for Electricians, and without enforcement, it has been a forty year joke, hacks, still enjoy the status of, working with little, or no risk of even a small penalty, the hacks, just laugh at us, for following the law, and being crazy for paying all the insurances, and pulling permits.

I blame each, and every lic. electrician for not demanding enforcement, and tough penalities for those non lic. hacks as part of the law, so for those of you in Cal, speak up now, before it goes too far, speak loud and speak often, or you just may end up like New Jersey, with laws that only protect half of the citizens.


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