ECN Forum Forums Safety Discussion and News Occupational Safety Discussion company provided tools

Do to nfp 70e my company is trying to make us use there tools. Ever class I have ever had has told me to use my own tools. I am very leary of useing company provided tools. Example three time in the last six months my coworks have wired a male connector hot and they fix it by putting a DUMMY PLUG on it when we are not using that end. the funny thing is one of them is the plant safety officer. Does anyone now where I can find good info supporting the use of my own tools the company is doing this to reduce there liabilty?

Shaun:

Second welcome to ECN Forums!!

A little more info will help generate responses....

What kind of tools is the company providing you to use?? Hand tools, or ???

I fail to understand how using 'personal tools' or 'company tools' would prevent unsafe work practice like wiring a male pluhg 'HOT', nor do I understand how that can be done, as the 'male' cap is supposed to NOT be hot!

How do you determine that your company is reducing their liability by supplying tools??

the company will be providing insulated hand tools. This is fine as I can visualy check the insulation. The part I have the most trouble with is they want to take away my dmm according to my coworkers its ok to measure resistance with a circut live. I do not want to use any meters they touch. I am not sure why the company want my dmm to go home and will fight that or will not work in any panels the equipment mains are 480 400 amp and I got a guy using cat II meter in there. Once again the safety officer. All I have to say is stay away from me.

Regulations typically require the employer to provide all safety-related equipment. There is some variation, depending on the specific piece of equipment- and that can depend on the specific task.

"Safety rules" are not the only rules that determine the policies a company may follow. Labor agtreements, third-party certifications, and the general way the company operates affect such policies.

It's their company, but your life. It's quite possible that someday you will be placed in a position where you will have to choose between their opinion and your job.

Looking back, there were times when I wished my employer would have supplied my tools. Some of the cheesiest gut bucket outfits I worked for didn’t supply any tools at all, including basic things like a socket wrench set, sledge hammer or even a cheap piece of junk cordless drill for the truck.
I think this CAT-IV rating baloney for outside utility testing is getting a little out of hand, but I guess as long as the employer doesn’t expect you to share some bargain basement harbor freight multimeter with other workers, any decent brand of meter with the required CAT rating should be okay. Just wear your gloves and safety glasses and face shield in case the Chinese made meter innards let go on you at 480V.
As far as things like insulated hand tools, I think having them supply those would be a blessing as those things are not cheap at all.

Really??
I can't believe I'm reading this from a licenced electrician.
CAT ratings are made for one thing, that being user safety.
The closer you get to the utility system, the larger the magnitude of any surge or fault current is going to be.
I'm not having a go at you, KJay, I'm just sorry you feel this way.

I’m okay with safety, but not paranoid hyperbole. The problem I have with the CAT IV classification is that it not only includes utility and line side service entrance conductors, regardless of their voltage rating, but also generically includes feeders and branch circuits, as well as all conductors, simply because they are located outside a building. The main concern is supposedly regarding lightning strikes and induced voltage transients.

So, something like a 35-foot long, 120V/20A underground UF branch circuit to a tool shed is also CAT IV.
A 75-foot long 240V/20A underground UF branch circuit to a submersible well pump is CAT IV.
A 120/240 60A overhead feeder to an unattached resi garage is CAT IV.
IMO, requiring someone to incur added expense to upgrade from a perfectly good CAT III 1000V meter to a CAT IV 600V or 1000V meter simply to test and troubleshoot this type of wiring is absurd.

This article from Fluke hits on the examples I mentioned.
Meter Safety

So Shaun I gather from your post that the reason you don't want to use company equipment is that other employees have been observed using them incorrectly or using tools with the wrong classification and that they may be damaged and dangerous. Do I have that right? I think it's a very wise choice to refuse to use that equipment. I don't know what that will mean for your continued employment, but it's your life. It sounds like your employer would be better off instituting some training to help limit his liability rather than supplying faulty equipment and insisting you use it. A culture of safety is a hard thing to get started.