ECN Forum
Posted By: macwire Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 11:32 AM
As many on this board know, I've recently applied for an official apprenticeship through the IBEW. No word yet as to whether I got in, but I'll be calling this week to find out.

One thing I've been wondering about is what kind of physical abuse electricians have to endure. I'm not talking about dealing with GCs and clients [Linked Image], but the demands on the body from performing the trade.

I remember when I went down to apply, a union member who was explaining the process said electricians frequently develop back and neck problems. How true is this, and what can I do to alleviate or avoid these types of problems? How do you guys deal with the day-to-day physical demands of the trade?

MacWire
Posted By: wocolt Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 11:50 AM
and what can I do to alleviate or avoid these types of problems? How do you guys deal with the day-to-day physical demands of the trade?

I just had an MRI, and they told me I had a herniated disc and a bulging disc, C4,C5 and C6. from carrying ladders. etc.
How to avoid it dont get old, or get help when you need it,use proper lifting techniques, stay in shape, I dont know if there is away to avoid this type of injury except to try to follow all the rules but with any endeavor there is some amount of risk involved. It sort of goes with the territory.
Posted By: Electric Eagle Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 03:26 PM
I've screwed my back up. I blame my own stubbornness/stupidity. I worked alone for a long time and would lift or attempt to lift anything without help, 16ft fiberglass a frame ladder,etc. I once carried a 32" tv up 2 flights of stairs by myself. Stupid! Now that I have a lot more desk time my back is fine, but I'm lucky.
Posted By: George Corron Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 06:41 PM
Macwire,
As I sit at my desk, my arthritic knees throbbing, my feet hurting, lower back aching, lungs wheezing, I shed a happy tear for anyone coming in the trade today. It is a different world.

Lemme 'splain it to ya Lucy.

There was nothing wrong with Asbestos, heck, we wrapped cables in it, used transite fiber pipe for duct banks that we cut with a skil saw.

PCB's - Great stuff, kept our transformers from catching fire, made GREAT cable cleaner, and nothing, but nothing cleaned your hands so good at the end of the day, and smelled nice too !!!!!!!!

We used rigid pipe, only takes one man to climb a 14' ladder with a piece of 4" rigid, it only weighs 105 pounds per stick, then you can hold it up, screw it on, and go down and get your next one.

BX cable. Each man oughta be able to carry 2 rolls up the the 17th floor, and don't get caught stopping.

Standing all day in hooks shouldn't hurt anyone, heck, you're only standing... right?

My lungs are full of asbestos, kidneys have what's called "lifetime" PCB's, knees are arthritic, feet no longer have the tendons on the bottom, ripped the muscles in my lower back so many times I have a standing prescription for pain killers and muscle relaxers. (but rarely take them)

I wouldn't trade it for nothing.

The work is still tough, no doubt, but you should see a far different trade than the one I came in. Enjoy it, use your common sense, you'll be fine.

[This message has been edited by George Corron (edited 05-19-2003).]
Posted By: Gwz Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 09:51 PM
George,

Seems as though I've be almost the same route.

Back in 1949 or 1950, I remember taking off my jacket, in February, rolling up my sleeves and put my arms into the top of a variable current pole-top transformer filled with ( I guess ) PCB's to adjust the weights so as to maintain a 6.6 amp current on the series circuit street lights system on the Poco system. Put every thing back together, energize the 4160 volts system. Put an clamp around ammeter on the conductor with rubber gloves and find it was not 6.6 amps and then redo every again about three or four times.

Luckily I'm here yet with-out a great many defects.
Posted By: sparky Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/19/03 11:52 PM
at 45 i'm simply in denial...

with one ear that isn't....
Posted By: Roger Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 01:34 AM
I have walked down corridors where asbestos doors were being cut with nothing but a sign advising asbestos cutting was taking place. This was in the mid 70's.

My hands are arthritic, (not to scale of some less fortunate) they are also scarred from being blown up, my bi yearly (atleast) back flare ups continue, and I'm like Steve in the hearing part.

Thank goodness for the protection required today.

With all said, I'm glad that I happened in to this trade. My father (a great man) got me a job with a EC friend, he bought my first tools for me, and to repay him, I went forward and never looked back.

I mean being born "rich" [Linked Image] didn't stop me. [Linked Image]

As stated earlier, be careful, stay in shape, use PPE, and most of all, use common sense.

Roger
Posted By: elektrikguy Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 01:51 AM
I have been in the trade for 11 years now. A young punk compared to some of the ole timers but can honestly say I like what I do for a living. Yes at times the trade will have its downs(ie. digging in damn mud) but it has more ups(watching a job come together). My advise to anyone that is entering the trade now is to remember that there is a tool for every job and that tool was made for a specific reason."To make the job easier and safer". Use common sense. Sometimes rushing to finish a job will not get the job done quicker than pacing yourself and thinking it through. Good luck.
Posted By: macwire Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 07:13 AM
Dang, some of you guys have been f@$&ed up by life in the trade!!! George, you sound like you should be in the hospital on life support! [Linked Image]

The fact that you guys are happy to have been in the trade regardless says great things about both you guys and the trade itself.

But as I said, I haven't gotten in yet, and so have only a sketchy idea of the safety practices of the modern electrician. George gave some clues as to the changes over the decades, but I'm still not entirely clear on all of them-for instance, I still don't know what PCBs are, though I got the definite impression that it's not healthy to be around them.

Please continue to enlighten me.

MacWire
Posted By: wocolt Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 11:51 AM
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB's) Supposed to be a carcinogenic organic compound and as far as i know it has been banned from commercial use.
Posted By: George Corron Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 05:16 PM
Macwire,
Ain't QUITE that bad, but I don't think I am going back to any sort of production work, unless someone needs to lose money [Linked Image]

There are things you need to be aware of though, and I offer myself as a horrible example. We were not made aware of these things until way too late, now days they handle that very differently. I feel there's some good, and some bad about this stuff.

Don't mean to scare ya. Good trade and people do look out for ya a whole lot more than they did then.
Posted By: njelectricmaster Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/20/03 11:06 PM
Macwire;

I have been working in this trade since '89, and compared to most of these guys I am just a pup. The one thing I can say for sure is that this is the greatest trade I have ever had the HONOR to work in.

Don't give up trying to get in. IMO it does not matter weather you get int the IBEW, or if you have to start out with a non-union shop, this is the ultamate in all construction trades.

You may run across a few JW's and owners that have an attitude, but I would say 99% of the people in this trade are the most helpfull, generous(sp),and caring people in construction.

Best of luck,

Jon
Posted By: sparky Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/21/03 12:13 AM
What can we say Jon?

Two flashed, scarred, hammered, arthritic thumbs up !
[Linked Image]
Posted By: LuminateME1 Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/21/03 03:03 AM
I agree with WOCOLT. Yet, if you have concerns (concerns that you may not be able to handle the strain) then you should think about doing something different. We are consistantly running up and down ladders, military rolling under houses [Linked Image]--and jumping in attic snow (insulation for those who do not get it) for long periods of time. Lots of drilling, and hammering. Also, the wirenuts will wear your wrist out in time! Yet, it can be very rewarding. I would say the abuse from "some" JM's are worse than a sore back, or a broken leg! LOL
Posted By: US Coreman Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/21/03 04:58 PM
Having benn in this trade since '77, and having a part time stint in stage and concert lighting too, I always believe that a man is what a man does, or so the commercial goes. The best tool that you have is your head. Use It. I've been recently diagnosed and am taking treatment for lung cancer. I've never smoked, and doing what I do now, don't believe I've been exposed to asbestos. But one of the scariest things that bothers me is that I might die, and in that havent't done all the things that I want to do in this trade. If you love what you do, chances are you'll do well. Another contractor has a motto in that "if you take care of the trade, it will take care of you". These might all be cliche's but there is truth in all of them. I tried to get onto the apprenticeship, but didn't get in the 2 times I tried. I ended up being self taught. Because I love the trade, I did well. I hold a masters license and numerous other certifications. I also am one of my town's electrical inspectors, although I'm off on leave now. During the day, I still go into work as electrical superintendent at the O'Hare Airport in Chicago as much as I can. My point being is that if you too have the ove for what you do, you will do well. But while you are doing it, don't be a hero. Get assistance if you need it. Get as much traing along the way and never stop. I still go back to journeyman night school to this day, to keep me as versatile and up to date as I can. Learning never ends. Using your head shouldn't either.
Posted By: BuggabooBren Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/21/03 09:48 PM
All good wisdom offered here as far as I can tell.

It wouldn't hurt, if you have some time, to learn a bit about how PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) works, learn how to properly go up and down a ladder, lift boxes, reels or other stuff correctly to avoid back strain or injury, learn about repetitive strain injuries or cumulative trauma disorders (from those wingnuts, typing a bazillion estimates, bids, invoices, surfing the net or drawing up schematics and diagrams for countless hours) and how to avoid the worst of the chemicals, conditions, particles, ailments and what have you that may greet you. Princeton has some free info if you're interested at http://www.princeton.edu/~ehs/h&sguide/TofCon.htm and there's some anatomy info at http://www.medicalmultimediagroup.com/opectoc.html but I couldn't find a whole lot of FREE info even though I'm certain it's out there floating around in cyberspace.

Also, you might consider investing in some interpersonal communication training (even if you're self-taught) to ensure that your interaction with GC, AHJ's, and other sordid rogues and ruffians doesn't stress you (or them, I guess) to the point of creating a problem.

Last but not least, ensure that you save your sanity with some down time - vacations, weekends, etc.
Posted By: Roger Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/22/03 12:10 AM
US Coreman, our prayers and best wishes are with you.

Please keep us informed as to how things are going, of course it will always be improvement. [Linked Image] We have faith.

Roger
Posted By: ga.sparky56 Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/22/03 12:50 AM
Amen Roger. [Linked Image] My problems are very small ones.

[This message has been edited by ga.sparky56 (edited 05-21-2003).]
Posted By: BrianSparky Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/25/03 03:40 PM
Hey Mac!
Best advice I can give you is to take a hatha yoga (the easier kind), pilates or stretching class. I'm 46 now and am in good shape with a healthy body. Stretching also relieves the aches and pains from physical work.
However, I've had problems wearing tool belts all day, they make my left side lower back numb. I've solved that problem with wearing bib overalls or work pants that hold just what I need. I am of the strong opinion that you don't need to carry every damn tool on your body! I know the boss doesn't want you to go back and forth for tools, but it saves your body so you can do your work and not call in sick 'cause you have to go to the chiropractor, etc.
Also, very important, don't let anyone intimidate you to do anything unsafe. The first shop I worked for had the JW's wanting you to stand on top of 12' 3 legged red top ladders! I refused.
Lesson here: love your work, but don't kill yourself doing it!
Posted By: BuggabooBren Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/26/03 03:55 PM
US Coreman, my prayers are with you, too! My mom's a cancer survivor and I'm amazed by her fortitude, strength, peace of mind, etc. and how much she has come through.

Brian, good point about the stretching. I'm using pilates to assist in physical therapy after a car accident and it helps a lot!! Strength training is great (like lifting) and it helps build heavier bone mass which wards off brittle bones (osteoperosis) but flexibility through stretching and good inner strength & stability through muscle tone and abdominal strength and balance will keep you from getting injured as you place demands on your body.

A word about Pilates though... it AIN'T for sissies! It's a subtle difference between doing the exercises correctly and incorrectly and the best way to get started is with a qualified instructor so you don't hurt yourself and train your muscles to do the wrong thing. The workout can wear a person out but you'll know where every little abdominal muscle is!

[This message has been edited by BuggabooBren (edited 05-26-2003).]
Posted By: Trumpy Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/07/03 12:14 PM
macwire,
One thing that the Electrical Contracting business does NOT tell it's prospective employees(apprentices), is all of the side effects from inhaling fibre-glass Batt dust(pure glass shards), if you can see them flying around under the light of a trouble light, you are breathing them in!.
Another thing is knee injuries from crawling inside roof voids, you can wear all of the padding you like on your knees, but at the end of the day, it's your knees that carry the ultimate load.
I pulled a tendon in my left knee about two years ago, it's never healed, because of the continued stress on it, the doctor told me to give up crawling in roof voids, yeah right, how do you install wires then?. [Linked Image]
Don't let all of this get you down Macwire!, hell, I've had some of the best times at work as an Electrician and I wouldn't trade it for Nothin'!.
Just make sure that you use all of your PPE and keep your wits about you and you can't really go wrong.
As a parting word, Use this Maxim "If you are unsure how something works, leave it alone or ask someone that does know", this will save some fingers!.
Posted By: CRW Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/07/03 04:30 PM
I'll echo the advice about using protection when around fiber dust as well as any dust like concrete, etc. Use a paper dust mask at least. Also get used to wearing safety glasses when at all possible. A lot of guys think it's no big deal, that you're a sissy if you need that stuff "just for this little job", but all that stuff builds up, and when you go to the doc to get that metal sliver pulled out of your eye, the first question will be "did you have safety glasses on?" Of course, everybody will lie at that point so they don't seem stupid or liable themselves. Don't spend any time kneeling on steel or concrete without some kind of knee pads. Most guys belittle this, but it DOES make a difference. Even a lot of time on a wooden deck will wreck your knees, or crawling on the tops of floorjoists/ceiling framing, etc. Your knnes aren't made to absorb that load, and your knee caps, ligaments, tendons, etc. will get hurt over time.
Posted By: Fred Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/07/03 11:05 PM
I have ruptured the bursa sacs in both of my knees over the years crawling in attics and crawl spaces. I've herniated a disc or two in my lower back from lifting awkwardly and from sneezing real hard while contorted in a cramped space. I lost my left eye 23 years ago while building board fence. I was wearing safety glasses with side shields but it was hot and I was sweaty and the glasses kept sliding down my nose as I bent over to nail the bottom board on. A cement coated 16d nail riccoched and went in my left eye just over the glasses. Be careful and exercise common sense and something will always jump up and bite you on the butt anyway.
Posted By: scjohn Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/08/03 02:00 AM
Great topic. I have been doing it since oct-'89. I never wear protective glasses because they fog up in the humidity down hear, I never wear any resporators because they are annoying. All this, not because of the sissy label, but from my own bullet-proof stupidity. The result; I have used cases of eye baths, sometimes to the point were I had to spend time at the doctor to use the magnet, then wearing a patch over the eye for a day or so. Spending time in attics with the drop light exposing the glass floating around in the air and in my lungs exc.. I ache a lot more. I am 33, I have my first child due in October, and for whatever reason I am not the same bullet-proof man I was when I was 25, or even 30.
I think its the same no matter what you do, just use common sense. Sitting at a desk all day eating doughnuts and drinking sodas probably isnt good for you either.The electrical trade is great, and rewarding, just like anything else. The trick is using common sence, "which is not very common".
John


[This message has been edited by scjohn (edited 06-07-2003).]
Posted By: pauluk Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/08/03 11:57 AM
Sorry to hear about our friends here who have some real problems.

I guess I'm doing pretty well, but then wiring work is only a part-time occupation for me, so I'm not at it 5/6/7 days a week.

That said, I have to admit that at 37 I find crawling into tight corners, across joists etc. more strenuous than I did say 10 years ago.

The glass fiber point is one I've come to ponder upon more in recent years. That stuff is horrible in a confined space, and it makes me wonder why we still use it in its present form in attics. The insulation pre-sealed in plastic which you can just lay between the joists or staple onto wall studs is looking better all the time.
Posted By: BrianSparky Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/08/03 02:31 PM
Okay,
This is one of my favortie topics also,so forgive the preaching!
Before being a sparky, I was teaching Pilates, yoga and stretching for years.(still do teach a couple of days a week)
Got into sparkin' because I got bored being indoors and doing the same thing everyday...

Anyway, I learned a lot about how to properly use your body to do a task. When I started sparkin' it was in residential work. One of the worst things you can do for your body is to repeatedly work on your knees.
When trimming out plugs, I would sit on my butt to do the work; since I was an apprentice at the time, I caught hell from my JW who said, do it on one knee, your wasting time!
Trying to be as diplomatic as possible, I told him I worked with a lot of people with bad knees and this was a solution. He didn't like that at all!

My solution: I don't do residential work anymore. But I wish people had more of an open mind about doing the job rather than the job doing you! By the way, this guy had knee problems and his brother had a bad back.
There is a reason OSHA has guidelines for safe work pratices.

I'm 46 now and still in good health. I hope to be sparkin' well into my 70's!

Spark in good health!

-Brian
Posted By: falcondfb Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 06/11/03 01:57 AM
Alright i'll toss in my 11 years and bearly $.02
I opened my shop 15 months ago and tell my guys at least 3 times a week to grab thier safety gear for one reason or another. i am big on eyes, ears, feet, and flash. We work with a bunch of a/c guys as well and i always harp on thier new guys about knockin duct w/o ear plugs. I ask if they like music and if they want to be able to in 10 years.
My favorite line is if they want to prove they're a man to someone else on the job, show them your *#@&!!!. maybe some day they will work for someone who doesn't care. Protect Yourself
Posted By: djpep55 Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/04/04 03:19 AM
I'm 48 and am having slight problems with my knees from attics and crawl spaces. I didn't start wearing knee pads until about 5 years ago. After 10 sinus infections in one year I always wear a respirator in attics and crawl spaces. Work has been Flat Out, so I refuse the attic work now. Also I occasionally wear wrist straps from the screwdriver work (repetitive stress).

I start every day with a hot bath to loosen up and I'm ready to go. I also roll a tennis ball under my foot to stretch the arch (podiatrists advice!) Also, I lay off the caffeine---shaky hands don't mix with electrical work.

As a final note---it sure beats roofing and concrete work!
Posted By: rizer Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/04/04 07:41 AM
bad lower back, left knee, right shoulder right hand. neck etc. use your finger tip on the most painful lump of muscle pushing slightly deeper with each breath until the muscle releases. i love this trade, but being 5'6" and 130lbs has its drawbacks when your running rigid or pulling 500mcm wire. like they said get help for heavy loads. eat rightand work out.
Posted By: Ryan_J Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/04/04 01:28 PM
Am I the only one that finds it a little weird reading a post from Glenn Z talking about his health, now that he is no longer with us? Its really too bad...the industry lost a great assett with his passing.
Posted By: Sparkeee32 Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/05/04 04:03 AM
Stretch! Every morning for 5 minutes before work ( cause I get to the shop early, in case traffic is hell) Stretch, like you would before a tough work out. All the muscles you can. It helps keep your muscles and tendons loose, and prevents injury. Lift and bend with your knees, not your back. I use that spray on bandage when I get bad cuts on my joints of my hands. It flexes better then any band aid, and it's waterproof. Lasts for days too. Well, best wishes. Oh yeah, don't forget some bag balm, or my favorite, Zims crack creme... it's for the splits in your hands. Best wishes, Brian.
Posted By: George Corron Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/05/04 10:42 AM
Ryan,
Who is Glenn Z?? is that GWZ in the post above? I was not aware he had passed away, when, where, how?
Posted By: Ryan_J Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/05/04 01:24 PM
Good morning George. Yes Glenn was GWZ. He died about 2(?)months ago, I beleive due to natural causes. I beleive he was in his eighties. I really don't know all of the ins and outs of it, sorry.
Posted By: Kobuchi Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/13/04 08:14 PM
Look no further than that ECN mascot straining over backwards to install a fixture in the left ceiling of this page. He's been at it all day.

Most work can be approached variously to prevent cramps and strains; practices may be improved at some cost in speed. Not so with overhead work!

My solution is to stagger out the ceiling installations over a day between other chores.
Posted By: part timer Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/14/04 12:37 AM
When I was an apprentice (never finished, thinking about going back in) I got hurt mostly by trying to be a hard ass or being afraid of asking for help. The journeyman I worked with most of the time wouldn't tolerate much whining. I have herniated discs/surgery in the back but that could also be from the office job I got afterwards. If you keep your core muscles (ab, back, iliac) in good shape that is absolutely key.
Posted By: Spark Master Flash Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/14/04 01:17 AM
Working in commercial ceilings, you'll hit your head on sprinkler heads, which are like spurs. That tends to build up ugly scar tissue all over the head.

Cigarette smokers will drive you nuts in confined spaces. You'll definitely get cancer, throat polyps and sinus infections from the teeming multitudes of rude smokers occupying any and all locations without ventilation. ;-)

Working around other trades makes for plenty of discomfort. Painters painting with oil base in unventilated areas, carpenters cutting formadehyde-laden wood and making clouds of fine airborne wood dust is hazardous to your health, people operating jackhammer machinery on wheels will deafen you. There's some kind of jackhammer thing that's mounted on a large Bobcat type thing, I watched it with a chisel tip just rip through a 4" thick pipe with a 1/4" wall in about 30 seconds, but it's so loud I couldn't work anywhere near it.

Pulling wire can be hard on your back, especially long runs and heavy wire in small pipes.

Working underground (in ditches, etc.) is a real back workout.

I had a boss who demanded of all his apprentices that they wear their tools at all times, and if you have to climb a ladder 200 times in one day, sometimes carrying things, all that weight really starts hurting your knee joints eventually.

I enjoy carrying two 12 foot ladders at a time, and I don't think that hurts me any. Might hurt some people though.

Working on a job where you have to walk all the way across a large concrete slab or hard tile floor, back and forth, all day long, is hard on your feet.

Standing on a ladder all day is surprisingly hard on your feet.

Your neck can get jacked up by lying down on your side to do some types of work - that really can hurt your neck. Also being cramped in a ceiling where your neck is tilted against the ceiling, or being too high on a ladder where your neck is cranked over will hurt it. I find it's best to keep my head vertical at all times to avoid chronic neck pain.

Bosses who like to make you do everything the hard way (as opposed to the efficient way, or the smart way, or the best way) will put your body through plenty of abuse. It's good to have a boss with intelligence and compassion for fellow human beings.

Trying to use a big hole saw on the wrong kind of drill with one hand in an awkward spot will catch and try to twist the drill out of your hand and can hurt your wrist and thumb, I've been there and had to drill many, many holes like that until my wrist gave up. Some drill bodies are in-line and some are like a pistol, and the in-line body styles like to twist your hand off.

You can develop carpal tunnel syndrome trying to cut all your cable with dikes, for example - it's better to get cable cutters for the larger wire and MC cable. It's a lot easier and you won't strain your forearm muscles and hands.

[This message has been edited by Spark Master Flash (edited 05-13-2004).]
Posted By: writerguy Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/17/04 09:19 PM
someone needs to find out if all of these posts were enough to scare macwire off of the trade and out of that apprenticeship with IBEW.
Posted By: FWL_Engineer Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 05/17/04 11:23 PM
I can add to the tally, Shattered nasal bone joint from a dropped pair of Footprint grips 18 years ago, Fractured skull from a dropped scaff clamp..I had a hard hat on!!

Broken Arm from tripping over some pipework a plumber hadn't fixed properly.

I also have a bad back and neck. I am not sure how much of the back/neck issue os job related though. As an apprentice I was in the 10th Battalion (Reserves), The Parachute Regiment and completed 178 jumps..they didn't all have happy endings [Linked Image]

This is all exacebated by being 6ft 4" and 280 pounds (I need to lose about 20 pounds to get to ideal weight for body frame)

The moral is....be a short stocky bugger with thick skin, skull and back..you should retire in one piece then [Linked Image]
Posted By: Theelectrikid Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 08/29/06 04:53 PM
I found this post looking for a thread on asbestos.

I want to go into electrical work, despite the problems you guys/gals describe. With my family's history of medical problems, I'm screwed anyways. Besides, I'd rather have an aching back and legs than a heart attack due to heart disease, which I'd get while working in an office.

Ian A.

[This message has been edited by Theelectrikid (edited 08-29-2006).]
Posted By: Almost Fried Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 09/05/06 01:58 PM
BrianSparky: you mentioned that wearing a pouch caused your left leg/back to go numb.
What is happening is the weight of your pouch pinches your sciatic nerve which causes the numbness. This started happening to me 15 years ago, now I carry fewer tools, experiment with tiny, slip in your pocket pouches. The grand experiment was the purchase of an Ideal square, sit-on-the-floor pouch. This enables me to carry far too many tools, is hard to dig many items out of, yet allows the secure support of a bottle of my favorite beer when I'm working for friends on the weekend or wiring up some rock & roll event.
Mac, what other posts above did not make clear about the PCB issue: Insulating oil, a familiar name was Askarel, as used in transformers and capacitors, MV switches, etc. This oil contains PCB's,a compound produced in the mfg. of the oil, which will getcha, over time. The most famous horror story involving PCB's is entitled Times Beach, Missouri. A dusty little town West of St. Louis, where an enterprising individual sprayed the dirt roads with used oil he was hauling off from Union Electric facilities in the city. For years. The oil contaminated the groundwater and all the soil close to the streets and the toxin levels were so bad that the EPA bought the town, fenced it in, removed any signage on I-44 directing one to the place. I accidentally found the place one day, thought, Wow! what's with all the chain link and ugly signs???
Posted By: dlhoule Re: Physical Demands of the Trade - 09/06/06 06:05 PM
All of the above is true and good advice. I recently tore my rotator cuff had recently had surgery to correct the problem (injury was from playing basketball). I started out as an apprentice in July of 1960. I recently celebrated my 47th wedding anniversay.

I was fortunate when I started, we didn't have to carry that pipe up a ladder. We climbed the ladder dropped a rope down, dragged a pic up and set it between the trusses, dropped the rope back down and had floor person (journeyman) tie rope on RMC and hauled it up hand over hand by the rope. Hot, dirty, and hard work. Much easier now; with JLGs and lifts.

Bottom line, if hard work bothers you find something else. IMO there is no better job anywhere, anyplace than being an electrician. Never ever trust anyone in terms of your own safety; you are responsible for your safety. I have made many friends over the years. Some from the electrical trade, some from other trades, some from engineers, some from inspectors.
Don't tell the engineers or inspectors I said that though, they'll get a bigger head.
I started in this trade a little late in life. I was a machinist for many years before the shop closed. 2.5 Years ago at the tender and young age of 45 I began my apprenticeship. I just surpassed 5000 hours and a year and a half left before I can take the test for my license. I found the cold to be my downfall. Here in massachuttes it does get cold. There are also many tools that you can use that were not available years ago. Best advice I can give is to try to stay in shape, work safe, and remember if the Journeyman is yelling its his bloodpressure. But like anything else it has good points and bad. I think a lot of craftsmanship is gone out the window in the pursuit of the dollar. LOVE BUCKET TRUCK work. !!!!!!!!!!!!
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