Another couple of threads have brought up one of the biggest "safety factors" at work- the folks you work with!
How do you deal with incompetent co-workers? Where do you 'draw the line?'
Quite true John,
However, how do you define or measure incompetence?.
I'm quite glad to say that I've worked with very few incompetent people in my time and only one of them was an apprentice and he just didn't listen most of the time.
I draw the line at a fully qualified worker that should know better, going on thier merry way, against all instructions and causing an unsafe situation to occur.
The way I deal with anyone in a situation like this is just pull them aside and let them know that thier actions could cause thier or someone elses injury or death.
This is a situation, where "talking down" to people will only make things worse, it just turns them off mentally, which is the last thing you want to do.
Sadly, there are several employees where I work who would fall into the "should know better" category. They routinly refuse to wear PPE until told by management, constantly shortcut the lockout/tagout, and routinely bypass shields and guards.
I give them three shots. I will caution them three times, and if they still don't want to listen I just let evolution do it's thing.
Did a job with one journeyman who told me to float a 4 inch square under a dishwasher. to make a splice cause the whip was too short to reach the dishwasher. GC told him to put the toekick on the dishwasher. I told Mr. Journeyman we had no covers for the box. He said put the toekick on anyway. I told him no way will I do that and left the jobsite. Only time I ever did that. 2 months later he was disiplined for other infractions. I hope I never see him again. Nature did take its course here.
Big Ed,
Sadly, there are several employees where I work who would fall into the "should know better" category. They routinely refuse to wear PPE until told by management, constantly shortcut the lockout/tagout, and routinely bypass shields and guards.
To save the point of laughing at idiots like this when they get hurt.
I was of enough seniority to put a boot up thier back-side.
HV or LV work, makes no odds.
It is an attitude mate.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/smile.gif)
I believe that I am responsible for my own safety.
If I see that a coworker is endangering my safety it is up to me to take steps to protect myself.
That could be as simple as talking to them directly or taking over the work they are doing or as drastic as leaving the company if the company ignored a bad situation.
No one is going to care about you as much as yourself.
Maybe I wasn't clear what I meant.
I'm not talking about the idiot who races around on the forklift, thinking he's in the INDY 500.
What I had in mind was, say, the sort of incompetence where, say, someone think's it's perfectly OK to hang ceiling fans with romex staples.
Or that you fix a fan that's hitting it's shroud by replacing the disconnect.
Or cleverly uses the conduit as a conductor when he's lacking a ground wire.
Or thinks you wire a machine to 480 by joining the 208 and 277 leads.
While these actions are not directly "safety violations," they certainly set the stage for bad things to happen later.
Umm John,
What I had in mind was, say, the sort of incompetence where, say, someone think's it's perfectly OK to hang ceiling fans with romex staples.
I think that that is called out and out stupidity, If I did that I would be expecting to be fired on the spot, I'd sue if I wasn't!.
Bob,
I believe that I am responsible for my own safety.
Having worked on a LOT of sites by myself before today, I know exactly what you mean.
I got told off one day by a GC for distracting one of his workers,
I only told him his pants leg was burning when he was using a grinder, without safety glasses I might add.
since this company has not taken corrective action ...in fact, myself and others have been asked to help the guy when he has a problem.......it is my feeling that since they hired him, he is their problem.
He has exhibited the knack for making expanded decisions based on simple instructions ...... the stupid multi-tap lighting fiasco.. and the mind blowing fan shroud repairs
...therefore
I will not contribute to the education of the "incompetent person AKA Doofy , AKA Doofy14, and have refused to work on anything he is involved with.
I avoid even eye contact with him, as it would only encourage him to speak with me, and I have nothing positive to say ...
That's all I need .
give this mope some help, have something go terribly wrong, and he whines that "Tom told me to do it that way " and I would bet that it would be my azz in the sling,
I have enough headaches
Endangering oneself by sloppy work habits is one problem, but when they endanger workmates, the public or can likely lead to property damage, I cut a wide path around the poor idiot if at all possible.
Back when I was a fourth year apprentice. The NJATC had us attend an OSHA 10 class. During the class we watched a video showing a few real life scenarios. I still remeber some of those images to this day, images of deadly arc flashes and electrocutions. Although this video was extremely graphic, it is a reminder to us just how easily and how close we all can come to an accident if we take safety for granted. The OSHA classes are a great way to break the chain of ignorance that runs in some EC's workforce.
From togol's link
"note to self" start watching CSI and then SHOOT this Idiot"
Thats a hoot rflmao