tools

[cmreschke]

What do you guys consider to be a contractor tool and what do you expect your workers to provide tool wise?

 

[Fulthrotl]

What do you guys consider to be a contractor tool and what do you expect your workers to provide tool wise?

the employee should provide basic hand tools. power tools, battery operated tools,
benders, cable tuggers, fish tapes, do not qualify. neither do consumables, like
hacksaw blades and drill bits.

in union shops, it varies. some local unions have a tool list that specifically states
what tools are to be provided by the employee. some don't.

open shops, it's on a shop by shop basis.

safety equipment and PPE is almost always provided by the employer,
for insurance and liability reasons.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

In my company you provide the basic hand tools, pouch, cordless drill, hacksaw and that's it. All the major tools, ko punch, benders, ladders, ext. cords etc are my responsibility.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I only ever had to have just the basic pouch and hand tools. Every thing else was provided by the employer.

 

[roger]

Basic hand tools, VOA meter, and KO set up to 2", everything else is on us.

Roger

 

[hillbilly1]

Standard hand tools, a lot of our guys carry their own battery drills, but those should be supplied by the employer, as also with hole saws, knockout sets, benders and other major tools. They should have their own regular use Volt/ohm meter and ammeter.

 

[Cow]

We supply our own handtools/powertools/fishtapes, etc. Everything else is provided including consummables. There is some flexibility too, for instance, if my fishtape gets beat up on a job, the shop will buy me another one.

But, our shop will replace your batteries when they wear out as well as fix your tools when they break. I like the system.

 

[ptonsparky]

I expect my employees to provide their own basic hand tools, wenches and socket sets, as well as battery operated tools. I replace/repair the battery operated tools and bits as needed. I also gave each a Fluke Tpro and provide any other meter needed. The shop has KO punch sets but I sure would like to be informed when they need replaced or sharpened instead of having them "borrow" my set or watch them struggle to punch out a 2" hole.

 

[ksmith846]

I expect my employees to provide their own basic hand tools, wenches and socket sets, as well as battery operated tools. I replace/repair the battery operated tools and bits as needed. I also gave each a Fluke Tpro and provide any other meter needed. The shop has KO punch sets but I sure would like to be informed when they need replaced or sharpened instead of having them "borrow" my set or watch them struggle to punch out a 2" hole.

Wenches......man I wish my employees would supply the wenches.....lol.....

I provide them with everything except basic hand tools......I provide everything from Impact Battery Drills, hydro KO sets, hole saw kits, ladders etc.......anything I can get them that makes them more productive.

 

[renosteinke]

A bit off topic, but perhaps some of my past experiences will shed light on the "shop floor" impact of various tool policies I have encountered.

One place added a quarter an hour- 25 cents- to each paycheck as a 'tool allowance.' Sounds nice, but you just know there were managers who thought it perfectly reasonable for you to provide your own $3000, used once in a lifetime, crimp tool. "You're getting a tool allowance, aren't you?"

Another place 'supplied everything.' Naturally, thie meant they expected the plumber to be content cast iron pipe wrenches. It was also common for management to direct one guy to surrender a tool to another- even if the guy was in the middle of using the tool. Suddenly their 'need' was greater than yours.

Some employers provided you with a list of the tools they expected you to have. There was some variation; most often requirements varied for tools like hand benders, fish tapes, meters, and KO punches.

One place was positively anal at the interview: do you HAVE these tools? They'd have you sign off that you actually did have them. It was still common for guys to show up on the site without the necessary tools. My policy was pretty simple: you get a pass the first day (maybe you came straight from the interview)... but, you swore you had them, you better bring them tomorrow, I'm not subsidizing you. I was amazed that most of these guys never came back.

Of course, there's always some jackalope who will pervert even such a clear arrangement. One place had "wood chisel" on the list. Over several years with that firm, I never even heard of anyone who needed to use the wood chisel; yet there was one particular office dweeb who would visit job sites and ask guys to produce the 'required' tool. Nothing but simple harrassment, IMO.

Finally, not every employee needs to have the same tool set. It's simply unreasonable to ask a new apprentice to have the same tool set as a journeyman ... especially since I've yet to see a place ask guys to supply their own shovels!

 

[roger]

Finally, not every employee needs to have the same tool set. It's simply unreasonable to ask a new apprentice to have the same tool set as a journeyman ... especially since I've yet to see a place ask guys to supply their own shovels!

Which is the reason we and most EC's I'm familiar with have a list for apprentices and a list for Journeymen.

For example, we do not require apprentices to furnish their own line and bucket trucks but we do require this of journeymen.

Roger

 

[kwired]

After reading some of this I have mixed opinions. I used to think it was stupid to require an employee - especially an hourly rate employee- to provide much more than a tool belt and screwdrivers, pliers, small cutters, stripper, tape measure and a hammer. Maybe their own safety boots or shoes if that is necessary. Everything else is on the employer.


I can see some cases where giving them more responsibility over the equipment they use may mean less loss or abuse of it though.

 

[jumper]

In my company you provide the basic hand tools, pouch, cordless drill, hacksaw and that's it. All the major tools, ko punch, benders, ladders, ext. cords etc are my responsibility.

Pretty standard list for places I have worked also. Meter is also required by employer and employer can say what is acceptable or not. Cordless is also subject to employer scrutiny.

Basic hand tools include wrenches, sockets, minor specialty tools such as roto-split, tin snips, crimpers, and such.

 

[BullsnPyrs]

I have also seen a lot of variation on what is considered basic hand tools. We used to provide battery drills but stopped that policy when they kept needing replacement. Since then the crews hardly ever complain about a bad battery drill. Because we mostly do lighting retrofits and pay a production bonus we get very little push back on the battery drills. When I worked commercial construction noone wanted to provide thier own battery drills.

 

[btharmy]

This is the tool list I am familiar with.

 

[Strife]

In general, can't expect employees to provide more than the hand tools and basic PPE.
Battery powered tools are always mixed feelings.
I'd gladly provide them, but my experience is they tend to disappear.
Benders fall right under that.
So it is a mixed situation. On one hand I don't want to put the burden on the employee to provide those tools, but on the other hand I spend more on the two mentioned above than any other tools.
My mentor had this little philosophy, I needed a battery drill, he proceeded to buy one and told me:"this is yours", if it breaks I'll repair it, but if you lose it it's your responsibility to get another" . I guess it's best compromise when it comes to that.

After reading some of this I have mixed opinions. I used to think it was stupid to require an employee - especially an hourly rate employee- to provide much more than a tool belt and screwdrivers, pliers, small cutters, stripper, tape measure and a hammer. Maybe their own safety boots or shoes if that is necessary. Everything else is on the employer.


I can see some cases where giving them more responsibility over the equipment they use may mean less loss or abuse of it though.

 

[Fulthrotl]

So it is a mixed situation. On one hand I don't want to put the burden on the employee to provide those tools,
but on the other hand I spend more on the two mentioned above than any other tools.
My mentor had this little philosophy, I needed a battery drill, he proceeded to buy one and told me:"this is yours", i
f it breaks I'll repair it, but if you lose it it's your responsibility to get another" . I guess it's best compromise when it
comes to that.

i've seen employers who'd issue you a battery drill, put your name on it, say.... "treat it as if it's yours"... and after a year, it was.
after that year, they'd give you a new one, and say.... "treat it as if it's yours"...

it's a simple stop loss plan. they figure out it'll cost them one drill and two batteries a year.... which should tell you
how many of those drills get lost and stolen. and i've also seen members of organized labor throw a hissy fit,
if you put that tool in your personal vehicle. "transporting company equipment" is hollered loud and long....

essentially, all anyone asks is that you treat their stuff like you treat your own. i guess it's a lot to ask.....
i've found $1,800 battery powered robo chops left laying in the rocks in a switch rack. more than once.

i had a guy i had the misfortune of having for a working partner go thru 5 or 6 pairs of leather work gloves in a day.
he'd take them off, was too lazy to bother to go look for them, and would get another pair out of the trailer.
he'd throw 1/2" stainless steel nuts and bolts in the trash, instead of bothering to put them away.

it offends the crap out of me.

the tools i buy are most often better than most anything i've been given to work with by an employer.
and i've watched people just trash employers equipment, vehicles, and profit margin, without a second thought.

one weekend, i had a crew that was scheduled to work 12 hours of double time, 5 of us, running pipe on a roof,
but there was a little bit of welding and cutting to be done to make that possible, maybe 20 minutes worth.
and there wasn't a welder available on zero notice.

the next morning, i had a little 125 amp wire feed, and a small plasma cutter that were my own, that i didn't say
anything about, just wheeled them up to the roof, cut and welded, and put them away.... it was either that, or
nobody worked that day and made any money.

and one of the guys hollered loud and long, filed a grievance, and threw a hissy fit.
but he worked right up there all day, and made 3 days wages, before he thru a fit.
god, i love a hypocrite.

there may be a reason i prefer to work alone.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I worked as a maintenance electrician for 7 years. The company I worked for did not require that we bought our own tools but most of us did especially the electricians. One day my wiggy quit working and I asked the supervisor to order me a new one. When it got there he told me to paint it blue so they would know that it belonged to the company. I asked why would I paint it blue? I brought it in and I only use it here so you are simply replacing it. He said that if they bought it they owned it. So about that time I walked out to my roll away, put all of my tools in it and headed to my truck and he asked where I was going. I told him that if he wasn't going to replace the tools the I used on his buildings, then I would take may tools home then we can come back in, get the tool catalog out and order everything I need and a can of blue paint and then we won't have an issue anymore. He started stuttering and tried to tell me that wasn't what he meant. A couple of the other electricians told him that it sounded like that's exactly what he meant and they started to load up their roll aways too.

No problems after that.