Liability and safety concerns for these type of installations?

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don_resqcapt19

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Illinois
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retired electrician
Joe,
Do you know of any cities or states that have adopted 70E as code? While I agree to a point that the person must be qualified to do the work, all that means to me is that the work was installed in compliance with the rules in NFPA 70, not that he has a piece of paper that says he is qualified. We don't need another level of bureaucracy here, we only need a better permitting and inspection process.
Don
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George Stolz

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Joe, share your vision of what you'd like to see: perhaps that would clear up exactly what we're supposed to be discussing.

Nationwide licensing? Federal Inspections?

What would you like to see?

I'm not antagonizing you, I'm trying to get you to communicate in a way I can understand - take a deep breath, and proceed slowly, please. :)
 

mengelman

Member
Location
East Texas
dduffee260 said:
Joe, as you probably know in Texas now you have to have at the minimum an apprentice license to do electrical work for a contractor. In our company everyone has one except for the office staff.

Since Texas went state wide with the licensing it has flooded the market with licensed journeymen. The pay scale dropped like crazy because thousands of the new journeymen got the license, but in realty they are not even good 2nd year apprentices.

They say in about 20 years it will clean things up with this like the plumbing licensing program did.

I am in Texas, and I agree there are some unqualified journeyman and master electricians here, but how can there be any more than there were before the license? The same unqualified guys working without a license now have a license. I havent seen wages drop, but they sure havent gone up to where they should be.
As for plumbing. The plumbers around here dont seem to care if someone is working unlicensed. The attitude is Ive got plenty of work so what difference does it make.
 

joe tedesco

Senior Member
Nationwide licensing may be a good idea

Nationwide licensing may be a good idea

georgestolz said:
Joe, share your vision of what you'd like to see: perhaps that would clear up exactly what we're supposed to be discussing.

Nationwide licensing? Federal Inspections?

What would you like to see?

I'm not antagonizing you, I'm trying to get you to communicate in a way I can understand - take a deep breath, and proceed slowly, please. :)

George:

Nationwide licensing would be a step in the right direction, however, politics would probably stop that, I feel like we should be concerned about what we as licensed electrician's should be looking at, and what's happening in the field.

I just received the following information, and it shows another problem we have to deal with, and below that message is a repeat of tallgirl's message which keys in on the subject of qualification's.

Don:

I called attention to the definition of "unqualified person" from 70E only to give us something that is clearly defined, I didn't check OSHA's rules, but would feel sure about their wrath, when they find some on a job who have not been trained in accordance with 1910.331.

Here's the Texas memo:

"Former Hico Official Pleads Guilty For Licensing Scheme
Set Up Program to Allow Unqualified Individuals to Get a State Electrical License"

"April 16, 2007
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Patrick Shaughnessy
512-463-3208

AUSTIN ? A former official for the city of Hico was assessed two years of deferred adjudication probation and fined $1,000 on Thursday, April 12, after pleading guilty to a charge that arose from a scheme to allow unqualified individuals to receive state electrical licenses.

Raul Chavez, 915 Kirk St. in Hico, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of tampering with a government record. He was sentenced by 220th District Judge James Morgan.

Chavez was arrested on January 18, 2007, by deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriff?s Office based on a complaint filed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). TDLR investigators determined that Chavez was responsible for concocting a scheme to allow unqualified individuals to receive state electrical licenses by setting up a Hico municipal electrical licensing program, which included a training course and a licensing exam provided by Chavez. The investigation showed that Chavez helped the individuals to use their Hico-issued licenses as the basis for obtaining a state electrical license, including providing them with falsified experience verification forms attested to by Chavez.

?This felony plea shows how serious we considered this case to be,? said William Kuntz, TDLR?s executive director. ?Unqualified individuals who portray themselves as state-licensed electricians pose a threat to public safety. Improper electrical work can burn down your house and harm your family. It is our responsibility to make sure that if you hold a state electrical license you are qualified to perform the duties.?

TDLR has so far identified 17 individuals who participated in Chavez? scheme and received state licenses. Three of those individuals immediately surrendered their licenses when they were contacted by TDLR investigators. Seven other individuals surrendered their licenses after enforcement cases were opened against them. Six cases are pending. One individual who was involved with Chavez was determined to have received his electrical license through legitimate documentation.

In addition to the criminal count, Chavez also faces an administrative enforcement case opened by TDLR. That case is pending.

While serving in 2003 as Building Code Enforcement Officer for Hico, a town of 1,300 about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, without authorization from the city Chavez set up a municipal electrical licensing program.

In 2003, the 78th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1487, the Electrical Safety and Licensing Act, mandating that all individuals performing electrical work in Texas must have either a state or local electrician?s license. There was no electrical licensing program in Hico then, so many individuals who were performing electrical work in that area held no license.

The law also provided for a grandfathering period, during which electricians who held a local or regional license could obtain a state license without passing a test by proving they had sufficient experience and by using their local license as the basis for their state license. They were required to have held their local license for a year and were also required to provide experience verification forms, signed by a master electrician, demonstrating that they had worked for the statutorily required amount of time under the supervision of a master electrician.

The law provided an avenue to electrical licensure for qualified and experienced individuals who worked in areas without licensing, but the law made it much quicker to qualify for a state license if the applicant already held a local license.

The local licensing program Chavez set up required electricians to undergo two weeks of training and then pass a test administered by Chavez. Chavez also granted himself a master electrician?s license, although he had no training as an electrician.

Chavez then assisted the members of his class when they filled out their state electrician license application. Since state law required applicants to hold a local electrical license for at least a year to qualify for a state license without testing, each applicant falsely claimed to have held their local licenses for at least a year, even though the Hico program had not at the time existed for a year. In addition, Chavez used the master electrician?s license he had issued to himself to sign experience verification forms for class participants, allowing them to become licensed. Former Hico Official Pleads Guilty For Licensing Scheme Set Up Program to Allow Unqualified Individuals to Get a State Electrical License"

tallgirl's reply above does say something too:
Quote:
Originally Posted by dduffee260
Joe, as you probably know in Texas now you have to have at the minimum an apprentice license to do electrical work for a contractor. In our company everyone has one except for the office staff.


You should have them apply as well :smile:


Quote:
Since Texas went state wide with the licensing it has flooded the market with licensed journeymen. The pay scale dropped like crazy because thousands of the new journeymen got the license, but in realty they are not even good 2nd year apprentices.

They say in about 20 years it will clean things up with this like the plumbing licensing program did.

There's a proposed bill in the Texas legislature that will supposedly put a time limit on how long someone can hold an apprentice license. That might help some with the number of people who hold journeypeep cards going forward.

And I guess I'm unclear on how good the average 2nd year apprentice is supposed to be -- I've seen a lot of variation in how good anyone is, 2nd, 3rd or 4th year apprentice. I can hold my own against most residential apprentices, and some journeypeeps. So maybe a discussion of what skills are expected for each amount of experience would make for an interesting thread.
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
And I guess I'm unclear on how good the average 2nd year apprentice is supposed to be -- I've seen a lot of variation in how good anyone is, 2nd, 3rd or 4th year apprentice. I can hold my own against most residential apprentices, and some journeypeeps. So maybe a discussion of what skills are expected for each amount of experience would make for an interesting thread.

I have been a licensed master electrician since I was 21, I am licensed in multiple jurisdictions, at one point it was necessary to be licensed in every county and I carried licenses for all the counties around Washington DC beltway. I was always proud of this and still am but seldom tell anyone I have the licenses because I feel the term Master Electrician is not as High and Mighty as I once felt. I still stress licensing for my employees and assist them in anyway I can to obtain their licenses, not just for the benefit it brings the company (if electrical inspectors ever asked for a license), but for the benefit it may bring them in future employment..

Having said this a license is hardly proof of a persons ability to do electric work.

The number of times I hear "I'm a licensed Master Electrician and I say this or that" (and they are WRONG).

I also perform independent inspections, and the quality of work I see that is JUNK. Not sloppy (but that is there also), but major NEC violations. Multiple seperate electrodes, Delta /Wye SDS not grounded (lifted the XO ground to comply with the NEC????), 90% of the generator emergency/stand by systems with 3-pole ATS's grounded in two locations, GFP control fuses lifted, electrical inspectors demanding the LPS be isolated from the service electrode, 80 foot taps, Neutral ground bonds all over the place downstream from the main service. And I could go on and on.

Electricians that can't arrive at amps from when they know KVA and voltage of a transformer. Electricians that do not know the basic difference between 120/240 and 208/120. Electricians that call 208/120 120/240 .

Electricians that SWEAR the NEC mandates black, red, blue and argue that it must be brown, yellow, orange and the other electrician yelling it is mandated to be brown, orange, yellow.

Licensing is a step in the right direction, but is hardly the total solution.

I'd like to think this was just a Washington DC issue maybe somewhere along the way the local electricians fell off the ohms law cart, but I travel and see this all over.
 
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don_resqcapt19

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Location
Illinois
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retired electrician
Joe,
I called attention to the definition of "unqualified person" from 70E only to give us something that is clearly defined, I didn't check OSHA's rules, but would feel sure about their wrath, when they find some on a job who have not been trained in accordance with 1910.331.
OSHA has nothing to do with code enforcement. Their only issue is worker safety and if the installer in not working on or near energized equipment they will not care about the installer's electrical qualifications. Most of the tasks on your list do not normally involve energized equipment.
Don
 

joe tedesco

Senior Member
Cfr 29

Cfr 29

don_resqcapt19 said:
Joe,

OSHA has nothing to do with code enforcement. Their only issue is worker safety and if the installer in not working on or near energized equipment they will not care about the installer's electrical qualifications. Most of the tasks on your list do not normally involve energized equipment.
Don

Don:

Please search Google for "OSHA Fact Sheets" and see where many of them cite NEC references, and here's something that may shed some light on the discussion, see the last paragraph:

http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/hazloc.html

See the attachments for an OSHA Fact Sheet, and the "Code of Federal Regulations"

OSHA enforces this and many other Codes.
 
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George Stolz

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Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
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joe tedesco said:
...I feel like we should be concerned about what we as licensed electrician's should be looking at, and what's happening in the field.

I think I should be looking at what I am doing, and doing it as best I can. :confused:

So maybe a discussion of what skills are expected for each amount of experience would make for an interesting thread.
I think that's been covered in this thread.

I guess I'm finally getting confused and frustrated, this seems to be griping about something as tangible as the color of the sky to me. So be it, I'm done.
 

don_resqcapt19

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Illinois
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retired electrician
Joe,
All of those OSHA rules involve workplace safety, they do not directly involve the installation of the electrical system. The cannot cite the installer for installing an unsafe system, they can only cite the employer for letting an employee work in an unsafe work place. There would be no safety hazard to the installer, even when the installation is installed in violation of the NEC. That is assuming that the system is not energized and that the employee is following safe work rules and has the correct PPE. If there is no worker safety hazard, OSHA has no authority.
Don
 
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brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
I want to temper my post somewhat, so it does not seem I feel all electricians are slacker.


What I have felt for years, strictly my belief.

10% of electricians are committed to the trade learning all they can about their particular speciality, installing work to the best of their ability and keeping abreast of the NEC.


20% of electricians do very good work. But do not necessarily follow up on whether it is NEC compliant and may take a code course once in a while.


20% of electricians do decent work that is passable. But do not necessarily follow up on whether it is NEC compliant and do not own a code book to veriify this.


20% of electricians do work that works not necessarily pretty and not necessary passable to NEC and do not know or care when the code changes.


10% of electricians are total slackers, and care nothing about the trade or the code.
 

dlhoule

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
Quality is an issue

Quality is an issue

:smile: Brian, Do you know of some trade, profession or job class where what you have stated is not the case? This seems to apply pretty much across the board: whether it be Inspectors, electricians, Electrical Engineers, doctors, lawyers or what ever.

With an exceptionally good engineer on the job, he will see to it that things are done properly in a neat and workman like manner.

With an exceptionally good inspector he will see to it that things are at least to code and safe.

With an exceptionally good electrician, the job will be done to code in a safe and workman like manner.

With an exceptionally knowledgeable customer, the same is true.

Now if someone can figure out a way to get all the people in any given category above (related to electrical work) in the exceptional category, we won't have to concern ourselves with the others.

Good Luck in that, though. It seems that at least 10% in each category are total slackers.
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
This discussion has taken place before and yes I realize this. I have stated this more than once, that doctors, lawyers, secretaries, accountants, laborers are no different than electricians. And if your are on the operating table hopefully you/me get the doctor in the top 10%.

But we were discussing electricians, not doctors and my point was a license will not change the averages.

An unlicensed electrician is IMO somewhere on the lower end of the scale, because if they weren't they'd be licensed.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
brian john said:
An unlicensed electrician is IMO somewhere on the lower end of the scale, because if they weren't they'd be licensed.

How low on the scale do they have to go before they are "unsafe"?

Keep in mind that there are entire states where licensing is not required at all, or only required in a few localities, or the license is virtually meaningless. Does that mean every electrician plying his trade in those areas is an unsafe bottom feeder?
 

roger

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Fl
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Retired Electrician
Brian, I agree with Bob. I have worked with many top of the line Electricians here in the southeast (no overall license requirement) with no license what so ever.

Roger
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
I agree with Bob. I have worked with many top of the line Electricians here in the southeast (no overall license requirement) with no license what so ever.

Hard to have a license if it is not required. If there is a requirement for licensing and the electricians do not bother to get a license to comply with the law, then they are sitting at the bottom of the list IMO. They are breaking the law.
 
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