altering a manufacturer's design

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reyamkram

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Hanover park, il
Today I found, what I believe to be a watertight 115 Volt 15 amp plug on a dry ice cleaning machine, the ground is loss and ready to come off,
and we do not have any in stock, so me supervisor wants me to install a general duty plug, I tried to explain to him I can not alter the manufacturers design
If I do I can be held liable if some gets hurt, or something else happened. the manufacturer put that plug there for a reason, I have no idea why, he
dose not want to order a new plug, like the one that is on there. see picture

Some one please advice. I am a Licensed Electrician, and part of my training was not to alter a manufacturers design with there written permission.

Thank you, for any and all information.
 

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For the life of me, I cannot see why a properly installed, listed, cord cap can't be installed and it be acceptable....but I also tend to weigh common sense to be exponentially heavier than someone's rule book so don't listen to me.
 
Just cut the plug off, strip the wires back, and stick the bare ends into the holes in the outlet. Use plenty of duct tape to hold the wires in place. That would work, right?

:D
 
I would be more concerned about the integrity of the plugs ground now than a repair made by a licensed electrician. Especially since since it’s been brought to your attention.
I’ve replaced many cord caps on various pieces of equipment and never had OSHA say a thing compared to a lose or missing ground prong.


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I don't see that you are modifying anything. Just repairing it.

In any case, what code says you can't modify something? Electricians modify stuff all the time. They add holes to boxes, for instance.
 
Luckily for you you don't work in my company.
Me.. 20 pictures including the manufacturer ,the phone number ,the part number and everything that needs to be ordered with how long it would take for it to arrive

My supervisor
"bypass and splice"

Me after about the third time I was asked to bypass..... Hold on let me see if OSHA is okay with that I'll call you back
 
reyamkram said:
Today I found, what I believe to be a watertight 115 Volt 15 amp plug
Click to expand...

Question is, is the receptacle that it plugs into comparably water tight? I have outdoor extension cords with that Woodhead plug on them that can be connected to another that has a Woodhead cord cap. They are used to provide temporary power on job sites, often lying in the mud.

If the connection doesn't have to be water tight (or it isn't normal for the machine or cord to be used in a wet location) I see no reason you can't replace the plug with something suitable and available.

-Hal
 
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