Craigslist in Greenville, SC...rant time....

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roger said:
I think it was a baseboard heater.
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Seems like a vaguely remember something about a child killed from a baseboard heater in one of the NY boro's that was a 120v heater improperly connected to 240v. That might have been a MH newsletter item years back.
 
The receptacle one I remember as being about a little girl getting killed at her back door by a automotive battery charger supplied from a mis wired receptacle. I thought the EC ended up doing some time.

I can't find any reference for it, I think Joe Tedesco had posted they link before.
 
mdshunk said:
No, havn't said that at all. You did. You need to finish school; you owe that to yourself. If you want to load up your trunk and do side work, that's up to you, but that is a different matter altogether. If you are required to get a j-man license in your state, that's what you need to do also. The question I leave you with is this. Why should it require special permission from the government (a license) in order for you to earn a living? Asking these sorts of questions does not in any way imply that you should take any action by any means on your part.
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The only action i will be taking is finishing school and getting my license. I have read alot of what you have said on this form and you are very smart. I see what you mean by the government controling things and maybe overstepping their boundary, but if the government says I have to get a license to earn a living I will, and i hope that stops other people from doing my job.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
If this were true, could you or anyone point out any instance where any licensed electrical contractor ever paid a fine, or spent a minute in jail for defective work that caused property damage or death which was installed under his license?
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It's not all that common for contractors that operate within the law to go to jail. You wouldn't expect the CEO of General Motors to go to jail just because the company producted a defective car would you. That doesn't mean that the company is not held accountable. They may be out millions of dollars to cover the cost of defects.

That's why a company needs to operate within the law and carry plenty of insurance. Just to stay out of jail. Many civil suits have been filed against contractors over the years. Some are really frivolous.

A far as fines go, many contractors have been fined, had their license suspended and even revoked. Often for nothing more than permitting a job for an unlicensed electrician. One of the companies that worked for got ran out of business for unethical practices ( ripped off the governers brother-in-law). This was years after I worked for them.
 
Minuteman said:
Do you have data to back that up, or is that just an off the cuff statement?

If nothing else, licencing in some states tends to produces better wages. I would pay a kid with 4 years of experience and a license far more than I would a guy with 10 years of experience and no license.
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I have all the data I need in my photo file on my computer.

I am sorry to hear that you would pay a 4 year guy more than a ten year guy. Just because a guy doesn't want to spend the time to go take a test and get a piece of paper you won't pay him what he is worth. Shame on you.

I would hope that you would pay a guy based on his knowledge whether or not he has a little slip of paper that says he can pass a exam that proves little but that a guy can look through a book fast enough to find the right answers.
 
bikeindy said:
Just because a guy doesn't want to spend the time to go take a test and get a piece of paper you won't pay him what he is worth. Shame on you.
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Assuming licensing is a requirement in the area this person wants to earn a living. I say shame on the lazy guy for not stepping up and getting the license needed to get somewhere in the trade.
 
iwire said:
Assuming licensing is a requirement in the area this person wants to earn a living. I say shame on the lazy guy for not stepping up and getting the license needed to get somewhere in the trade.
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It sounds to me as though it isin't a requirement there to work for a EC. Why do you assume he is lazy?! may be he spends his extra time with his family he may enjoy taking his kids to a ball game or camping and doesn't want to bother with getting a license and taking a test to prove himself he just wants to work for a fair wage collect his pay, pay the government too much money that they steal from him out of his check, then take the rest and spend it on his family. I applaude this guy he isin't lazy and doesn't waste time reading posts on line from people that don't really know what they are talking about anyway.
 
bikeindy said:
It sounds to me as though it isin't a requirement there to work for a EC. Why do you assume he is lazy?! may be he spends his extra time with his family he may enjoy taking his kids to a ball game or camping and doesn't want to bother with getting a license and taking a test to prove himself he just wants to work for a fair wage collect his pay, pay the government too much money that they steal from him out of his check, then take the rest and spend it on his family. I applaude this guy he isin't lazy and doesn't waste time reading posts on line from people that don't really know what they are talking about anyway.
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Well, in areas where there are license to apprentice / helper ratios, the license holder gets paid more, sorry but that's the way it is and the way it will be. If this person wants more money he/she can study after the family is in bed.

Roger
 
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bikeindy said:
I have all the data I need in my photo file on my computer.

I am sorry to hear that you would pay a 4 year guy more than a ten year guy. Just because a guy doesn't want to spend the time to go take a test and get a piece of paper you won't pay him what he is worth. Shame on you.

I would hope that you would pay a guy based on his knowledge whether or not he has a little slip of paper that says he can pass a exam that proves little but that a guy can look through a book fast enough to find the right answers.
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I have to abide by the ratio law. Unlicensed guy needs supervision. If you would break the law, shame on you.
 
Minuteman said:
I have to abide by the ratio law. Unlicensed guy needs supervision. If you would break the law, shame on you.
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I don't have that problem because it is still the state of Indiana not the Peoples Republic of Indiana.

There is only one city in Indiana that even requires a licensed JM to be on the job site so in that city I am there with my guys working but we aren't there much.

I am the business owner and if I say a guy can do the work than it is my call.

I am waiting for you guys to start calling for burger flippers at McDonalds to have some kind of license after all they handle your food. Is it not enough that the owner hold a license? How much government intrusion will you accept? how much do you want from them? I want them shut down.
 
iwire said:
It's old but you did not put a time limit on your request.

Electrician Gets 5 Years in Wiring-Fire Death

I also remember one about an EC doing jail time for a child's death and ungrounded outlet supplying some appliance.
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OK, now there's an example of a licensed electrician taken to task for shoddy workmanship.

Did you catch this part of the story?

"Trade organizations said the case was the first in which an electrician had been held criminally liable for a death arising from his work. The judge also called the case singular."

Which I think agrees with my position. His license did not ensure a job done properly, and he was further permitted to continue carrying (it was granted during the trial) a journeyman's license.

I liken this issue to the same fallacy that driver's licences promote : that posession of a driver's license somehow makes the roads safer. I say it doesn't, that like trade licenses, it simply regulates, restricts, and taxes the public.
 
bikeindy said:
Just because a guy doesn't want to spend the time to go take a test and get a piece of paper you won't pay him what he is worth.
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I think I know what you mean but unfortunately that's life. The more schooling, certifications and licenses you hold in your field, the farther you are going to get. If someone makes the decision to spend more time with his family I applaud him. He chose his family over his career and that in itself is not wrong. But the guy who decides to take the exam and further his career is going to be rewarded for it at the work place. Even if his family life suffers for it.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
OK, now there's an example of a licensed electrician taken to task for shoddy workmanship.
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You've been shown multiple examples of state licensing boards intervening in cases of shoddy work. They don't usually make newspaper headlines but they are recorded.
 
bikeindy said:
I am waiting for you guys to start calling for burger flippers at McDonalds to have some kind of license after all they handle your food.
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Nope, I don't eat at Mc Donalds.

Roger
 
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