POCO employee / inspector / EC

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

realolman

Senior Member
I know a local small town guy who works for the POCO, does electrical work on the side, and inspects his and other's work as well. Has been doing this for many, many years,

Seems to me there has got to be a conflict of interest there, and probably overlap of pay as well... don't know anything for sure ... just suspect it... I'm not impressed with the guy's sensitivity to the perspectives and issues involved in this, and other unrelated areas where I have had some involvement with him.

Wouldn't we all like to inspect our own work, and have the POCO bucket truck to do the disconnects / re-connects, and at what point does the EC pay end, the inspector pay start, and the POCO pay end? Seems to me pretty difficult to keep them all sorted out.

The whole thing just kinda grates on my nerves in certain circumstances. The guy seems to think he is hot stuff, as do most of the local residents... he certainly can, and often does pull off a residential service change in a very timely and cost effective manner.

Am I just jealous, or does anyone else think this setup seems a bit too sweet
 
Last edited:
N

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
realolman said:
To put it bluntly, he seems like a jerk to me.


Am I just jealous, or does anyone else think this setup seems a bit too sweet
Click to expand...


He sounds like a jerk, but it also sounds sweet. He will eventually get caught up in it. Someone will eventually complain to the right people. Maybe that is you, maybe not... I'm just saying.
 
R

realolman

Senior Member
I can't see me complaining to anyone about it... it really isn't all that important to me.

It's just when I hear other unknowledgeable area folks commenting on how good this guy is it kinda makes me wanna puke. I was hoping perhaps one of you would have a thought on it that would settle my stomach.

Also, I didn't get it edited quickly enough... I wanted to remove the "jerk" comment.:roll:
 
ivsenroute

ivsenroute

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Absolutely should not be inspecting any of the work that he performs at all, including utilit cut ins.

I am an inspector but maintain my license as a Master Electrician. I do work for friends and relatives who request but I always have to get inspected by another inspector and I refuse to do work in the municipalities that I inspect. I turn down work because of this routinely. I don't even like doing work for friends or relatives because I am an inspector but they are more comfortable with me so I take care of them.
 
R

realolman

Senior Member
ivsenroute said:
.....I am an inspector but maintain my license as a Master Electrician. I do work for friends and relatives who request but I always have to get inspected by another inspector and I refuse to do work in the municipalities that I inspect. I turn down work because of this routinely. I don't even like doing work for friends or relatives because I am an inspector but they are more comfortable with me so I take care of them.
Click to expand...

Now, see that seems more like the "sensitivity to the perspectives and issues involved", that this guy seems to lack.
 
S

SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
Several years ago there was a small town near me where the inspector was and EC, the city had their own POCO which one of the inspectors relatives was in charge. Try to get a job in that town. An EC that I worked for bid a rewire of a restaurant against the inspector and got the job. What a mistake we were required to use rmc for the whole job. My boss didn't question it and took a very large bath. Since then the town has cleaned up it's act.
 
K8MHZ

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
SEO said:
Several years ago there was a small town near me where the inspector was and EC, the city had their own POCO which one of the inspectors relatives was in charge. Try to get a job in that town. An EC that I worked for bid a rewire of a restaurant against the inspector and got the job. What a mistake we were required to use rmc for the whole job. My boss didn't question it and took a very large bath. Since then the town has cleaned up it's act.
Click to expand...

Could it be Baldwin?

The inspector in Lake County when I was up there (98 ish) also was a contractor and did work in his own jurisdiction. He didn't even try to hide it. He would show up for inspections with benders and stuff in his truck.
 
S

SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
No not Baldwin. This was back in 1972-73. If you want to know you can pm me I don't want to disclose to everyone.
 
ceb58

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
SEO said:
Several years ago there was a small town near me where the inspector was and EC, the city had their own POCO which one of the inspectors relatives was in charge. Try to get a job in that town. An EC that I worked for bid a rewire of a restaurant against the inspector and got the job. What a mistake we were required to use rmc for the whole job. My boss didn't question it and took a very large bath. Since then the town has cleaned up it's act.
Click to expand...

Something similar happened in the county I live in a few years ago. There were only two inspectors for the county, and they were multi-trade inspectors. One inspector had been a GC and still carried his license and had a crew still working. He would inspect his own jobs and the head inspector would also knowingly inspect his work. They both would nit-pick other contractors to death while letting anything go on the inspectors jobs. Until one day some one hired a contractor from another county to build there house, they tried picking him for every thing and he found out about the conflict of interest they had going on. When he got through with them they both lost there jobs, had there inspection license pulled and the one lost his contractor license also.
 
SPARKS40

SPARKS40

Member
Location
Northern Il
SO....my question is this......if he does a service upgrade, inspects, re-connects, and someone's house burns down......who is liable??????:mad:

SEVERE conflict of interest going on here.....i'd report the S.O.B.
 
Sierrasparky

Sierrasparky

Senior Member
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician ,contractor
Each county has a grand jury.
The more I see this kind of stuff the more it infuriates me.
get this guy if it's not too much trouble.
 
growler

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
realolman said:
I know a local small town guy who works for the POCO, does electrical work on the side, and inspects his and other's work as well. Has been doing this for many, many years,

The guy seems to think he is hot stuff.
Click to expand...

realolman said:
It's just when I hear other unknowledgeable area folks commenting on how good this guy is it kinda makes me wanna puke. I was hoping perhaps one of you would have a thought on it that would settle my stomach.
Click to expand...

You said it all when you said "local small town guy". The reason many people stay in small towns is because it's easy to compete when there is little competition.

He probably knows most of the people he deals with on a daily basis and they are all satisfied with they way things are so I wouldn't let it worry me.

It's easy to be the big man in a town with a population of two and the other guy is a midget. Some people just like it that way. :D
 
wbalsam1

wbalsam1

Senior Member
Location
Upper Jay, NY
There is a law on the books in most states that deals with "Dual Loyalty".
When a person is an Authority Having Jurisdiction, he/she is appointed by an elected body to conduct inspections pursuant to law. In his/her role as "inspector", this is the charge or responsibility.
When a person is a contractor whose work must be inspected by an AHJ, that person cannot wear both "hats".
In your example, there is yet a third "hat" which even confounds the "loyalty" issue further. The court of jurisdiction would see it that the law must be obeyed and cannot be compromised.
 
2

220/221

Senior Member
Location
AZ
Am I just jealous, or does anyone else think this setup seems a bit too sweet
Click to expand...

Envious, not jealous. :D

Yeah, some people have it better than others. Be happy for him and concentrate on things that matter in your life.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top