When do you have time for work?
- Thread starter g3guy
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: When do you have time for work?
I have twice been involved in the role of consulting engineer in legal disputes involving electrical installations. My role was to gather information, perform calculations, and write reports, all in support of one of the parties to the lawsuit. Neither case was resolved before I had left the engineering company, so I don't think I can (or should) give any details.
{Edited to add: But this was a consulting project, so it constituted "work," and not a disruption of work.}
[ October 26, 2005, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: charlie b ]
I have twice been involved in the role of consulting engineer in legal disputes involving electrical installations. My role was to gather information, perform calculations, and write reports, all in support of one of the parties to the lawsuit. Neither case was resolved before I had left the engineering company, so I don't think I can (or should) give any details.
{Edited to add: But this was a consulting project, so it constituted "work," and not a disruption of work.}
[ October 26, 2005, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: charlie b ]
Re: When do you have time for work?
I have been used as a witness against an "electrician" that was being sued by a marina owner. The "electrician" had wired a pier with UF and just butt spliced the wires when he reached the end of a roll and then continued on, with the splice swinging in the open under the pier. I was also held responsible for a building fire due to "faulty wiring". Fortunately the Fire Marshall disagreed with the insurance investigators findings and the court sided with the Fire Marshall. The insurance investigator said the fire was caused by a faulty baseboard heater (hard to believe since the fire was in July and the heat was not in use). The Fire Marshall had found several places where the homeowner had installed paneling with 10-penny nails and penetrated the wiring. The Fire Marshall felt that this was the cause of the fire. The trick that the insurance company used was that they waited over a year before bringing the suit in hopes that all evidence would be lost and it would be my testimony against the homeowners. Of course the "mean, greedy, business owner" will always be at a disadvantage against the "poor, helpless, homeowner" in such a case. Fortunately the Fire Marshall had taken pictures and kept pieces of wiring that had been penetrated by the nails. With that evidence the case was settled without going to trial. Unfortunately a business owner has to spend almost as much time protecting himself against these types of things as he does actually running his business. Add to that the time you spend trying to collect payments from dead-beat customers, and working on bids that then will be used to shop against you, and there is not much time to actually go out and do the work.
I have been used as a witness against an "electrician" that was being sued by a marina owner. The "electrician" had wired a pier with UF and just butt spliced the wires when he reached the end of a roll and then continued on, with the splice swinging in the open under the pier. I was also held responsible for a building fire due to "faulty wiring". Fortunately the Fire Marshall disagreed with the insurance investigators findings and the court sided with the Fire Marshall. The insurance investigator said the fire was caused by a faulty baseboard heater (hard to believe since the fire was in July and the heat was not in use). The Fire Marshall had found several places where the homeowner had installed paneling with 10-penny nails and penetrated the wiring. The Fire Marshall felt that this was the cause of the fire. The trick that the insurance company used was that they waited over a year before bringing the suit in hopes that all evidence would be lost and it would be my testimony against the homeowners. Of course the "mean, greedy, business owner" will always be at a disadvantage against the "poor, helpless, homeowner" in such a case. Fortunately the Fire Marshall had taken pictures and kept pieces of wiring that had been penetrated by the nails. With that evidence the case was settled without going to trial. Unfortunately a business owner has to spend almost as much time protecting himself against these types of things as he does actually running his business. Add to that the time you spend trying to collect payments from dead-beat customers, and working on bids that then will be used to shop against you, and there is not much time to actually go out and do the work.
ryan_618
Senior Member
- Location
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Re: When do you have time for work?
I had a lawsuit dropped about GFCI's in commercial kitchens. You guys probably remember me talking about it.
I had a lawsuit dropped about GFCI's in commercial kitchens. You guys probably remember me talking about it.
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Re: When do you have time for work?
Mean old Ryan beating up on some poor restaurant!
Mean old Ryan beating up on some poor restaurant!
B
bthielen
Guest
Re: When do you have time for work?
I have been deposed relating to an incident where an operator of one of the machines we manufactured crushed his hand and lost a couple finger tips because he bypassed the guard interlock circuit and failed to follow proper procedures as documented in the operation manual, which included disconnecting and locking out power. He attempted to feed the film into the pinch rollers (like a wringer washer) with his hand while he had someone else press the start button on the machine. We also had the proverbial warning stickers in the area pointing out the potential for crushed and/or severed limbs and appendages due to a very sharp servo driven knife and pinch rollers used to feed and cut shrink-wrap plastic film.
It has been my understanding that there was a settlement out of court to avoid a long expensive legal battle. This is typical of today's society. File the suit. Even if you haven't got much to stand on, you've got a good chance of some settlement because of the high costs involved.
I personally support the idea that the plaintiff should be held liable for the defense costs if he/she loses the case. This would eliminate much of this frivolous junk because most of us wouldn't sign on that dotted line to hire the attorney if we didn't feel we really had a strong justifiable case.
Bob
I have been deposed relating to an incident where an operator of one of the machines we manufactured crushed his hand and lost a couple finger tips because he bypassed the guard interlock circuit and failed to follow proper procedures as documented in the operation manual, which included disconnecting and locking out power. He attempted to feed the film into the pinch rollers (like a wringer washer) with his hand while he had someone else press the start button on the machine. We also had the proverbial warning stickers in the area pointing out the potential for crushed and/or severed limbs and appendages due to a very sharp servo driven knife and pinch rollers used to feed and cut shrink-wrap plastic film.
It has been my understanding that there was a settlement out of court to avoid a long expensive legal battle. This is typical of today's society. File the suit. Even if you haven't got much to stand on, you've got a good chance of some settlement because of the high costs involved.
I personally support the idea that the plaintiff should be held liable for the defense costs if he/she loses the case. This would eliminate much of this frivolous junk because most of us wouldn't sign on that dotted line to hire the attorney if we didn't feel we really had a strong justifiable case.
Bob
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- Semi-retired engineer
Re: When do you have time for work?
a company not far from here was sued over a machine that was over 100 years old. it had been modifed many times in the intervening years, generally not by the oem.
someone got hurt. the company is now gone because they had let their liability insurance lapse on machines that old as a cost savings measure.
a company not far from here was sued over a machine that was over 100 years old. it had been modifed many times in the intervening years, generally not by the oem.
someone got hurt. the company is now gone because they had let their liability insurance lapse on machines that old as a cost savings measure.
allenwayne
Senior Member
Re: When do you have time for work?
You are correct is loser paid the courts would not be tied up on frivolus law suits.UK has that law and there it works fine
You are correct is loser paid the courts would not be tied up on frivolus law suits.UK has that law and there it works fine
ryan_618
Senior Member
- Location
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Re: When do you have time for work?
Originally posted by bphgravity:
Mean old Ryan beating up on some poor restaurant!
electricmanscott
Senior Member
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Occupation
- Massachusetts Master Electrician, one man show.
Re: When do you have time for work?
g3guy, if you listened to some of the guys here you wouldn't dare even think about working. Anything you do will result in a lawsuit against you.
g3guy, if you listened to some of the guys here you wouldn't dare even think about working. Anything you do will result in a lawsuit against you.
g3guy
Member
Re: When do you have time for work?
Got it covered! I'm retired. I NEVER even think about working No more arc welded screwdrivers, no more putting a dime under the fuse, no more tapping off one side of 240 whenever and wherever I needed 120, no more hitting a wire to ground to see if it's hot.Who started that ground thing in this country anyway. Wasn't any when I started and I only hooked them up if I had nothing better to do. Gotta go now,
I have to shut my computer down since the 1 to 8 receptacle adapter is getting a little warm. Need to get the extension cord to the outdoor hot tub off of it.
Got it covered! I'm retired.
I NEVER even think about working No more arc welded screwdrivers, no more putting a dime under the fuse, no more tapping off one side of 240 whenever and wherever I needed 120, no more hitting a wire to ground to see if it's hot.Who started that ground thing in this country anyway. Wasn't any when I started and I only hooked them up if I had nothing better to do. Gotta go now, I have to shut my computer down since the 1 to 8 receptacle adapter is getting a little warm. Need to get the extension cord to the outdoor hot tub off of it.
paul
Senior Member
- Location
- Snohomish, WA
Re: When do you have time for work?
Originally posted by g3guy:
Got it covered! I'm retired.
I have to shut my computer down since the 1 to 8 receptacle adapter is getting a little warm. Need to get the extension cord to the outdoor hot tub off of it.
Re: When do you have time for work?
It's a good thing NFPA knows how to write codes that are crystal clear, and everyone understands them, and everyone agrees on just exactly what they require.
Steve
[ October 28, 2005, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: steve66 ]
The bad thing is that you can be held liable for requiring more than the code, and you can be held liable for allowing less than the code.Originally posted by bphgravity:
Mean old Ryan beating up on some poor restaurant!
It's a good thing NFPA knows how to write codes that are crystal clear, and everyone understands them, and everyone agrees on just exactly what they require.
Steve
[ October 28, 2005, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: steve66 ]
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