Backward Strides

[telectrix]

What are your nominations for the worst retro steps that have been made by our industry? my nominations are:

1. scrapping of stranded T/E cable in favour of the solid rubbish we're stuck with today.
2. the stupid new cable colours.

let's have other nominations. the best will receive a "thanks" and a "like" ( sorry geordie, no broon in the prize list.)

 

[Deleted member 26818]

The requirement to have so many pieces of paper to prove that you can do a particular job.
IPAF, JIB/ECS, LUCAS, PASMA, etc.

 

[Engineer54]

Has got to be the ridiculously low number of bona fide apprenticeships that are offered by the big to medium sized companies these days!! Which in essence has led to the rise of the fast track 17 day training centre course.

So my offering is, The fast track wanna-be electricians that are flooding the domestic and light commercial industry, which in turn are devaluing and de-skilling our once proud industry as a whole!!

 

[trev]

The introduction of Part P. It could have been so much better

 

[Sausage]

Working for the same money as 10 years ago when the price of staple products has trebled.

 

[Engineer54]

The requirement to have so many pieces of paper to prove that you can do a particular job.
IPAf, JIB/ECS, LUCAS, PASMA, etc.

Never heard of any of them, apart from JIB that is...lol!!

 

[Billythekid]

The lack of attention to three phase installations in apprenticeships.

Fitting RCBO's to everything, just to negate the lack of knowledge/training (no, I'm not saying they don't have a place).

 

[cogsey133]

the introduction of short courses making people think they are sparks who can do anything at the end of them.

 

[silverfox1]

The adoption on larger sites of 7-30am or on some 7-00 am start times.
I need my kip !

 

[HandySparks]

2. the stupid new cable colours.

let's have other nominations.

Sorry Tel, I think you've identified the winner.

Hard to think of a worse colour than black, brown or grey for marking out a line conductor with a potentially dangerous voltage on it. And once they're a bit dirty, sorting out black from brown in a badly lit location... I'm lost for words.

 

[D Skelton]

Sorry Tel, I think you've identified the winner.

Hard to think of a worse colour than black, brown or grey for marking out a line conductor with a potentially dangerous voltage on it. And once they're a bit dirty, sorting out black from brown in a badly lit location... I'm lost for words.

Instinctively we see red as danger and green as safe, red as stop and green as go, hence why I also think the new colours are poo.

Imagine thinking up the best colour combination from scratch, for me it would be something like L1 - Red, L2 - Red with yellow indication stripe, L3 - Red with blue indication stripe, N - White, CPC - Solid green. I might be wrong but I think the yanks use white for neutral?

 

[rsp84]

Ive been told the colour incidators were for the colour blind?

 

[D Skelton]

Lets be honest though, if you're colour blind, you shouldn't really be choosing a career in electrical installation. Same as you'll never see a midget window cleaner or an armless spread. Some people just can't do certain jobs, it sucks, but that's just the way it is.

 

[lardy]

I`ve always thought the colour change in 3 phase was always a little strange.
Changing blue from a line to a neutral always looked like it was asking for trouble!

 

[rsp84]

Defo, I wouldnt be contemplating it if I was colour blind, its just what I heard.

 

[boberty]

A neighbour of the mother in law was a sparks and also colour blind, however there are different types of colour blindness and i would suppose if you were told often enough as an apprentice(whats one of those i hear you ask) what colours what, you would pick up the difference. Also the old colour system are the three primary colours from which all others can be made from. Which certainly made work in low light areas easier as metioned above. But theres probably a elf and safty reg on safe lux levels to work by.

 

[Swicade]

Replaceing Apprenticeships with privately run training centers is by far the worst step taken in my eyes.

A very very close second is the joke commonly known as harmonised colours.

Finaly allowing the various scheme providers to amble along without haveing the balls (or will power due to profits) to actualy makesure electrical installers work is upto scratch (by proper drop in visits unarranged or backing up complaints)

 

[rsp84]

A neighbour of the mother in law was a sparks and also colour blind, however there are different types of colour blindness and i would suppose if you were told often enough as an apprentice(whats one of those i hear you ask) what colours what, you would pick up the difference. Also the old colour system are the three primary colours from which all others can be made from. Which certainly made work in low light areas easier as metioned above. But theres probably a elf and safty reg on safe lux levels to work by.

Apparently it works out so they see light and dark and stripey. But that wont be that good for brown, black, grey

 

[cogsey133]

I had a colour blind apprentice once....i only found out after he nearly killed me!

 

[trev]

I can remember having a test for colour blindness. I'm not sure whether it was just before leaving school or when I got to college but I definitely had to have one