One back for the sparks!

[Darkwood]

Was in my local DIY super-chain setting up a trade account when a guy comes in and asks a member of staff on the adjoining desk if he can help him with a problem with his light he bought .... he asked if the store had an Electrician to which they said no... Me been a kind soul said maybe i could help.... after a few questions and answers I established the fitting he had bought worked fine and he had mixed his wiring up so I asked if he had a voltage tester YES! i was sold one here yesterday and he showed me a neon... in clear range of the staff i said you should never have been sold that as anything more than a terminal driver it is flawed in the very nature of how it works and in a worse case scenario relying on it could kill you. A senior staff member trying to back his floor staff up ask me how I could justify what I said....

Consider the failure of the neon and your customer here relies on it to see what is live or not!
Its also picks up induction that will give a false positive that something is live when it isn't!

I asked would he be happy to take responsibility for the customers safety because you are selling neon screwdrivers as voltage checkers to non competent customers.... 'We shall review this and how they are sold was his reply'

I also defended said store by telling the customer that we know the fitting works and that's where the stores responsibility ends and i would recommend you get a competent person in to fit this...... 'I built an house so thought a simple light fitting change wasn't beyond me' ...


The house that Jack built comes to mind but i remained tight lipped and expressed I can't help you out unless you want to pay a £60 call out fee as im an Electrical Engineer not a domestic sparks.... surprisingly he declined and walked out lol....

So i peed of the staff, peed off a customer then opened a trade account -- not bad for a Thurs morn!

 

[AndyL]

Good work

 

[Guitarist]

And this is happening every day in thousands of stores. It's no wonder that there are hundreds of electrical fires every year, along with dozens of deaths caused by electricity.
I wish people would understand that simple statement....Electricity KILLS.

 

[Pete999]

The Multi Meters they sell look suspect also, can't the powers that be NICEIC etc and the Government ministries responsible do something about this blatant disregard of safety issues, as much as Darkwood's efforts are great and well done mate, some minister somewhere needs to take a look at this

 

[Marvo]

The sooner they just blanket ban neon screwdrivers the better. You can pick up a Fluke T90 for under 25 quid, it's a no brainer really.

.......I can't help you out unless you want to pay a £60 call out fee as im an Electrical Engineer not a domestic sparks

You're way too cheap.

 

[Guitarist]

You can write a hundred letters, but it will always be "someone else's Department and responsibility". Unless it's featured on Watchdog, nothing gets done.

 

[Plonker 3]

Just some GS38 leaflets next to the electrical testers and by the how to stuff would at least go some way to show they actually do give a damn about it.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

You get some crackers, I had one.. Eddys in Wrexham last Thursday.. I walk in and some guy is speaking to a lad who works on the counter wavering a 2 gang switch and showing him a picture asking why there are 2 reds and 2 blacks behind the switch and how should he wire it. The guy behind the counter clearly was clueless.. But was trying to offer advice!! I stepped In and told him straight to call a spark, he told me it was only a switch and he didn't need a electrician and stormed out. Probably dead now, the -----!

 

[telectrix]

hmm.memories of capt. smith. " it's only an iceberg".

 

[Geordie Spark]

And this is happening every day in thousands of stores. It's no wonder that there are hundreds of electrical fires every year, along with dozens of deaths caused by electricity.
I wish people would understand that simple statement....Electricity KILLS.

Isn't it reassuring to see Part Pi$$ working so well???

 

[telectrix]

maybe if another MP's daughter gets electrocuted, part pee will be seen for the knee-jerk sham that it is and get booted into touch.

 

[Geordie Spark]

maybe if another MP's daughter gets electrocuted, part pee will be seen for the knee-jerk sham that it is and get booted into touch.

It doesn't need to get booted into touch.

All it needs is to be ignored by every self-respecting spark and it will collapse inwards on itself.

Stop jumping through hoops and just do the job - safely and competently.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Think we should all march up Downing Street armed with a large generator on a low loader all armed with live 3 phase cables, chasing Cameron out of power!

 

[Geordie Spark]

Think we should all march up Downing Street armed with a large generator on a low loader all armed with live 3 phase cables, chasing Cameron out of power!

But who would we get to wire it and certify it??



POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Get Billy Botch It to wire it, I'll counter sign the cert and then pay the £1.50 and ppart p it before the protest

 

[Tiny Spark]

Think we should all march up Downing Street armed with a large generator on a low loader all armed with live 3 phase cables, chasing Cameron out of power!

Works on multiple levels that one LOL

I recently brought a new set of "Electricians VDE Screwdrivers" (Thought ide treat myself)
And was amazed to find out that most of them Including CK, Draper, Stanley etc all came with yep A NEON!

Now WTF would I want one of them with a VDE screwdriver set for???

 

[Badged01]

Stop jumping through hoops and just do the job - safely and competently.

I think there hangs the problem, there is no way to ensure the person is 'safe' and 'competent' to do the job! Having completed an electrical apprenticeship in 1921 is no guarantee and Part 'P' has tried to address it but not far enough. As much as I hate the thought of it, another death may tip the balance into bringing in a higher level of assessed electrical 'competency' before being let loose alone to practise on the unsuspecting public!

 

[telectrix]

It doesn't need to get booted into touch.

All it needs is to be ignored by every self-respecting spark and it will collapse inwards on itself.

Stop jumping through hoops and just do the job - safely and competently.

this should have been done when it 1st came out. trouble is bloody apathy. imagine if the froggy surrender monkeys had had part p thrust on them. the ports would have been shut. air traffic control on strike. frog farmers demanding parity with sparks. frog plumbers wanting to crawl out the sewers. arggh, i can't go on. my poor heart won't be able to cope. :13:

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Works on multiple levels that one LOL

I recently brought a new set of "Electricians VDE Screwdrivers" (Thought ide treat myself)
And was amazed to find out that most of them Including CK, Draper, Stanley etc all came with yep A NEON!

Now WTF would I want one of them with a VDE screwdriver set for???

I have a faulty neon screwdriver in the van, to prove to people why they are ****!

 

[Guitarist]

I have a faulty neon screwdriver in the van, to prove to people why they are ****!

Maybe if you had a defib on hand and said "grab this, just to see how dangerous these things can be", people might take it seriously...

 

[Geordie Spark]

this should have been done when it 1st came out. trouble is bloody apathy. imagine if the froggy surrender monkeys had had part p thrust on them. the ports would have been shut. air traffic control on strike. frog farmers demanding parity with sparks. frog plumbers wanting to crawl out the sewers. arggh, i can't go on. my poor heart won't be able to cope. :13:

I agree ...... COMPLETELY and this stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on APATHY is why we in this country are in the clarts now.

During my gas fitting days, I had my ACS card which is what proves your training and competence and lists the sort of appliance you have been deemed competent & safe to work on. That cost something like £900 at the time and was valid for 5 years.

After that, I had to pay ( then ) CORGI a couple of hundred £'s more for a bloke to look at my ACS card and put my name on their register. That card was valid for one year after which I would have to pay them again.

They were supposed to come out and inspect a couple of jobs but never did and I was supposed to show the CORGI card to punters if they ever asked to see it. None ever did.

So, after the first year, I quietly forgot all about CORGI - and their fees, but made damned sure my ACS was up to date as I considered THAT card was the one that proved I was competent and safe and all the CORGI one showed was some bloke on a salary a lot bigger than mine had seen my ACS card & made a note of it somewhere.

When the Gas Safe scam arrived on the scene I gave that the Geordie Salute too.

Edit for the benefit of the foreigners among us: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/clarts

 

[Paul.M]

You get some crackers, I had one.. Eddys in Wrexham last Thursday.. I walk in and some guy is speaking to a lad who works on the counter wavering a 2 gang switch and showing him a picture asking why there are 2 reds and 2 blacks behind the switch and how should he wire it. The guy behind the counter clearly was clueless.. But was trying to offer advice!! I stepped In and told him straight to call a spark, he told me it was only a switch and he didn't need a electrician and stormed out. Probably dead now, the -----!

Had that in my wholesalers Spinks... I said the same...... Great minds thin alike lol

 

[Tiny Spark]

Amazing isnt it really, You would think the guys in the wholesalers would be trained.

Funny one I had a while back I ordered some 16A RCBO 3 phase commando socket outlets, Anyways despite coming in boxes saying just that they had been fitted with 20A RCBO'S.
Being rather puzzled by this I phoned the wholesaler and asked why they had been fitted with 20A RCBO's they told me that they didnt make them with 16A. When I pointed out to them that that it said 16A on the side of the box they apologized and said sorry we changed them because we thought you would want some discrimination!

I still dont really know why the hell they changed them....

 

[UNG]

I think there hangs the problem, there is no way to ensure the person is 'safe' and 'competent' to do the job! Having completed an electrical apprenticeship in 1921 is no guarantee and Part 'P' has tried to address it but not far enough. As much as I hate the thought of it, another death may tip the balance into bringing in a higher level of assessed electrical 'competency' before being let loose alone to practise on the unsuspecting public!

Let me get this right you are saying someone with 92 years experience wouldn't be a capable and competent electrician and Part P has solved this problem by deciding a person taking a 5 week course is capable and competent

What on earth are you talking about Part P and it's associated scams aren't competent to decide who is competent they wouldn't know what a proper qualification was if they fell over it

 

[PEG]

You can stand in similar stores and see people being handed items to deal with,that they have not a clue about.You can see the same thing occurring in the car spares supplier and you can see it in the school yard at home time..(think about it) If you think banning neons or part peeing it will stop any of that,your on crystal meth...

 

[Darkwood]

Amazing isnt it really, You would think the guys in the wholesalers would be trained.

Funny one I had a while back I ordered some 16A RCBO 3 phase commando socket outlets, Anyways despite coming in boxes saying just that they had been fitted with 20A RCBO'S.
Being rather puzzled by this I phoned the wholesaler and asked why they had been fitted with 20A RCBO's they told me that they didnt make them with 16A. When I pointed out to them that that it said 16A on the side of the box they apologized and said sorry we changed them because we thought you would want some discrimination!

I still dont really know why the hell they changed them....

You won't get discrimination between a 16a mcb and a 63amp mcb so why they used that line i dont know.... Numptys... my fav word of the month!

 

[guest119]

Didnt the (new) CORGI inspectors go out training with the NICEIC inspectors when the system was being set up? NICEIC being long established at that time.

boydy

 

[Badged01]

Let me get this right you are saying someone with 92 years experience wouldn't be a capable and competent electrician

A “trained electrician” is competent at the time he’s trained. What makes you think he is still competent XX amount of years later? (what are these new RCD thingys people keep going on about, equipotential bonding you don’t need that, I use EBADS, what do you mean the 14[SUP]th[/SUP] edition isn’t valid etc…. etc...….) Aside from industrial electricians, where electrical works managers take an interest in updating his electricians, the self-employed “house basher” has no such governing body ensuring he’s competent to the latest standards and regulations.

So YES, IMHO someone who hasn’t been updated professionally won’t be competent and capable regardless of how many years he has had wiring plugs!. More importantly how do the unsuspecting public even know if he is competent to be working on their electrics?.

and Part P has solved this problem by deciding a person taking a 5 week course is capable and competent

Part ‘P’ has nothing to do with 5 week courses! Part ‘P’ is there to decide if someone through a combination of experience, qualifications and training is competent to work in domestic premises. Which is my other point. IMHO Part ‘P’ currently isn’t good enough at assessing the competency of anybody to be able to work in domestic properties but the Govt disagrees and thinks it is!. I believe we need a better assessment system of an “electricians” competency that includes a measure of continuing professional development once ‘competency’ has been achieved.

Part P and it's associated scams aren't competent to decide who is competent they wouldn't know what a proper qualification was if they fell over it

Clearly you are an all knowing ‘time-served electrician’ at the front of his profession. I would highly recommend you apply to the various bodies to be on their panels to assess competency and also advise C&G on qualification requirements. The industry need you to get us out of this current predicament we are in ......

 

[guest119]

You need to get out more Badged, too much time on your hands :chillpill: :devilish:

 

[Badged01]

You need to get out more Badged, too much time on your hands :chillpill: :devilish:

I know, semi-retirement means Ive got far too much time on my hands! Need her indoors to give up the job so we can both b*gger off to live in the sun and leave you good folk on here in peace :smile5:

Until then, idle fingers.......