Warning: That quick "just tighten it" from an apprentice cost me $2,800 last month

Had a guy fresh out of trade school helping me on a commercial panel swap in Phoenix. He said "this bus bar looks loose, I'll just snug it up" while I was pulling wire across the room. He wound up overtightening one lug so hard it cracked the aluminum block, then he didn't say anything. Three days later we got a call about intermittent power loss on that floor. Took me 6 hours of troubleshooting to find the hairline fracture and the whole assembly was shot. You ever had someone hide a mistake on you that came back way worse later?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela89026d ago

I've had that "I'll just snug it up" move bite me too. What finally worked was telling every new guy straight up that if they break something and tell me right away, it's a learning moment, but if they hide it and I find out later, they're buying the replacement.

jana_hill2723d ago

Thats exactly what I ended up doing after a similar situation, @angela890. Told them straight up the same thing and now I just check their work myself after they say they're done, saves a lot of drama.