Pressured in the workplace into other fields
Discussion
My son has found himself in a uncomfortable position at work, he is a water engineer however his employer is now wanting him to maintain and service machines, there are also other engineers who have been appointed this task however they are different field engineers and are all familiar with this line of work.
This involves things completely new to him such as servicing/striping down parts, replacing pistons/ seals etc, but more to the point involves 440v 3 phase electrics,
I don’t think this involves rewiring anything but does include removing the power unit panels, inspecting for loose wires/ flash marks and live tests, whether or not he’s expected to rectify anything which may crop up during this isn’t clear, however I’m not entirely convinced he should be expected to get to that point in the first place,
for reference these machines, they have a 2500 psi water system, 3 phase electrics, all housed inside a big metal box.
He was sent (along with the other engineers) on a half day training course which was aimed at the procedure in the servicing of the machines, however as I pointed out in the opening paragraph, the others already work with electrics and so it was water of a ducks back to them, however my son doesn’t even know what a piston is/does let alone repair/replace and no previous experience of electrics.
If he damages a machine with an incorrectly fitted piston or valve, well that’s on the company for putting him in this position in my opinion, but my concern is the electrical side, especially 3 phase, as at 440v any hiccup here doesn’t bare thinking about, they are instructed to disconnect the power before work commences, but even so you are relying on the machine having been installed correctly and any experienced electrician would carry out further tests before fiddling I’d have thought.
My question here is, am I looking at this from a father point of view, or is this, as I expect, unreasonable from the employer, surely you need qualifications before messing with electrics, even the tasks I described?
This involves things completely new to him such as servicing/striping down parts, replacing pistons/ seals etc, but more to the point involves 440v 3 phase electrics,
I don’t think this involves rewiring anything but does include removing the power unit panels, inspecting for loose wires/ flash marks and live tests, whether or not he’s expected to rectify anything which may crop up during this isn’t clear, however I’m not entirely convinced he should be expected to get to that point in the first place,
for reference these machines, they have a 2500 psi water system, 3 phase electrics, all housed inside a big metal box.
He was sent (along with the other engineers) on a half day training course which was aimed at the procedure in the servicing of the machines, however as I pointed out in the opening paragraph, the others already work with electrics and so it was water of a ducks back to them, however my son doesn’t even know what a piston is/does let alone repair/replace and no previous experience of electrics.
If he damages a machine with an incorrectly fitted piston or valve, well that’s on the company for putting him in this position in my opinion, but my concern is the electrical side, especially 3 phase, as at 440v any hiccup here doesn’t bare thinking about, they are instructed to disconnect the power before work commences, but even so you are relying on the machine having been installed correctly and any experienced electrician would carry out further tests before fiddling I’d have thought.
My question here is, am I looking at this from a father point of view, or is this, as I expect, unreasonable from the employer, surely you need qualifications before messing with electrics, even the tasks I described?
Edited by parn52 on Wednesday 9th February 13:03
Sounds like he's not a skilled person, but the company may be presuming he's an instructed person > https://the-regs.co.uk/blog/?p=412#:~:text=Instruc...
What do you think?
What do you think?
Regbuser said:
Sounds like he's not a skilled person, but the company may be presuming he's an instructed person > https://the-regs.co.uk/blog/?p=412#:~:text=Instruc...
What do you think?
Reading that he would be neither, but would be classed as “ordinary”What do you think?
As he isn’t skilled in electrics, and would not be supervised (instructed) by someone who was as he would be working alone.
The other engineers aren’t able to carry out the work my son does, so why he’s expected to take this on has me surprised.
It’s unclear to me, if this is actually illegal, or if it’s a morally irresponsible grey area given his complete lack of knowledge to be working with electrics, is there a different set of regs for domestic 240v electrical works, and phase 3 440v, and does the tasks my son faces on the electrical side fall into one of these scopes
parn52 said:
I don’t think this involves rewiring anything but does include removing the power unit panels, inspecting for loose wires/ flash marks and live tests, whether or not he’s expected to rectify anything which may crop up during this isn’t clear,
they are instructed to disconnect the power before work commences,
Doesn't sound too hazardous to me. they are instructed to disconnect the power before work commences,
He is disconnecting the power, removing a panel, inspecting and then testing.
If he does have to re-wire anything or do repairs, that's another matter - clearly he hasn't had training for that.
What does his current role as a water engineer entail and has he had specific training for that role.
Maybe they expect him to know more, worth talking with his manger on the additional scopes and the need for more training (especially the electric side) that will help him progress and the business requirements.
Has he been chosen due to develop in his role as the company see something in him ?
Maybe they expect him to know more, worth talking with his manger on the additional scopes and the need for more training (especially the electric side) that will help him progress and the business requirements.
Has he been chosen due to develop in his role as the company see something in him ?
Edited by tighnamara on Wednesday 9th February 20:46
parn52 said:
My question here is, am I looking at this from a father point of view, or is this, as I expect, unreasonable from the employer
Looking objectively from the outside, I'd say 95% the first, 5% the second. Your son is being given the opportunity to acquire new skills and experiences which will bode well for him down the line. The training offered by the company does 'seem' to be a little light but worth remembering that we live in a time when companies are not allowed to have accidents. One must therefore assume that they would not place your son in a position of risk as a result of ambivalent regards for H&S.
The number of trades that undertake electrical testing and repair on equipment without any formal requirements for a specific electrical qualification is huge (think air con, boilers, fire alarms, security systems, etc etc etc). As a starting point we have put people on a course like this (although not this exact one). They should also be giving him the right test equipment.
https://www.niceic.com/contractor/training/electri...
https://www.niceic.com/contractor/training/electri...
There are around 50 engineers in the company, of which around 10 including my son have been put forward for this.
The 49 engineers are pretty much within the same field of work, with my son being the only water engineer the company has, and hence he’s usually snowed under with work each month.
Sounds like it’s me being perhaps over protective
The 49 engineers are pretty much within the same field of work, with my son being the only water engineer the company has, and hence he’s usually snowed under with work each month.
Sounds like it’s me being perhaps over protective
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