Real-Life Decision Making
Electricians are often at the mercy of the contractors or customers they
work for.
Sometimes they are forced to make tough decisions regarding their work,
their own safety and that of people around them. Hanging in the balance could
be an injury, a lot of money or their own reputations.
A customer has requested work done on an "energized, hot switch gear."
This means the company does not want to shut down their operations so the
electrical work can be done.
The electrician must then work on and around live wires. (That's the "hot,
energized" part in electrician's lingo.) The switch gear is the power routing
box.
The electrician has to take care of his or her own safety. That means gathering
up the right gear for the job. This includes gloves, blankets to cover the
work area, and the special plastic tools designed for this kind of work.
You know that despite your precautions, mistakes can happen. If
you make a mistake and drop a tool, it will explode in the system.
That puts you right next to an explosion, which could cause you serious
injury or even death. People working nearby could also be hurt.
The explosion will cause a short in the circuitry, causing a blackout.
Whatever work is going on at the time will grind to a halt.
First, you try to negotiate with the customer. You hope they agree to a
"power down" so the work can get done. But they've asked you to do the live
work because they're not willing to shut down.
They say no.
You consider turning down the job, even if it may affect your reputation.
In electrical contracting, turning down work is like getting fired. It is
a very big deal. And if you lose one job, there may not be another.
Still, you don't want to get hurt.
What do you do?