Radio teleswitch meter, E7 and night storage heaters

QrizB

Spoonie_Turtle said:

March 2024 is 8 months away.  That's not very long to install almost 1 million smart meters!

I'm wondering if I should look for a second job as a smart meter installer!

[Deleted User]

I'm wondering if I should look for a second job as a smart meter installer!

There is I believe a shortage of trained people. It cannot be the most exciting job in the World - particularly, in the Winter or even our present Summer.

inspectorperez

[Deleted User] said:

I'm wondering if I should look for a second job as a smart meter installer!

There is I believe a shortage of trained people. It cannot be the most exciting job in the World - particularly, in the Winter or even our present Summer.

They should follow the example of my recent lady installer who had adapted a clever attachment for providing umbrella cover under her step ladders. An ingenious adaption which should be rolled out by all utility companies to their installers.

This lady set a fine example of multi tasking while she participated in a company zoom conference at the same time as installing 2 new meters in the rain. So impressed.

Scot_39

So unimpressed.

So much so that both actions you praise would need / potentially need in my experience reporting to company safety officers.

Step ladders have one job and it's not to provide shelter - let alone rain shelter.

What you think as an impressive modification may in fact have significant safety implications.

Had the adaption been authorised by employers and the adaption been subject to a proper risk assessment ?

What would happen in a strong or gust of wind and the shelter it provided acted as a sail - tipping over the whole assembly ?

Physically to her - and possibly forcing contact with live kit depending on stage of fitting / testing when occurred etc.

Same with the participation in a zoom meeting if truly in parallel - had she and employer considered the safety and potential cost implications of her doing her job badly if distracted by said zoom call ?

Even at mains voltage especially in a meter cabinet  - often only protected by a slow burn 100A fuse in places - all it takes is one badly made connection - one disturbed meter or isolator tail feeding consumer unit etc - and you have a potential electrical short or disconnect risk.

Or a high resistance joint risk - so heat and even ultimately a fire risk hazard.

Its not rocket science in terms of wiring complexity.

But even then seen a few really bad installs as part of electrical  safety training courses - and even 1 or 2 posted here (bad tail connections, heat shrink insulation shrouding not shrunk etc)

Things that we would definitely have failed a site installation or cubicle build inspection at work.  And if hadn't the customer certainly would have.

So the job does require a fairly good degree of both skill and attention.