Thread: Bodges
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Old 2nd Sep 2020, 1:11 pm   #67
samjmann
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Nottingham, UK.
Posts: 645
Default Re: Bodges

The common reasons for a bodge seems to be either ignorance, or doing the job knowingly with the wrong materials. The latter clearly the worst!

Many years back I was told of the reason for the separate isolator that is fitted in an airing cupboard to the feed to a immersion heater. The story went that a electrician was killed whilst changing the heater, he had simply turned off the downstairs switch and then started work. Someone walked in, decided they need a bath and switched on the downstairs switch and made the heater live. The regs were then changed so as a separate isolator is now fitted next to the heater.

Recently in the day job, we have been told to always use a Martindale type tester on the mains socket of any Tv we are to work on. Sadly two years ago an engineer was killed when the washer he was about to work on was plugged into a incorrectly wired outlet. Sadly it seems that someone has to pay with their life for things to change...

Last week I went to a wall mount Tv, the mains lead hung down to socket at skirting board height. The lead had a 1M extension added in the middle with 5A chock block, bare whiskers of wire hanging out on the live and neutral. Best part about it was this had been done by the customers electrician father!

The thing is if the reason for an odd sounding regulation is made known, by and large most of us will go along with this. There are however a significant number who will not comply out of ignorance or pure obstinance. The Covid 19 situation highlights this, many people well aware of the risks have often said to me ways of 'getting round' the laws to do what they want.

Every new generation breeds a new crop of ignorant or obstinant bodgers, lets just hope that the rest of us pick up on the work they do before someone gets hurt.
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