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acelineman
03-18-2005, 09:39 PM
Need help here we have a guy on are crew who just made JL about 10 months ago. Well I have seen this guy burn up more Secondarys and caused more outages out of Subs in those 10 months than most Lineman do in a life time. But my problem is that when these things happen this guy makes it out to be a big joke and makes statements like if you do not burn something up every once in a while then Management thinks you are not doing anything. About 3 weeks ago he locked out 2 circuits out of a sub by trying to move a jumper on Lightening arrestor with a 8 foot stick and got it to close to the steel on the switch we were working on and caused a fire ball and burned the tip on the stick. Then when we got in that evening he took the stick around to show everyone (Including the Manager of our Center) and was just laughing like he had done the coolest thing in the world. This is the way he handles everything when he causes a fire or burns up some secondarys. The other day one of our ground guys noticed he was getting close to a HOT 23,900 Volt jumper with his neck. and when he came down to get a connector. The Groundman Suggested a Line hose to cover up his back side. This guy tells the Groundman he needs to worry about his job and to let him do his. My problem is I want to say something but he is hard headed and I feel he will try to take me to Management for harrasment or mutal respect rule we have. I have been a JL for about 6 years, but have worked for this company for about 9 months and do not wish to see this guy or anyone else hurt or dead. He has no respect for the Electricity or the Job we do he thinks it is about how fast you can get done. HELP?

rick
03-18-2005, 09:51 PM
Well, could you transfer to another crew? Is it union,or non, cuz I 'd think you could file a grievance. Man ,this stuff is dangerous enough without an unsafe man out there.

toptie
03-18-2005, 10:07 PM
Ace, you need to report him to your safety corridinator or some one, I myself would not work with or around a sonof abitch like that. Not trying to tell you what to do, but if I could'nt get satifaction through management, I would defintiley get him off to just nobody around but me and him. I would then beat his ass into next week, and tell him why. If that dont cure it , I probably do something I would regret.

Outlaw Lineman
03-19-2005, 12:32 AM
A lot of guys I know would whoop his ass. I had a "not so handy" lineman on my crew and I just left his ass on the ground. I'd much rather do the work myself than have someone hurt or worse. I know how hard it can be bringing something like this up to a supervisor or safety guy but doing so could save his life .....or YOURS

rusty
03-19-2005, 06:21 AM
Acelineman

Brother click on my logo on the homepage, S.A.C.. Send me an e-mail , or call me, and I will contact your company , and their Insurance company without involving you, and enlighten them on their liabilities of letting a KNOWN UNSAFE PRACTISE to exist! I would suggest you document everything, this could mean the difference between a family receiving justice down the road when this idiot kills some one! If all else fails, refuse to work with him! And do it in writing, stating the known safety violations and work habits, use the company safety policy to list your concerns, also make it clear those in management were and have been aware of this for a long period of time. Mail one copy to the owners , one copy to their Insurance company , and one to OSHA! At the very least it will deny all parties involved the ability to deny knowledge of the facts, as well as deny them the claim of no liability!!!

NO MORE LIVES FOR DOLLARS!!!! We Deserver and Receive the " JUSTICE " we settle for!!!!

S.A.C.

Rusty White

Short-Timer
03-19-2005, 07:15 AM
Wow ! What company do you work for that allows so many Operating Errors ?

Here at Com Ed if you do "ANYTHING" that causes a bump at a station, or an outage you are looking at time off. A while back we had this A**hole foreman who wanted to pinch a couple guys who did not see a pinhole flash in a non-porcelan insulator, that caused a line to dump. They were patroling the line in the dark, while it was raining. These "plastic" insulators would pin-hole flash in the top, where you could never notice them until the second or third flash, it has happened several times.

Your concerns are very troubleing to hear, it is one thing if a guy makes a mistake or two,,, but to ho-hum and brag about multiple flashes and near misses is road you do not want to travel. As linemen-Crew Leaders-Troublemen, we have all seen balls-of-fire, it is some times it is the only way to trouble shoot, [ try to explain that to stupid management] a line that has dumped, but to have a no brains-cowboy ramming around in the primary,,,,,,well send him to CommEd,, after about 2 incidents like you describe,,,, he is gone, but sadly, whoever else is on the crew, if not fired as well, will be on the brink of being fired. Try to telll him, then go to your Steward, then your Safety Person, and finally if need be your Foreman. If you have 12 guys in a barn, and no one is comfortable with this guy, "someone" in charge will have to notice. Yeah, I know it will be tougher than it sounds. Good Luck.

500 KVA
03-19-2005, 08:45 PM
I agree that you need to document everything this person does, and who knows about it. I mean be really thourough.

Report him to the Union. They need to do something. The good of the Union Brothers is at stake. If they are no help, then do it through the Company as a safety issue.

Always use safety and don't let it seem that it could be personal. I don't see how management lets this go on. It doesn't make any sense. It is their duty to provide a reasonable safe environment. For us that means taking the idiot out of an all ready dangerous job.

Just refuse to work with him! I cannot believe the rest of the crew puts up with this. Talk about it amongst each other. Work oput a plan and stick to it. This man needs to shape up or definitely ship out for all your sakes!

Never fight on the job! You'll get terminated, and he'll get to stay. Don't even do it after work somewhere else. They may still be able to fire you for it. Just use every other means to an end. Just stay away and stay safe!

Good Luck!

LostArt
03-19-2005, 09:14 PM
Ace, by chance are you a union company?

OLE' SORE KNEES
03-19-2005, 09:22 PM
I know it is a new time and era of a kinder ,gentler type lineman.........but I think this guy needs an old time blanket party.......throw a blanket over him and let the crew beat some sense into him before he kills someone other than himself!!!!!!!!!!!!

DomTrainee
03-19-2005, 09:34 PM
Ace you have to report this guy to the safety department or manager. He's gonna get himself or someone on the team killed. I feel for you man. Just stay strong and stay safe.

woody
03-19-2005, 10:17 PM
Hey pard...here's the deal...If management doesn't have the BALLS to deal with this reckless WILDMAN(or lineman;your words...Well partner step up to the plate); Do what's right always and evermore in YOUR career...GOT SOMETHING ELSE TO SAY? Shit ...say it and call it...Journeyman Lineman never asked for anything less... Need me too say more...SOLVE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!!!! NOT JUST YOU...BUT EVERYBODY WORKING AROUND YOU! Christ al mighty i'm tired of talking and tired of hearing journeymanlineman complain about anything!!!! woody

acelineman
03-19-2005, 10:18 PM
Hey All thanks for your replies and to all you all who have ask we are a Union Shop, But it is not IBEW, it is SEIU and it is not that strong. Management knows of this Guy and their response to it is as long as no one gets hurt then we can always reset a Recloser out of a Sub or put the wire back up. I did talk to my Foreman and I have informed him that the next time he causes an outage or a Secondary Fire that I plan on going above his head and talking to the upper Management on this Guy, and also that I will not work in the air with him at all. We have 4 Buckets on our Crew and I can pretty well stay away from him. I do watch when he is up there with an apprentice, we have 1 on our crew that can work High Voltage with a JL along side, and I make sure he does not scare that man to death. But when I can I get with the ape and train him in the proper way to do Line work and the ape Thanks me everytime for taking the time to train him instead of just telling him he needs to speed up and hurry to get things done like this Guy does. Again thanks for all the replies and I will let you all Know how this turns out. I have a saying I train all my Apprentices on when they ask me on when is the proper time to put on Rubber goods to go to work and I will close with that. WHEN IN DOUBT WHIP IT OUT. Be Safe Brothers

Saline
03-22-2005, 01:18 AM
Hi,

It sound like the guy is a flashman, no reference to "Flashman". Get Out of there while you're still in one piece. Fortunatley we have a "refusal to work on grounds of health and safety" policy in this country.

LINETRASH
03-26-2005, 12:54 AM
This guy must be young.

I've seen it before. Cant take any advice from anybody. Get offended when you question his work.

Only real journeyman linemen, true journeyman linemen, can take any criticism.A real journeyman pays attention to what the lowest man on the crew has to say. He thinks, "Hell, I'm getting older, it doesnt hurt to have a second pair of eyes on my work to keep me coming home to mama."

My advice to you is to confront this man in private, maybe over a beer. This will eliminate his audiance, and is the only way to talk to an insecure person.

He will likley be willing to talk about his problem in such a situation.

Try this. If the dumbass insists on playing the fool, at least you tried, and will know you gave an honest effort when this person fucks up bigtime.

Take it easy.

Linetrash

Tsplice
03-27-2005, 11:45 AM
Hey Ace,You need to document,and if possible have a witness sign it!Then take your concerns to management.They cannot ignor your concerns!If they choose to do so,and ,God forbid,someone get's hurt or dies and you have documented evidence, OSHA will have a field day with your outfit,and in todays enviornment, your buddy and persons higher up can be charged and be sent to jail for negligence.But for your own sake,please don't just blow this off.You and your fellow brothers are in harms way!!!!

Kevin Jones
03-27-2005, 08:08 PM
Listen, I’m a big “What happens on the truck stays on the truck” type of ole school lineman. I will tell you this; “If he hurts someone or his self, you will never forgive your self or the look of the devastated family at his funeral.” This work is not for the haphazardly. I have done safety for over 20 years. There is a reason 80% of the accidents happen to 20% of the lineman. Those same 20% will have the same repeat accidents. Some guys just don’t and will never get it. You line school demos owe it to the brother hood to recognize these guys and get rid of them before it becomes an issue in the field. Once they are on the trucks, don’t be bashful, bust their balls…. No one will hold it against you for having the courage to stand up to someone who is a loose cannon. Warn everyone, your kinda green and he is but ask any of the old timers, we usually handled it on the truck. If that doesn’t work, talk to everyone and make sure he is exposed. Trust me, he won’t get any better and until he learns respect, only pain will teach an individual like this. So yes it takes a tremendous amount of courage to stand up to someone who just sucks at this trade especially if he is a bull talker, but you will gain respect from the seasoned guys for doing the right thing. These were the guys we used to send into management before they killed themselves. So you are doing the right thing, but stand on your own two feet and let him know, you have a family at home, and he does too. I always ask slip shotters, “Would you let your wife or child see you working like that?” Do you think they are going to laugh at your funeral? Safety is Personal, you know why; your poor family will have to take care of your rotten ash for the rest of your life because you wanted to take a short cut! Just ask them if they will enjoy changing the bandages if you’re lucky. It may sound like I have some issues here, well I do. I have been to 4 funerals too many, each one you will second-guess everything. What you don’t want is a feeling that you should have stopped him or got in his face about his behavior, trust me, it will be easier that looking in his grieving family’s face…. That is something you will never forget….

God Bless the workingman, he is just trying to put food on the table….
safetyisnotajoke@yahoo.com

Swollen Tongue
04-03-2005, 07:48 PM
Linetrash has got it going on. Couldn't have said it better myself. Been around one or two like that guy. The sad part is they are seldom the one that gets hurt. They will set a trap for someone else to fall in. Document everything you can. If were lucky maybe no one will get hurt. If someone does, I'm sure the person that gets hurt or killed because of a premadona son of a bitch like that, their wife and lawyer would love to have your notes.

canyonman
04-04-2005, 01:25 PM
Your'e a Journeyman Lineman do what you know is best, Hammer this guy now and hammer him hard. This is no joking matter. The life you save may be your own!

lil y
04-18-2005, 07:42 PM
There are several different ways to handle your problem. whopass comes in several different sizes. and when your done refuse to work with the idiot, for safety reasons. Your foreman main job is to see that everybody goes home at night with all their body parts. If he hasn't handled this problem then he isn't doing his job.
stay safe and be careful

faulted
04-18-2005, 10:29 PM
I would rather see a brother lineman working at Home Depot than his famiy at a funneral.

seabass
04-21-2005, 06:56 PM
runn him off ace!! "screw around and burn em down,soon you wont be around" just get him out of the trade before it's too late!
Acelineman

Brother click on my logo on the homepage, S.A.C.. Send me an e-mail , or call me, and I will contact your company , and their Insurance company without involving you, and enlighten them on their liabilities of letting a KNOWN UNSAFE PRACTISE to exist! I would suggest you document everything, this could mean the difference between a family receiving justice down the road when this idiot kills some one! If all else fails, refuse to work with him! And do it in writing, stating the known safety violations and work habits, use the company safety policy to list your concerns, also make it clear those in management were and have been aware of this for a long period of time. Mail one copy to the owners , one copy to their Insurance company , and one to OSHA! At the very least it will deny all parties involved the ability to deny knowledge of the facts, as well as deny them the claim of no liability!!!

NO MORE LIVES FOR DOLLARS!!!! We Deserver and Receive the " JUSTICE " we settle for!!!!

S.A.C.

Rusty White

Three
04-21-2005, 09:42 PM
You definately need to voice your oppinion to everyone in your shop! Don't work with somebody like that. You also need to let the apprentices know how unsafe he is. And that he's gonna wind up getting them hurt or killed!

Squizzy
05-02-2005, 09:50 AM
Ace go with Rusty get rid of this hazard on legs as if we have not got enough to watch out for, idiots come in all shapes and sizes eihter on the road or up a pole the problem is they tend to survive and some one else dies for their screw ups.Get rid of him, refuse to work with him,get a list of his stuff ups on paper to management,what's the foreman doing??????? stay safe and bye 4 now

lightningrod
05-03-2005, 08:58 PM
Ace go with Rusty get rid of this hazard on legs as if we have not got enough to watch out for, idiots come in all shapes and sizes eihter on the road or up a pole the problem is they tend to survive and some one else dies for their screw ups.Get rid of him, refuse to work with him,get a list of his stuff ups on paper to management,what's the foreman doing??????? stay safe and bye 4 now

Been there all right, we had a lead lineman that injured at least 3 other lineman to the extent to they could never climb again, he was done working for our utility today on his own accord though.

lewisgwen2
10-14-2006, 07:16 PM
Need help here we have a guy on are crew who just made JL about 10 months ago. Well I have seen this guy burn up more Secondarys and caused more outages out of Subs in those 10 months than most Lineman do in a life time. But my problem is that when these things happen this guy makes it out to be a big joke and makes statements like if you do not burn something up every once in a while then Management thinks you are not doing anything. About 3 weeks ago he locked out 2 circuits out of a sub by trying to move a jumper on Lightening arrestor with a 8 foot stick and got it to close to the steel on the switch we were working on and caused a fire ball and burned the tip on the stick. Then when we got in that evening he took the stick around to show everyone (Including the Manager of our Center) and was just laughing like he had done the coolest thing in the world. This is the way he handles everything when he causes a fire or burns up some secondarys. The other day one of our ground guys noticed he was getting close to a HOT 23,900 Volt jumper with his neck. and when he came down to get a connector. The Groundman Suggested a Line hose to cover up his back side. This guy tells the Groundman he needs to worry about his job and to let him do his. My problem is I want to say something but he is hard headed and I feel he will try to take me to Management for harrasment or mutal respect rule we have. I have been a JL for about 6 years, but have worked for this company for about 9 months and do not wish to see this guy or anyone else hurt or dead. He has no respect for the Electricity or the Job we do he thinks it is about how fast you can get done. HELP?
Hi i have just learned and how to get in to this what ever you call it and i have readed you story and it makes me sick. See I'am a mother who just lost her baby boy who was 25 years old because of men like you wrote about my son was sent up a pole and told that it was turn of it was but them they turned on with any way for him to no he died he was zapped with 7200 volts and did not die right away i lived with the thought that he never felt any thing but he did. he was my 2nd child i have lost and now a father has left 3 baby girls behind and 1 is only just a little over a month old who will never no her fatherand the 2 yr old and the 3 year are have a hard time understanding and osha is dragging they're feet on the details. Please help me understand.

loadbreak55
10-15-2006, 02:19 PM
:mad: Ace,I felt compelled to weigh in here.Thru out my 36+ yrs.in this trade,I've been exposed to these "linegods"over and over again.Unfortuneately,while they all have different faces they all have the same attitude.Hurry up,screw saftey,You can't tell me how to do my job!I have never had a problem getting in their face,and telling them how things are;or going to their boss and fileing a grievence.This has cost me my job a few times,but it has also saved a few lives,I'm sure.I guess what I'm saying here is,don't turn a blind eye to this type of behaviour,it can only lead to someone being hurt or killed by this FREAK!And oh yea.I've had my ass whipped :eek: a few times for being so bold too! :rolleyes:such is life

smccoy
10-19-2006, 10:18 AM
Ace, Jim McCoy was murdered by a co-worker like the one you are talking about on 11/28/2006. Like you he know this lineman was unsafe to work with, do something about it NOW! Jim was a lineman for almost 30 years, I'm his ex-wife, we were only divorced 7 months after 15 years together. We have a daughter age 30, a son age 24 who is a apprentist lineman, and 5 grandchildren ages 9, 5,5,3,1. It was 3 weeks ago today our world changed forever! Please, Please, Please do not let this happen to you or your family!
Sherri McCoy
sherrisbirds@yahoo.com

Lnemn's Mom
10-21-2006, 08:58 PM
Need help here we have a guy on are crew who just made JL about 10 months ago. Well I have seen this guy burn up more Secondarys and caused more outages out of Subs in those 10 months than most Lineman do in a life time. But my problem is that when these things happen this guy makes it out to be a big joke and makes statements like if you do not burn something up every once in a while then Management thinks you are not doing anything. HELP?
Report this jerk to the company, and if that doesn't work....... get out of his path as the life you save may be your own. If the other men on the crew are aware of his tactics, they can refuse to work with him, which if company tries to force them to well, they could possibly be held responsible if they didn't take him off the crew (out of line work entirely) if someone is maimed or killed because of him. Linework is far too dangerous to have some jerk like this making a joke of "incidents" that could possibly cause someone's death. My son was killed in June of 05, in a work related accident, and I don't see anything at all funny about some smart a** clown like this making a joke of something that could take a life. If he has a death wish, let him take his own life, not that of other workers, nor fathers who want to be there for their children. THIS JERK NEEDS TO GO DOWN THE ROAD AND GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!

PK270
10-23-2006, 02:24 PM
It is our responsibility to get rid of these type of guys. I dont think you want to explain to a wife or mom why their loved one is not coming home. Read some of their posts, their pain and suffering is all too clear.

This is one thing that we all need to be on the same page together. There are so many other issues we are divided on but this is one that needs the full attention of everyone.

Hp Thompson
10-31-2006, 05:21 PM
Sherri,
I knew Jim, I worked with him on storm jobs with the company, he was liked by everyone he worked with, but I’m appalled by what you are saying about the accident. I know you are hurting about Jim passing, all of us at Ameren feels your pain and we’ll miss him, he had a great since of humor. There was six (6) line worker at this job, two (2) of them was doing traffic control, one on the butt of the pole, one operating the truck, two getting material off the truck while the boom was being raise to pick up the pole. (Six lineman didn’t see the line above them, they wasn’t going to set the pole but just to frame the pole and set it back down on the ground). All of these line worker are safe workers, Ameren takes safety to the max, once a week we have safety meetings, once a month ACT meets, twice or more a month supervisors come out to the job for their JBO’s, Ameren has safety fairs, safety training for all workers yearly . Jim was not murdered by his co-worker, Jim was in a tragic accident, which all of his co-worker will never forget, some of them are still having a hard time with it, they are not sleeping, (remember his co-worker have family to and they feel the pain of Jim accident) not eating and living that day over and over in there minds. They need support also. Sherri please forgive the co-workers, Jim would want it that way. With deepest regards, Hp

old lineman
10-31-2006, 08:54 PM
What is the matter with your co-workers? You can't be the only smart one there. Others must know what this guy is like.
If everyone stuck together and wouldn't permit this turkey onto their trucks in the morning when they pulled out of the barn, he'd be left standing on the dock.
Surely then somebody from up stairs would notice.
Isolate and conquer.
Reporting this guy will just get him pushed onto some other crew. He has to be dealt with ASAP or else you'll be planting him. Or worse yet one of you good buddies.
He sounds like the kind of guy that would close a switch on someone. That's what happened to Vic Morris.
Turn the dog loose.
The Old Lineman

cj28
11-03-2006, 09:52 PM
look someone needs to get cuz straight before he hurts someone or or maybe you it sounds like he not a good lineman anyway take a flat brace and teach him how to more safe or tell him its not allways the 4 of july so there no need of fireworks

Hemingray Insulators
11-03-2006, 10:51 PM
this pisses me off just reading about it. I sure hope you stand up for yourself and your fellow brothers, and get this idiot out of the trade.if that don't work, send him my way............... ;)