HomeMy WebLinkAboutA003 - Letter dated November 16, 1998, from Carroll Nikkel to Electrical Board of Apepal, concerns about proposed changes 11/24/98 17:58 $515 232 4012 002/004
Nikkei & Associates, Inc.
- i Electrical Contractor
728 East Lincoln Way
Ames, Iowa 50010-6523
515-232-8606
Fax: 515-232-4012
E-mail: nai@nai-ames.com
November 16, 1998
City of Ames
Electrical Board of Appeals
515 Clark Avenue
Ames,IA 50010
ATTN: Dwight Kramer, Secretary
First, I would like to apologize for not being at your meeting of November 3'. I had previous
commitments, because of it being Election Day.
I and many others have difficulty with the changes the Board are proposing:
1. Item #2, Add to Section 7.202 "In the presence of and," as listed in your memo.
We feel the word"direct"should be stricken, let alone adding "in the presence of." We
feel that it is not the duty of the Electrical Inspector to determine who performs work on
the job site. His responsibility is to make sure consumers are protected and that all work
is installed per the NEC Code and local codes.
I agree that all work needs to be under the supervision of a certified, licensed
Journeyman. A licensed Journeyman should be present for inspections and consultations.
Problems this creates and the meanings that can be interpreted from this:
1. Apprentices could not perform work unless they are in the same room as a Journeyman:
a. Numerous tasks require individuals to be on both sides of a wall. (Violation)
b. Numerous tasks on larger projects are repeated daily for a duration of several days
or weeks; such tasks require only an Apprentice, while a Journeyman is in a
different area of the project performing more technical work. (Violation)
C. The Project Journeyman is required to attend a project meeting at a remote
location for one or two hours, afterwards returning to the job site. He would have
to send his people home or have them stop work until he returns. (Violation)
d. The Project Journeyman needs to use the restroom, or even worse, has a stomach
ailment that requires up to a fourth of his day being spent there. Again,work
would have to be stopped each time. (Violation)
e. A project in a multi-storied building with work taking place at the same time on
different floors, without a Journeyman on every floor. (Violation)
J
11/24/98 17:59 U515 232 4012 Z 003/004
2
f. An Apprentice is outside digging ditches for electrical cable or conduit runs,
while the Journeyman is working inside the building on the third floor.
(Violation)
Repercussions:
1. This would significantly increase the cost of doing virtually any work; extra downtime
costs would need to be absorbed by our customers.
2. This would slow down the productivity of our work forces having to deal with this
requirement.
3. This would decrease the job openings for training Apprentice Electricians, which in turn
would, in time, cut down on the number of Journeymen available.
Problems the work "direct"causes:
1. The interpretation of"direct" is causing contractors to be cited for not having a
Journeyman present on the job at all times. Our journeymen are unable to leave for a
project meeting for an hour or two, or to pick up material at the shop or local wholesale
house.
2. The City of Ames has implemented the Block & Associates Testing Co. for testing
Journeymen—this is a good, unbiased entity for such administration, but theirs is a very
difficult test to pass. We have had individuals take the Block test up to five times, and
they still have not passed it; in fact, the average electrician has had to take the test two to
three times before they are able to pass. These people do excellent work and know what
a Journeyman should know, and they have even gone through a formal D.O.L.-approved
four-year apprentice training program. Most of our individuals have had difficulty
passing the Block test due to complex calculations that are normally perfonred by design
and engineering individuals—these are calculations that are seldom performed on the job
sites themselves.
This has all been implemented and more directly enforced in the past three years, and it in turn
has created a lot of undue stress for those forced to comply with the ordinance. This is a unique
time for the Ames area; the construction industry is booming, but licensed individuals are scarce.
Wages have gone up, but production has gone down, and we have been compelled to employ
unproductive people simply because they had a license. A third- or fourth-year Apprentices
skills and abilities cannot be recognized; their'full productivity is being held back by the City's
requirements. The saddest note of all is this reflects on the consumer, with higher prices to be
paid, with no additional value to the consumer.
In our research, most major jurisdictions do not address or require these restrictions. Just a few
would be Davenport, Iowa; Newton, Iowa and Des Moines, Iowa.
The following professions which employ interns, have apprenticeships, assistants, etc. do not
require a licensed Journeyman to be present at all times:
1. Education (teachers and professors)
J
11/24/98 17:59 $`515 232 4012 004/004
3
2. Medical (doctors; Chapter 148C, "Physician Assistants")
3. Electrical Engineering
...to na.tne just a few.
We would appreciate if you would review your stance on these issues and revise the code
accordingly. If I can be of assistance in any of these matters, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Carroll Nikkel
President
CN/mg
J