Please help dicsiplinary

[natandleigh]

Hi there......sorry i've not introduced yet.......in a bit of a panic!!

My 22 year old corgi reg gas fitter brother did a annual service last friday on a boiler and gas fire. On tuesday his employer called him in to tell him there had been a complaint. He had a disciplinary hearing less than 24 hours later and was suspended. Then at 5pm today he recieved a letter to say that there will be a hearing tomorrow at 1400hrs.

Basically, he did the service and it passed. There was a complaint that he didn't do it properly so a second engineer went out to complete the service again and produce his findings. He found some soot at the back of the gas fire. My brother has admitted that he didn't take off the grill at the back (or something along those lines.....please dont go mad.....i may have worded it wrong!) He said that he passed the service and never passed a condemed system. The 2nd engineer also passed the system too.

I am confused as to what will happen tomorrow.....should lil bro put off the hearing until later next week......he isn't very forward when it comes to things like this.....he'd rather get it over and done with tomorrow (convinced they wont sack him OR ruin his career......very naive).

The ONLY thing that is obvious from my point of view is when he started with this company a few months back he was given no 'newbie' training or supervision. Now could he make matters worse if this is brought up??? He brought this up at the first hearing. As i am in the Armed Forces, things work slightly differently.....do plumbers have Terms of Reference??? Is there a law that says you must have familiarisation training? Is it standard that when you start at a company you are supervised for the first week or so????

Sorry for gatecrashing BUT the hearing is tomorrow and i didn't know who else to ask.

Thank you

 

[Mike Jackson]

There's no requirement for familiarisation training. It's normal for new employees to have an induction but not compulsory. It's also good practice if they accompany an existing employee for a week or so but again not compulsory. If he's got the relevant ACS qualifications it's assume that he's competent to carry out the work.

Mike

 

[natandleigh]

Thank you Mike.

I thought that was the case.....you cant take the corgi test and then expect not to do it properly.

The issue at the moment is WHAT could they do to him? If they were going to dismiss him would they have done it by now? Why two hearings?

 

[sonray ltd]

as for the soot i would say theres more to it than that.

supervision for the first week or so. i think not he's corgi reg he should know what to do.

i would put it down to lack of experience.
british gas are just as bad train these people up send them out and they ain't got a clue.
the amount of customers i get that have had bg contracts and cancelled due to service engineers who can't even get the boiler case off.

anyone can read a book do a test then get sent out in the big wide world, then your on your own.
lucky the customer didn't report it to corgi, or he maybe struck off.

but i think theres more to it than just a bit of soot.

 

[natandleigh]

That was all the disciplinary hearing said. They gave him photos and the report from the second engineer. They said because he didnt take off the back of the fire that he 'could' have caused a catastrophe. But can you be dismiss for a 'could have'??? He admitted that he should have taken it off a swept away the soot....he also said it wouldnt happen again. So im confused as to why there is a second hearing......is it to dismiss him or to discipline him? He works for a large company now but for five years worked for a local large family firm.

 

[sonray ltd]

its abit over the top i agree.
but yes it can be a sackable he's admitted doing it. the boss may see it as letting the company image down aswell.

you can do things wrong and customers complain to corgi they then go and inspect and tell you to go and put right whats wrong. only then if you fail you get struck off.

if i was him i would give corgi a ring and explain whats happened and see how bad they think the issue is.
but thats not going to stop him being sacked if the boss has a bee in his bonnet.

but i think its all gone abit over the top.
i've see alot worse by engineers in the trade 30 yrs.

 

[mcmoby69]

the way i read that post 'a bit of soot' sounds like a build up behind the closure plate. if it blocks the relief opening at the bottom or the 'bit of soot' is up to the flue exhaust opening then it is more serious than the 'corgi registered brother' is making out! this could be quite a serious matter. had it not been picked up and someone had died he would be looking at manslaughter charges not just losing his job. nobody like checking fires its a dirty time consuming job, but, doing it right saves lives. gas fires must be the most dangerous appliances in people's houses today. i can count on one hand the number i have serviced or checked over the last 8 years. everyone seems to focused on their boiler, they always neglect the timebomb in the lounge!
' oh we dont bother with that, we only light it once a year at christmas'
(what a good idea lets get the inlaws round and gas 'em all)

 

[Dave]

Just a quick question from a none plumber.....if it was just soot at the back...HOW did the customer know this...?..

 

[sonray ltd]

he probably watched him do it as many customers do.
and i don't blame them.

 

[david williams]

even if he had taken closure plate off and cleaned behind ,nothing to stop soot falling down chiminy after plate put back. what was outcome of hearing

 

[Bernie2]

Hmm!

Chances are perhaps, bonus is about or targeted number of appliances per day.

Its common I am afraid. They should give the CORGI to the lads not the firms. Same thing for the customer, but the lads can then dictate how long a service should take.

All in all though, its down to the fitter, its his or her responsibility not his bosses. So the fitter is over a barrel if his boss says he wants 20 services a day. Its a case of either go fast and take minor chances or go at the speed it takes to do a proper service and get the sack. About time GaSafe stepped in and made out what constitutes a proper service and how long it should take.

 

[billybongo]

Smells like a stictch up , as said how would the customer know unless it was a parrot ?

 

[Puddle]

Spot on Bernie,the companies want 20 services a day,they know you can not do that many correctly and hold their hands up in false amazement when something like this happens
The customer/tenant has probably had fire serviced before and could see not done correctly with closure plate removed
Soot then found on second service when inspected/serviced second time
Tell your brother to carm down and go with the flow,this siduation is going to go down as experiance well earnt and not much more
The first meeting were he was suspended ,will be the company covering there bums
The second will probably involve gas safe inspection,which they have to do after complaint,quite rightly so,the appliance was safe so big plus ,expect you carried out all visual checks,pull and spillage test
Admit what you did,make sure you know correct procedure, you should have followed,grovel,say under presure,agree with advise and recommendation made and that will be that, back to work,but what happens when the company asks for another twenty services on Monday
You may think I am being flippant,I call it realistic,the main problem will still remain
The company will go on expecting their engineers to meet unrealistic targets and I bet after all the above,the people involved in this case will not even consider changing anything within the company
One last thing
CORGI IS DEAD IT IS NOW GAS SAFE
if we keep referring to the old system it will take even longer for the public to catch on
you can ring corgi to see what they say,in this case you may as well ring the sun agony aunt