"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...
After 3 major measuring screw-ups this week I put 3 employees on notice
that
they had one month to learn to read a tape measure or...else. They are
60,
55, and 45 years old. How they got through life so far is beyond me. I
have tried to make go/no-go gauges for everything but this basic skill is
still needed and I can't be everywhere. I know I've been down this path
before and I'm so embarrassed that I still haven't been able to teach this
on this level. I have yet to find instructions for tape measures. I only
want 1/16" accuracy. Any thoughts?


1. Convert everything to metric. You will still get mistakes, but they will
be different mistakes. A change is as good as a rest, right?
2. Threaten to convert everything to metric, unless they learn to read their
tapes properly. Most people intensely dislike change, even if it may be for
the better.
2. Do the buddy system. For critical measurements, on person marks it out,
then another person checks it. After the the second person checks it, the
first person pop marks it (if appropriate). All marks that are NOT popped,
are not to be trusted.
3. Better living through technology ELECTRONIC digital tape measure. As
to who pays for it, that's something I think you have to work out with your
own employees. Maybe, if they buy the tape, you supply the batteries?
4. For jobs where you can afford mistakes, the person who makes a certain
feature a certain size, records the actual measurement on a second drawing
supplied with the job, or an "inspection record".

FWIW, we had a high school physics teacher, who managed to waffle on for an
hour, on the proper technique for using a yardstick.