John,
Sounds like no formal contract was in effect. The shop owner hired labor,
not a licensened electrician. In point of fact the owner should have had the
service inspected and certified by law in most areas. He didn't. Secondly,
even if he had, the conformability of his equipment to the new installation
would never be the responsibility of the electrician, unless it was
specifically mentioned in a formal contract. So, the owner and receiver of
this service, owns the sole burdon of responsibility., no question. There is
no such thing as a free lunch. If the owner wanted this level of assurance,
he would have hired a firm that does this professionally and his price would
naturally reflect the cost of the necessary insurance and the maintenance of
all the appropriate license costs. By lo-balling the job, he assumed all the
risks and consequences. This should be a lesson for all of us.
Steve

"John E." wrote in message
obal.net...
I have been asked to offer an opinion in a sensitive situation.

A machinist moved his shop across town and required some rewiring (3-phase
outlets, conduit, etc.) in order to locate some machines where he wanted
them.

He hires a guy who's not a pro (and later discovers is not insured) but
has
done shop wiring before and had a good attitude and track record. The guy
does good work. No complaints about the quality of his work.

Owner throws the switch, all works fine.

The story continues 4 weeks later when the very expensive CNC fries its
controller PCB to the tune of $4000.

Turns out the voltage in the shop was upward of 245 and the taps in the
CNC's
power supply were set for 220.

What is the legal and moral responsibility of each party?

What will not be helpful are replies about the character or intelligence
of
either of the players or their actions.

Thanks.
--
John English