So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/

"B.B." u wrote in message
news
So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/

inform them they have liability if the insurance person calls to enquire
about the brake reliability if an accident occurs? i was on the jury for a
court case about just this topic.

"B.B." u wrote in
news
So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the
truck and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs
before it hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums
themselves had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front
brakes were junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the
DOT?


"It's always easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission"

I would have "done all work that I thought was necessary for minimum
safety" and then taken the flack, if there ever was any, saying "Oh,
ok...sorry,. It won't happen again." and that would be the end of it.

Unless you unfortunately work for ball-busters in general :-/
Then it's no-win, no matter what.

Dan
-----------------
www.Newsgroup-Binaries.com - *Completion*Retention*Speed*
Access your favorite newsgroups from home or on the road
-----------------

B.B. wrote:
So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

I'd keep a copy of the work order to cover
my ass and start looking for another job.

B.B. wrote:

So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

One of the first three, probably. Unless the problem is pervasive and
threatens life or limb I wouldn't call the authorities without also
quitting -- but then I grew up as an SOB (Son Of Boss) and I still think
like one. I have to admit that I _have_ seen complaints like that
improve conditions, but if you're calling in the outside authorities
then either you're too bitter to stay working there, or your boss is too
much of an a**hole for things to get better soon, or both.

Probably the best thing to do, which I would hope that I would do should
it happen to me, would be to insist on doing the job correctly.
Depending on my mood and the boss I would either do this without asking,
or I would just tell the boss "that's safety critical, I won't do it
wrong". However you do it the earlier the better -- like getting the
work order and saying (_not_ asking) "I'm going to order drums for this
because these are an accident waiting to happen -- do you want me to get
used or new?" Make sure you word it so that you look like a bright boy
and your boss looks responsive for allowing it -- if you say something
like "only a sociopath would ask for this to be done so cheaply, tell me
to do it right or I quit" you're just writing a very bad letter of
resignation.

Of course, no matter how you word it if you stand your ground you have
to be prepared to quit, get fired on the spot, or get put on the ****
list and have to quit later.

Note that I don't always manage to do this sort of thing right. I do
better the more things will really stink for the customer and the more
immediate and cheap the change is; I get it wrong often enough that I
have no need to wonder if I'm human.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

"B.B." u wrote in message
news
So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

I might leave a photo copy of the work order showing your conclusions about
the safety of the drums in the glove box.

Another idea is to consider revisiting this topic with your boss at a later
date. Pick a time when he seems to be in a good mood, or at least not in a
real bad mood and in private tell him that you have real strong reservations
about cutting corners on safety as it could be your kid in the school bus
that that truck hits and even if it is not there are a whole gaggle of
lawyers that would grab on to something like this to attack the company.
The result would be pretty bad. If the shark lawyers did not kill the
company outright, then the repercussions from the bean counters would make
life insufferable all the way down the line.

The reason you do it this way is if you do you make it palatable for you
boss to accept your reasoning and still let him think he is the boss. The
best bosses are the ones that can train there crew to call on their skill
and judgment to get the job done right, the bad bosses are preoccupied with
telling their crew how to do the job.

If your little talk has no affect, then start looking for a gig with a boss
like the first example.

--

__
Roger Shoaf

Important factors in selecting a mate:
1] Depth of gene pool
2] Position on the food chain.

misterpaslow wrote:

"B.B." u wrote in
news
-snip-
Unless you unfortunately work for ball-busters in general :-/
Then it's no-win, no matter what.

No, then you should be looking for a different job, no matter what.
Even if you don't find one you'll still know you tried.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

In article , Roger Shoaf says...

The reason you do it this way is if you do you make it palatable for you
boss to accept your reasoning and still let him think he is the boss.

I think if this guy orders his subordinate to cut corners like that
on a brake job like that, he never does have any trouble thinking
of himself as 'the boss' anytime.

Send an anonomous letter to the new owner to have the brakes
inspected ASAP.

No fuss with the boss, safety is still paramount though.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

Did you keep a copy of the paperwork? "Extraneous" paperwork is
never filed. One of the first things that is done when the "ship
hits the sand" is that all files are "sanitized."




On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 12:29:05 -0500, "B.B."
u wrote:

So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?

Ignoramus27122 wrote in article
. ..
On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 12:29:05 -0500, B.B.
I think that you did the right thing, which is notify the higher ups
in writing. That's your responsibility. It is their responsibiity to
be honest about a truck that they sell. You do not know what they will
do with the truck. Possibly, they will sell it and honestly disclose
that the brakes are bad. In this case, your whistleblowing would be all
misdirected.

i




In some states, it is illegal for a technician to assemble a component that
will not pass that state's safety inspection without the express written
direction to do so, and a signed statement accepting responsibility for any
consequences that may arise from said shoddy repair from the vehicle's
owner.

If the technician DOES send a vehicle out without such written directive,
the technician is responsible, and could be subject to litigation. (He's
supposed to know better.)

The signed, written order moves responsibility to whomever signed the
order.

I have a stamp with a blank line for a signature that states....

"Work has been performed to customer specifications and might not meet
legal requirements. No warranty of roadworthiness has been expressed or
implied._____________________"

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 12:29:05 -0500, "B.B."
u wrote:

So today I was given an order from above at work that I seriously
hate. I had to do a brake job on a used truck. Our shop owns the truck
and intends to sell it, and I was doing some needed repairs before it
hits the customer.
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.
Work order only said: new shoes. Nothing about drums, so I asked.
The answer: no new drums. So I made damn sure to write on the work
order that I asked and was told not to change them before I put it all
back together.
Apparently they don't give a **** about the safety of whoever buys
the truck.
So what would you do? Do as I did? Complain? Quit? Call the DOT?


I would have fitted new drums and amended the work order appropriately on the
basis that the work needed to be done, but your system might not have allowed
that.


Mark Rand
RTFM

"B.B." u wrote in message
news
Anyway, when I pulled the front axle drums they were obviously
ruined. The rivets had worn some deep grooves and the drums themselves
had too many too long cracks. In other words, the front brakes were
junk.

OK. I am not going to argue with deep grooves and cracks (especially
cracks).

That said, I have relined many (of my own) brakes with mild grooving and
roughness without bothering to get them cut. The worst thing that ever happened
was slightly reduced shoe life combined with greatly increased drum life because
they did not have all that metal cut off of them every time. Brake shoes are
cheap, drums less so.

Vaughn

I would have politely told whoever made out the work order that you
think there is a liability problem with putting on just new shoes. And
if they said to just put on brake shoes, tell them that since they
feel it is not a liability issue, to please give you something that
absolves you of the responsibility. If they really feel it is not a
problem, then they should not object to giving you a statement to that
effect. And I would try to put it in the light that you are trying to
look after the company's interest. You don't want to do anything that
would result in the company being sued. ( and if they are sued you
want to be sure the person making the decision is identified ).

Not a good situation to be in.

Dan