January 20, 2004

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  Ahh yes, that would accurately describe my desk at the moment.

  
  

  At the beginning of every year I have to do the annual DOT review of driving records for each of our drivers for the company.  This means a great deal of paperwork!  Unfortunately…I also have a meeting tomorrow with the Dept. of Labor to discuss my company’s apprenticeship programs (which I run).  A meeting that shouldn’t have had to take place at all…but no one would listen to me a week ago and just learned on their own that it could’ve been completely avoided. 

  
  

  My company is an electrical contractor that specializes in commercial contract work…mostly for energy cooperatives and such doing fiber optic cabling, underground distribution, substations…and transmission lines.  We’ve not done, in the past, a great deal of overhead distribution (which means working on energized lines) mainly because it is extremely dangerous work.  As if working on any lines isn’t dangerous…but distribution involves hotstick work…which means dealing with live lines…and anywhere from 59,000 to 690,000 volts.  See…dangerous work indeed!

  
  

  There’s a great deal of money to be made in overhead distribution because not many companies are willing to do it.  Not many people will get certified to do it…let alone actually put themselves out there on the line working that close with live electricity. 

  
  

  However, since my company has decided to venture out into this part of the industry…they want an apprenticeship program that will meet the needs of training and qualifying distribution lineman.  Understandable…except that we already have one in place that covers that.

  
  

  Yup…one of the programs that we have had in place for 6 years now (since I came here and implemented it) is the Lineman Program which is designed for transmission AND distribution linemen.   It includes training for both.  I did that so that we wouldn’t ever have to have a separate program for either and it’s already approved by the Dept. of Labor back in 1998.

  
  

  So…since they didn’t listen to me…and it’s just NOW dawned upon them that we already have a sufficient program in place…we have to do this meeting and and waste people’s precious time.   Some people are just a little slow.

  
  

  Meanwhile…I’ve been trying to keep up with running the MVR’s (Motor Vehicle Records) for all of the drivers and set up the new employees and attempt to get my filing done, while putting together all of the paperwork that will be needed in tomorrow’s senseless meeting.  Oh yeah…while my boss sits on his ass and does absolutely nothing but annoy ME!

  
  

  

  • 2:40 pm
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