Am I over-reacting? Safety issue..

[snowtires]

I'm guessing they put in a 2x4 curb and wrapped the liner around it. The proper way to do this method next is to fold and wrap lathe around the curb to hold the liner in place. No screws. No nails. No drywall. Next 1.5" of mud is screeded onto the lathe and mud is screeded (sand cement) onto the floor level on all edges and sloped to the drain min 1/8" per foot. Make sure they don't block the weeping holes on the drain with any sealant or the mud bed won't drain properly any water that makes it past the tile/grout. Make sure they don't put any screws or nails in the cement board below 8 " from the floor. Make sure they use cement board or something that's not drywall. I don't give a rats ass about the plug just make sure that job is done right. I hate crummy tilesetters taking work from me. Okay rant done sorry

 

[snowtires]

Oh by the way. There's no concrete involved in pouring a shower floor. Its dry pack mortar and is mixed by hand with a shovel or in a concrete mixer as its very dry. Like sand castle sand consistency.

 

[gdbrewer]

...

 

[Skitsofits]

Ha don't beat yourself up it's not uncommon to run into some crap contractors I don't know many people that have had an experience that was not complicated by some avoidable stupidity on the workers part. I hope it gets done right for you this time.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Not overreacting in the least. Your house your rules. Do not hesitate to tell them off for a OSHA violation.

I have seen that done before. I honestly would question the workers work if they are cutting corners on their own safety this way. Do you have a GC for this job? If so report it to them, otherwise call the contrating company and tell them that what you saw, and report the workers. Not legal, not safe, not in my house.

 

[MaxStout]

In addition to the obvious safety issues, the kludgy wires-in-the-socket thing makes me wonder what other corners are being cut by these workers. If they are too lazy to replace a $2 plug on a drop cord, they are likely to let some other things slide as well.

 

[Homercidal]

So you're in Houston? At the risk of sounding racist, I am curious to know what nationality these contractors were... I've heard some pretty bad stories of people out in CA and the Home Depot Parking Lot Contractors...

 

[whoaru99]

Who knows...perhaps the cord end got ripped off/damaged beyond repair taking the drill out of the tool kit that very moment they arrived at your job to unload. Rather than delaying start another hour to run to the store, get a plug, and wire it in, they just "got'er done".

 

[LovesIPA]

Who knows...perhaps the cord end got ripped off/damaged beyond repair taking the drill out of the tool kit that very moment they arrived at your job to unload. Rather than delaying start another hour to run to the store, get a plug, and wire it in, they just "got'er done".

I wouldn't completely discount this as a possibility, but given how lazy/stupid/incompetent people seem to be these days, and how they seem to proliferate like cockroaches, I wouldn't bet a dollar on that if you gave me 1000:1.

 

[gdbrewer]

...

 

[gdbrewer]

Do you have a GC for this job?

Yes I do. He wasn't at my house when this happened, but I called him immediately when I saw it. Ok, well after I took the picture of it I called! He wasn't to thrilled to hear about it. I don't have any resources for this type of work so I hired him from angieslist based on all the positive reviews.

 

[petie]

Who knows...perhaps the cord end got ripped off/damaged beyond repair taking the drill out of the tool kit that very moment they arrived at your job to unload. Rather than delaying start another hour to run to the store, get a plug, and wire it in, they just "got'er done".

To me this sounds highly possible. I'm a carpenter and a lot of times we've been known to risk our own well being to keep o job on schedule and make sure the customer is happy. With that being said I always carry extra cord ends just in case.

 

[dkwolf]

To me this sounds highly possible. I'm a carpenter and a lot of times we've been known to risk our own well being to keep o job on schedule and make sure the customer is happy. With that being said I always carry extra cord ends just in case.

While I know where you're coming from (crew I used to work for, we put ourselves at risk because the boss was too cheap to buy the 'right' equipment), even if they didn't have spare cord ends, unless you live out in the boonies, I'm not sure a place exists where it'd take more than 15-20 minutes to run get another cord - and the rest of the crew could be working on other jobs in the meantime.

 

[whoaru99]

The more I look back at it the more I think it is an overreaction.

The worst that' going to happen is the wires are going to fall out of the receptacle.

Is it "professional"? No, of course not. Nor, however, do I think it constitutes any impending doom.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, the worst that can happen is a poor connection which arcs and heats up and starts a fire, but that would be fairly unlikely, truthfully.

 

[ajdelange]

This reminds me of when I had the apartment over my garage done. The floor guys appeared with a 220V sander and asked me where my electrical panel was. I asked them why they wanted that and they said they had to connect the sander holding up the end of a long extension cord with two bare wires (or maybe 3 - don't remember). I said 'let me put a plug on that for you - and be sure you take it back off when you leave' but the situation is interesting. They do work at lots of houses most of which don't have any 220V outlets (unless there is one for the clothes dryer) so they just hook into a couple of breakers (or one 2 pole breaker) in the panel. Kosher? I really don't know. It gets the job done though.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

If you didn't tell them to get the **** off your property right now, never come back, and demanded a refund of any money you gave them, I'd say you under-reacted.

Damn straight!
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Regards, GF.

 

[ChuckO]

The worst that can happen is that the contractor is sloppy, too sloppy to keep up his insurance payments. If you don't have a copy of his current insurance contract, both liability and worker's compensation, verified with the insurance company, then you might have a BIG problem with workers that bad. I know, it's just a small job, but a contractor that doesn't promote safety for his workers is a greater liability than you can afford.

 

[MaxStout]

The three things you ask a contractor to show you before signing any contract:
License
Bond
Proof of Insurance

It still doesn't guarantee they will do good work, but at least you have protection from liability if they screw up somehow.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I see a lot of office worker posting here. Not a big deal at all in the every day out door work world. It is the same thing as a plug in. No more risk than a plug. Way over acted.

 

[dkwolf]

I see a lot of office worker posting here. Not a big deal at all in the every day out door work world. It is the same thing as a plug in. No more risk than a plug. Way over acted.

Yeah, I'm an office worker.

But I'm a former construction worker, a volunteer fireman, and educated (granted, not certified in, but educated in) agricultural wiring.

And I'm sorry, but you're dead wrong on the "No more risk than a plug". A proper plug 100% blocks the chance of accidentally contacting the conductors - either with human flesh or, say the end of a tape measure. The bare-wire-stuck-in-an-outlet is a shock hazard and a fire hazard.

 

[gdbrewer]

...

 

[MaxStout]

I see a lot of office worker posting here. Not a big deal at all in the every day out door work world. It is the same thing as a plug in. No more risk than a plug. Way over acted.

"It's the same thing as a plug"...until those frayed wire ends begin to lose contact inside that outlet, create a high resistance point and start getting hot.

BTW, I am also an "office worker" (attorney). But my undergraduate is EE, and I had worked over 10 years in engineering.

Be careful with the broad generalizations here. There have been a lot of good responses in this thread from people who probably know more than you're willing to give them credit for.

 

[snowtires]

Sorry to hear about that. Now that they are gone and its not too late. Do a kerdi systrm and be worry free. I'm working on a shower this very minute.

 

[snowtires]

Here's my big water test outside

 

[DrunkleJon]

Since they are subcontractors keep an open line of communication with your GC. If they were this halfassed about everything and walked off tell them that you really do not want them coming back. It may take longer but they will find a different sub that will do the job right. Just remember, it is your home. Do not settle for anything but it being done right. If you do it will just mean more problems a little farther down the road

 

[hillbillyjones]

The thing is that if one of them gets hurt, it's a good chance they'll sue you or put some kind of lien on your property. It's a complicated mess where the no doubt liberal laws allow for shenanigans on the part of the workers.

If someone representing themselves as Pedro's Home Improvement is laying some tile for you and they get shocked because of that plug job and it costs them all sorts of medical expenses, lost of labor and pain and suffering...then it should be really on them. They're their own business after all. Same if they damage your or your neighbor's property. But that's not the way the law is, and it can be different from state to state.

The onus is on the homeowner to see the "business's" worker's compensation and liability insurance, verify with the company that the insurance is up to date and actually has coverage for things. The homeowner must be sure the worker has a license. They may need a city, county and state business licenses as well as a license for the type of work they do. It'll be up to you to make sure they have the permit if needed. In my opinion, NONE of it should be on the homeowner. What do they know about it? The "pro" should know all about it and it should all be on the "pro". But that's not the way the law is.

Funny thing is... if you live in a garishable state, you could have a scammer "get hurt" so he can't work anymore, doctor shop to support his "injuries", win a fat suit against you, have that income garnished from your wages for a long time, and then he can snag some Social Security Disability, some Medicaid for his health, some HUD for housing, and some food stamps for his groceries, and some WIC for his kids groceries.

Here's some sources and there's plenty more on the web.
http://www.silvar.org/index.cfm/article_11.htm
http://www.plaintiffmagazine.com/Sept12/Viadro_Day-laborers-and-homeowner-liability.pdf
http://www.brewerfirm.com/articles/article-OSHArules.html

 

[Zuljin]

That would not fly at the plant. Our E/E dept and safety committee would not allow it. We wouldn't do it in Operations. We require all extension cords and corded power tools to have proper plug ends, no exposed wires and no damaged insulation. It's fine to repair plug ends and replace entire cords power equipment. It has to be done right though.

 

[snowtires]

I hate to mention this but its true, if you want a professional you need to be willing to pay for a professional. Would you go to a non licensed doctor or lawyer or accountant cuz its cheaper? So why are so many looking for the cheapest price when it comes to trades? That's what makes me mad. Being a pro myself getting cut out of work by people who haven't got a clue then seeing people with leaky showers. I don't know what you paid so I'm not saying this was the case. But its easy to complain, a pro tile setter should be making about $30/hour

 

[snowtires]

Sorry that's they're wage. Price should be fixed but an employee wage. If I were charging out hourly it would be similar to an electrician or plumber $65 - 85 an hour plus costs