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It's amazing how fast they can solve a problem, or escalate it out of hand.
Every so often, I get tired of telling some research group that they need to clean up, move, or fix something. Then, when I walk in with a sign or two listing what they have to do, and enough padlocks that none of the equipment they need to use is functional, everything gets fixed up really quickly. Usually in an afternoon or less, after months (usually) of trying to get them to do something.
Of course, every now and then, things get a little frantic when they find out I've locked up whatever thing they needed to use today, and their professor/granting agency/etc. is going to come in and chew me out or have me fired or whatever. Then I add lockout tags (which, among other things, basically make it illegal for anyone but me to remove my locks), and another lock on the disconnect that feeds that device, and a lock on the panel that feeds the disconnect, and another lock on the supply breaker that feeds that panel, shutting things off as I go.
So far, I've won every one of those battles.
There was one time, however, where they cut the first lock off. I don't remember if it was the grad student or the professor that did it, but they managed also to damage the switch enough that they had to replace it before they could turn the unit back on.
While they were discovering that there were more locks, and more switches, some of them in rooms that needed special keys, I was on the phone. After UWPD (remember the illegal part?), UW Safety, and the Fire Marshal left, and the warnings given were digested, everyone was happy to fix everything that was wrong, including the stuff that didn't really matter to anyone.
Every so often, I get tired of telling some research group that they need to clean up, move, or fix something. Then, when I walk in with a sign or two listing what they have to do, and enough padlocks that none of the equipment they need to use is functional, everything gets fixed up really quickly. Usually in an afternoon or less, after months (usually) of trying to get them to do something.
Of course, every now and then, things get a little frantic when they find out I've locked up whatever thing they needed to use today, and their professor/granting agency/etc. is going to come in and chew me out or have me fired or whatever. Then I add lockout tags (which, among other things, basically make it illegal for anyone but me to remove my locks), and another lock on the disconnect that feeds that device, and a lock on the panel that feeds the disconnect, and another lock on the supply breaker that feeds that panel, shutting things off as I go.
So far, I've won every one of those battles.
There was one time, however, where they cut the first lock off. I don't remember if it was the grad student or the professor that did it, but they managed also to damage the switch enough that they had to replace it before they could turn the unit back on.
While they were discovering that there were more locks, and more switches, some of them in rooms that needed special keys, I was on the phone. After UWPD (remember the illegal part?), UW Safety, and the Fire Marshal left, and the warnings given were digested, everyone was happy to fix everything that was wrong, including the stuff that didn't really matter to anyone.
