[Question] qualification and credibility

[murdock]

i found out today that a company in durban is going around telling my customers and potential customer that i dont have the correct qualifications to carry out thermal inspections on electrical panels...mmm so let me think carefully about this.

to become a level 1 thermographer takes 1 week...yes people 1 week...which is the "RECOMENDED" qualification requirement...it is NOT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT"

level 2...2 weeks

firstly before i carry on...there is no legilastion in south africa which indicates that you have to have any qualifications not even a minimum of a level 1 before you are qualified to carry out thermal inspection...if their is please post it because i need to see.

secondly the course which are run in south africa arent worth the paper they are written on according to various individuals i have spoken to with regards to this issue...hence no regulations in the industry...i dont know the facts unfortunatley so dont take my word for it.

now here is the question...

would you rather have a person who has no electrical backround experience and only a qualification which took 1 week maybe even the 2 week course to complete which might not even be worth the paer it is written on...who is writting recommendations as to what action should be taken to repair the hotspot...which could by the way cost you in exccess of R10 000.00 to replace...it some factories we are talking much larger amounts.

or would you rather have a person who has 28 years practical hands on experience in the commercial and industrial electrical field...is a qualified as a master electrician..been involved in designing, installing and maintaining electrical panels and switchgear for almost 20 years...designed,wired, connected and tested factory electrical installations...been involved in commercial building, installation and maintenance...have 5 years hands on experience in power quality fault finding and preventitive maintenancece projects...have 5 years of prior experience in doing repairs to commercial electrical installations according to other thermographers reports (which by the way was the reason i started doing it myself...because of the incorrect assesment and repair recommendation)...been doing thermography for 5 years and the repairs to the installations...spent almost 2 years studying thermography...watching seminars on the internet etc...just havent done the course because i dont have a week to waste sitting on course and quite franky i dont believe would teach me any more than i already know...and what i dont know have the backing of fluke personel who have level 3 thermography to assist me....just to mention a few points...i could carry on but wont bore you with details.

be honest....who would you choose?

if you think i am not skilled enough or qualified to do electrical thermal inspection please let me know....because this is a huge problem for me...as i have issued reports and might have to pay a company which has a level 1 thermographer regardless of their electrical background to redo all the reports i have done recently.

by the way since 2005 i have never had a come back on a report or repair i have done...they have always been spot on predictions...and this i can prove because i return and do followup inspections...how many thermographers do this?

[adrianh]

You must also remember that a guy who'se been in industry for 40 years doesn't have the correct qualifications but a 23 year old piesang with a MBA does...

[tec0]

Here is the thing, they don’t care if you have the papers or not, it is about destroying confidence in your customers and slandering your name to benefit them. Go and to the course get the damn paper and put criminal “and yes CRIMINAL” charges against this company.

Talk to your lawyer if there are any requirements let him point it out. But honestly get those people in front of a judge and make them pay...

See here is the thing, if you don’t go and take legal action against these individuals that is like saying “yes they are right and I have something to hide” getting the paper shows that you are competent and points to your individual skill and it acts as reassurance.

But seriously if you just ignore this then they will win and you can soon kiss your customers goodbye.

So do the right thing for you and your company.

[murdock]

something to note...there is "no legal requirement" just a recommendation to be a level 1 thermographer...so why waste R14000.00 to do a course which is not recognised worldwide...plus hotel accomadation...travelling to jhb because that is the only place the courses are held...R20 000.00 lost production just in my time alone...to do a course which is not a legal requirement...now if the law was enforced that you had to have a minimum of a level 1 or 2 then we would be talking about a whole different ball game...

like a skippers license to use a boat on a public dam...the law was enforced and i abide by the rules...i went and did the course and got my skippers...but until the law was enforced i didnt feel it was neccessary...i didnt learn any thing that i didnt already know on the course...but it became a law so i did it.

[murdock]

my point is until it becomes a legal requirement this person has no right or leg to stand on by making these allegations to customers.

[adrianh]

Word of mouth is very powerful. There is one thing to remember - A company that needs to make somebody look bad in order to make themselves look good has a serious problem with the qualtiy of their own work. If their work was so great then you wouldn't matter to them at all.

[Dave A]

secondly the course which are run in south africa arent worth the paper they are written on according to various individuals i have spoken to with regards to this issue...

Have they done the course? I would be surprised to hear that anyone who has actually done the course would suggest it is a waste of time. Yep, they might say it cost a bit, but have you looked at the going prices in further education nowadays?

There are a couple of issues here, qualifications and credibility, and they deserve some level of separation.

Qualifications.
Thermography is classified as a profession. The training to certification level provides a framework, but actual skill levels at the individual level may differ substantially (just think doctors, dentists, lawyers - do I need to say more). In truth this may be a universal issue that cuts across professions and trades.

Credibility.
Credibility is about evidence of competence, and this can take many forms, qualifications being but one of them.

Probably the most important point to make (already raised by other posters) is that attacking another person's credibility tends to undermine your own. The professional way is to focus on establishing your credentials, not undermining the credentials of others. As the saying goes - mud sticks.

Thermography of electrical installations.
What makes thermography of electrical installations interesting is that it intersects two major skill sets. Can one claim that the thermography related skill set is more important than the electrical related skill set? Or vice versa?

No. They're both relevant to the task!

The weakness in relying solely on qualifications is it doesn't reflect the additional learning of the individual. Comparing an L1 thermography qualification to an MIE qualification is comparing apples and oranges when the task needs fruit salad. Credibility here is really about demonstrable competence (or incompetence).

From a strict legal sense at this point, when it comes to qualifications you need to comply with the contract between contractor and client. Liability for "mistakes" will be the same as in any other profession. As long as you have complied with contract, someone's going to have to prove you're incompetent (made a significant mistake on a consistent basis) to suggest all your prior work needs to be checked by someone else.

[adrianh]

is comparing apples and oranges when the task needs fruit salad

Stunnning...This is going in my big book of quotes.

[tec0]

I don’t know, I would spend the money do the deed “and yes I have paid over R35000” for my qualifications some of them wasn’t even relevant but I did them anyway. And YES I have taken on some serious players when it comes to cleaning my name.

They are slandering your good name! To make profit! To take customers from YOU!

My advice is do the deed get the paper be done with it and then go to a lawyer start getting statements from witnesses go to court. The charges will be criminal in nature so get on with it...

Or don’t...

See in my mind “everything is worth fighting for” Especially if you are innocent and your name is put to shame.

[garthu]

Yeah, not sure i would actually follow on through with a legal action, but would certainly let them know that i "intend" to and if they continued might not have a choice but to.

Would certainly have a chat to attorney, the R500 for a well put letter...."priceless"

[tec0]

When someone attacks a person like that, then that person needs facts. If that person doesn’t have any facts then he/ she better write a public apology very quickly. If it was me, I would go all the way. The fact is slandering is a very serious matter in this country.

Don’t hesitate, get your witnesses, collect statements and build your case. Seriously credibility is connected to your name, your business your family and your friends. If you let this go then the slandering will only escalate.

Fact is you need to stop this wile you still have “nothing to lose” because when you start losing it will probably be too late and you will sit with the consequences.

These people want to glorify themselves at your cost.
They want to take your clients and convince them that your work is questionable.
They want to get you out of the picture so that they can profit from the situation.

I am sure once they see that you are building a case and that you are taking them to court and they are criminally charged, they would want to talk to you because they will stand to lose a lot of money, credibility and face possible prison time.

I think they would like to negotiate with you before things gets to serious.

In my opinion, doing nothing is the worst thing you can do in this situation.