You're leading one of several small crews, each of which is performing electrical testing for a major client in one of its facilities. Each crew is on a different floor. This facility is powered down for this testing and for other activities that are scheduled for a tight time window. All of your crew's work is 12 stories down — a location that can be reached only via stairs during this shutdown.
One of the tests will require using the “hi pot” tester you brought with you, and that test must be performed for about 30 instances. Unfortunately, when Roger went to connect the hi-pot for the first of these many testing instances, he noticed the insulation on one of the test leads was badly damaged. Somehow, nobody inspected the hi-pot tester before leaving the shop.
Bill suggested repairing it with the rubber motor lead tape he has in his tool pouch. He is confident that would work electrically, if tape is lapped over enough and as an added precaution nobody touches the lead while a test is being performed. But is this an emergency that would justify the risk involved?
The shop is a 70-minute round trip away from the facility, so sending someone to go get a replacement will leave you a person short for 70 minutes plus delay the hi-pot testing by that amount of time. Bill's suggestion seems more attractive with that figured in. But this is only one of the tests. You don't have to spend your full work window performing that particular test. Some possible solutions emerge:
- What if someone at the shop runs a hi-pot tester (after inspecting the leads) to your location? That would save 35 minutes.
- Is it possible to lease a tester from an electrical supply store somewhere near the facility? Or just buy replacement leads there?
- Does another crew a floor have a tester they can spare or share? Maybe they have spare leads?
- Worst case: Is there some hi-pot testing that can be done outside the shutdown window if the client agrees to it?
- Does the client have a hi-pot or spare leads in its shop? They would surely loan you what you need, considering the circumstances.
Before doing something risky to accommodate schedule pressure, consider what other solutions there may be. Also consider whether that schedule pressure actually exists. If it does, to what exact extent does it exist and why?
