In every workplace there is that one task that no one wants to do. In my workplace we have this machine that has an alarm go off when the contents inside are ready to be taken out and scanned, which no one bothers to take care off. It can be a real pain when some one goes all the way to the machine to take the tray out to stop the alarm from continuing, but they can’t be asked to scan the trays and put them away. Me or the other new guy eventually have to do it, so whats that one thing that everyone avoids to do at your work.
Hunting for the elusive ground fault. Fire alarm systems monitor wiring for integrity to ensure that the devices will be capable of transmitting the input signals to the panel and activating the output circuits in case of fire.
A ground fault will cause a trouble condition on control panel… This fault means that one or more of the wiring conductors have an electrical path to ground. A wire pinched between the edge of an electrical conduit box and the cover is a very common cause. Another is a wire that has been subject to vibration rubbing agains anything metal causing the insulation of the wire to wear thin.
What is even worse is when the condition causing the fault is not constant. Then you have a trouble signal on the control panel that comes and goes, driving the customer insane.
The hunt for the elusive ground fault is the most commonly avoided task in my crew. It is tedious and exacting, and no one is very likely to volunteer for the task.
What job do you do?
I think a common answer, and one that somewhat applies at my office, is making coffee.
But my real answer is being the last one to leave, because it involves locking up and turning the alarm on. We all know how to do it, but only a handful of us actually end up doing it. So if I’m one of the last few people there, and the others aren’t “regular” late people, they tend to pack up and leave when I say I’m going home.
Closing out contracts. We don’t want to send out the packages (big stacks of forms certifying that this or that has/hasn’t been completed) and the customers and subcontractors don’t want to complete them. It averages seven nagging calls to get them back, and then inevitably we have different final numbers.
It gets put off until there’s nobody left on either side who know what really happened, or whether the numbers are correct - or even where to look to find out.
Complete nightmare. That’s why one of my cardinal rules is that I will not pay your final invoice until the package is complete.
Also basic office maintenance - the shredding. It builds up in special recycling boxes for weeks on end, until trying to get it done overheats the machine and you can’t complete the task in one day.