Hygiene Standards In The Workplace

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Revved Up Sparky

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As a friendly sparky who occasionally functions as a clergyman I am used to shaking hands with people, and accepting the offer of a cup of tea, however this news article has surprised me, check it out ! :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19834975

I just cannot get my head around the facts highlighted in the article ! for example, 26% of people you shake hands with (that's roughly one in every four people) have traces of poop on their hands !

What are your experiences of bad hygiene in the workplace ? or perhaps in a customers house ? Have some houses been so bad you have actually seen bluebottles walking on stilts ?

I have been in some difficult houses ! ... not too long ago I knelt down by a socket to do a ring continuity test, and after doing the test I put everything back together but noticed the test leads had turned partially brown !... the leads had trailed through a pile of dog poop !.

 
I have some quality pictures of ........."Uggggh how other people live".............best not put them on here though.

Saturday I visited a property for a plumber to look at a ring final & immersion radial that required both circuit mcbs to be isolated, before the immersion circuit was safely isolated.

Anyway I open the airing cupboard only to have my nostrils assulted by the nasty whiff of decaying stuff. while removing the towels & sheets rodent carp fell off & in the cupboard were 2 decomposing mice, under the boards I found another 3 skeletal remains.

In the utility & kitchen under the worktop & amongst the plates & cups..................more poop, in a frying pan solidified fat with the left over bacon...........................mickeys foot & tail prints.

I run back upstairs & back down 10 mins later the worktop has been cleared.............

Then from the customer ...."do you want a brew, I'm making a bacon butty if you would like one"....................................errr no thanks, but the plumber will probably have one.

 
I'm sure we have all been in disgusting houses. Many many time's I've declined a cup of tea because I was not happy with the state of the kitchen.

On one occasion I needed a pee, but a quick look, and smell, in the toilet convinced me to cross my legs and finish the job quickly.

The worst offender I can recall was a guys house I worked in. The kitchen was truly rank, and the bathroom not a lot better. In fact the whole house was disgusting. I found out later he works as a nurse. Well I only hope his hygiene at work is better than at home. Of all people, he should know better.

Pets is another issue. Why is it, 99% of dog owners are unable to smell the vile smell of dog that fills their house? And why do dog owners seem surprised when you don't like their pooch jumping up at you and slobbering all over you?

 
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jumping up at you and slobbering all over you?
Nearly as bad as the customers Tomcat spraying over my helpers jacket, that had been left outside the understair cupboard while working. Even after going through the washing machine it still honked.......................so did the jacket :slap

(no feline pests were injured or washed during this job)

 
When I was a student I lived in a rental accomodation with four other guys. We used to do the dishes once a week and there was so many of them we had to do them in the bath. It was a ritual we had every Sunday morning, we'd make a punch from the booze leftovers of the weekend plus a bottle of vodka and before we knew it the mountain of dishes was clean and we were all ticking nicely. I think out flat would have qualified as one of those places where you wouldn't accept a cup of tea.

 
me and streety have been in a few vile properties :

duno abt wiping ya feet on the way in more like wiping ur feet on the way out!

there was 1 property we walked into the kitchen whilst doing an EICR, and wondered what was wrong when we found our feet sticking to the floor!

the worktops looked a lovely shade of brown, pair of gloves and a few antibacterial wipes later, found the worktop was in fact a silver color, and we had a kind of clean area to place tools!

there was another house that we where due to change the consumer unit which was located under the stairs, the cupboard itself was full to bursting with clothing, which aparantly was clean...... debateable it stank! even more concerning there was a dryer but no sign of a washing machine!

the rest of the house was disgusting aswell! and stunk of dried urine among other things!

 
Think I've mentioned these in another thread but

Neighbours house rcd won't reset, works out its upstairs ring so trundles up the stairs to check when I noticed brass socket on landing is mouldy green, thinking the shower has maybe leaked from other side I kneel down and find the carpets soaking wet, " oh that's where the dog likes to pee" hands covered in dog pee two nice wet knees in trousers!

Another on a lived in rewired me and apprentice lifts sofa in living room to discover a hairy mound on carpet underneath, shouts through to owner who confirms its a dog turd and then says " eehh he's been dead at least seven years now"

How about the well to do doctors, there was a huge grey pair of baggy knickers left on the landing for the three days we did the bathroom and kitchen, complete with scary skid marks

How about a different tack, while running new shower cable from front door of terraced house to rear bathroom I drag bed out from wall to get under floorboards to discover a huge pile of jazz mags, now I haven't met the owners when I hear them walk in downstairs, bathroom fitter explains we are lifting floor upstairs for shower cable at which point one of the two old women says "I hope you've moved your magazines Doreen" :(

 
I once did some work in the loft of a bungalow. But before I had finished, one of the owners cats had climbed the ladder into the loft. I explained the predicament to the owners and had to leave them to the task of getting the cat down again.

Months later I went back to the same house and had to go in the loft again. The loft stank of cats p1ss and cats ****. Aparantly it took them several days to coax the cat down again.

How about a different tack, while running new shower cable from front door of terraced house to rear bathroom I drag bed out from wall to get under floorboards to discover a huge pile of jazz mags, now I haven't met the owners when I hear them walk in downstairs, bathroom fitter explains we are lifting floor upstairs for shower cable at which point one of the two old women says "I hope you've moved your magazines Doreen" :(
Now if we are drifting the thread, I'm sure I told you of the new house I was wiring. the couple were going round finalising all the socket positions. When they came to the bedroom after discussing where the bed would go and where the dressing table would go etc, the lady then says "and where will I plug the vibrator in then?"

 
We were in a house fitting wall lights either side of the bed. My mate picked up the bedside cabinet to move it and a huge vibrator fell out and rolled across the floor to the other wall. We both stared at it laughing when the 20 year old blonde owner walked in. She quickly turned and ran out, we never saw her again.

 
found a couple of rabbits over the years... and I'm not talking about the fury kind.

If I need to go into a bedroom now and in particular if any furniture needs shifting I always ask them whilst downstairs first and if they look worried/flustered I give them the opportunity to 'tidy up' by pretending to fetch some tools from the car.

Never been in any really really bad ones but found plenty of crusty gruds lying around peoples houses on my travels!

 
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or perhaps in a customers house ? Have some houses been so bad you have actually seen bluebottles walking on stilts
few years ago working for morrison, the kitchen floor was covered in grease, so i started putting some dust sheets down. Tenant said 'no need for dust sheets'. i almost got kicked off the job for telling her it was to keep my feet clean.

 
Been in a flat yesterday, still occupied, to check out the meter/tails due to signs of bypassing as found when council went in to fit new C/H system. Turns out they removed over 3000 needles before calling us! The place was still filthy, no furniture, just crap.

 
Got invited to next doors barbecue once, but over his shoulder i could see the dog licking the grill on the barbecue.....I made my excuses

 
Got invited to next doors barbecue once, but over his shoulder i could see the dog licking the grill on the barbecue.....I made my excuses
very hygenic actually,

I let my my mates dog lick my cuts, helps them heal a lot quicker,

something about their saliva Im led to believe,

but I could just be stoopid, :|

 
Steps I think you have been given duff information, better off letting the dog p*ss on you.

When you consider dogs eat there own sh*t that cannot be good them licking you.

 
I will never forget the day I needed to work in the loft in a LA bungalow. The house did'nt look too bad but when I lifted the loft hatch I was greeted with a strange smell. When I stuck my head up and shined a torch the whole loft area was literally carpeted in rat droppings, you could barely see any loft insulation ! It's rare for me to refuse to do a job but I refused this job on health and safety grounds, the tenant was furious but I felt my health was more important. I was never asked to go back but hopefully the pest controllers were sent in and the loft was cleaned out !.

 
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