Actually, at least with the
NEC, that is not the case. However, there seem to be a couple of sentiments that have been floating around our industry for a while, to wit:
"I don't need to have a copy of the
NEC, nor to I need to be familiar with it to get my production job done safely."
"The requirements of the
NEC are not law, so I'll just pick the ones I want to follow."
Both of these sentiments are unfortunate, because the
NEC contains vast amounts of both useful and approachable knowledge--not just the rules of electrical installations. That is why, for instance, if you want an
ETCP Entertainment Electrician or
Power Distribution Technician certification, understanding the
NEC plays a key
role in getting the certification and becoming a "qualified person" .
Does that knowledge make you better at your job, safer, and thus more marketable in the industry? I think it does.
ST
Fully concurring with, and supporting, your statements Sir.
Back in very late '94 or early '95, I was one of at least 20 attendees at an all day meeting held in your, then brand new, board room. You were chairing the meeting from one end of the table and two gentleman from TUV were next in order on either side followed by the rest of us running on down both sides of your table. You certainly won't remember me, I was next in
line after the two fellows from TUV on your left and the only attendee with, then
current, copies of both the American and Canadian codes in front of me bristling with 'stick-on' tabs flagging all pertinent points upon which I needed to grasp TUV'S interpretation. I was one of five department heads from a Canadian shop building all scenery and automation systems for a
German production of the musical 'Tommy' and your shop was the LX supplier for the Broadway production at the St. James as well as the first U.S. tour and the first North American tour.
The U.S. LX designer wanted the entire
German LX rig to come out of your shop and be shipped to Frankfurt. The LX designer had prior commitments but his associate, Dave Grill, was in attendance and strongly pushing for your shop's gear to be approved for use in Germany.
At the opposite end of the table sat two rep's from the
German production company loudly trying to find fault with any / all of your gear so they could work with any of their three favorite
German suppliers. Tommy's LX designers were demanding to work with your gear and the
German producers had flown in a total of five gentlemen from TUV; four specialists (electrical, structural, materials / finishes and automation /
safety) plus their boss, a generalist.
In the end, TUV ruled against your gear but you hosted and chaired a GREAT meeting plus the food was amazing with hot and cold breakfasts and lunches catered in along with essentially constantly available hot and cold beverages and finger foods. Someone footed the costs for that meeting with the
German producers likely picking up the
tab for everyone's airfares. There was a mountain of points to be gotten through with the meeting needing to wrap promptly at 5:00 p.m. in order for many to make their flights and you did a masterful job of keeping everyone on target and ensuring that everyone's concerns were discussed.
You proved yourself both a great host and chairman keeping that meeting moving forward and on target from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m including straight through lunch. (although you did allow people to speak with their mouths full)
Good stuff, Mr. Terry!
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
