Whose got the most issues when it comes to the job site and the electrician’s day-to-day details? Daniel Stall, Project Manager, thinks that the foremen/women have the most difficult job. Here's why:
“I think the foreman has the hardest job when it comes to the electrical trade (or really any trade). We have to coordinate with just about every trade on the job site because a lot more trades have electrical components integrated.”
- Daniel Stall, Project Manager
In other words, having to speak many “trade languages” so to speak, can be a little difficult. The foreman (or woman) will have to coordinate amongst all the other traders present on the site, but the biggest issues hit when you’re also staying on top of your immediate tasks as it relates to the lighting, lighting controls, branch power, data, telephone, fire alarm and security, etc.
At the end of the day, it makes sense the foreman/woman would hit some of the biggest snags (more than likely) given it is a top supervisory role for locations such as construction sites, and all construction when dealing with buildings, housing, etc. will have electrical necessary, among all the many trades that it takes to get the entire job done.
There is a lot of industry experience and formal training needed to get into this type of role (in case you’re curious in how you get there), people in this role must also be able to direct, supervise and troubleshoot all the routine issues that occur on the job site. In addition to ensuring that safety rules are followed on the site (which is something we are SUPER strict about here at MEE) and developing work schedules based on employee and contractor availability, these positions are often also responsible for:
- Coordinating daily tasks according to priorities and plans, making changes when necessary due to weather, supply, delivery and personnel or what have you
- Delegating individual responsibilities and projects to crew members and contractors, etc.
- Potentially even recruiting, hiring, training, managing and mentoring new contractors
- Providing and ensuring there are adequate resources to meet project schedules, laws, regulations, best practices and safety must-haves
- Back to the safety thing, this person is often the “safety guru” on the site - make sure there is safe use of tools, machinery and equipment while providing training on safety gear, helmets and procedures
- Alongside other managerial roles or GMs, they’ll more than likely also going to develop and manage project budgets and quality standards on the job
So, as you can see, this role will probably see the gamut of issues when it comes to the job site, and at the end of the day, this is why it’s imperative to have GREAT people on your crew!