The delays are real

manoeuvred and his left hand slipped under the machine along some sharp metal underneath, which caused the injury.

The apprentice remained calm, reckoned he was okay, which caused the other two guys to think it was not too bad. The plumber wrapped the apprentice’s hand in a sterile bandage, securing it with duct tape, and sent him back to Climate. The helper phoned ahead to let us know the apprentice was on his way back with a cut hand and both guys continued with the lift.

Our first aid person took a look, realised the cut needed medical attention, and drove him to the emergency department at the hospital. Because he was bleeding so much, the doctors saw him straight away. He required surgery on his middle finger to repair two tendons, spent two nights in hospital, and so far, eight weeks at home recovering and rehabilitating.

So where was the complacency? Because there had been seven lifts beforehand, there was no discussion on the risks associated—they just got on with it. The two helpers had no access to PPE gear (gloves), which were in the van back at the workshop, as they were only there for a quick lift and had walked over.

The inexperience and over eagerness of the apprentice was not considered; he was not aware there would most likely be sharp metal bits underneath. The trolley should have been stabilised (the apprentice could have been the one to steady it). They did not fully check the seriousness of the injury as they were under pressure with the job and were close to Climate, so elected to send him back by himself. He could have fainted or gone into shock on the way.

Every day, especially when we are under pressure, or need to carry out a job that will only take five minutes, complacency plays out. We don’t tie off the ladder, we don’t wear the proper PPE, we don’t think about the dangers, the what ifs—instead we think about what needs to get done.

But in those split seconds of complacency, life can change. Our apprentice, only a couple of weeks on the job, keen to start his new career as a plumber gasfitter, has had his future delayed. I spoke with him the other day and he had just seen his hand therapist. He has movement in his fingers but there is a lot of scar tissue in his hand, which needs to be worked on to try and get it to dissipate so he can gain full movement. Otherwise he may need more surgery.

About the author: Sam Tyson has been Managing Director of Climate & Plumbing since 2010. She is an active member in the industry and, with a background in strategic business development, shares the knowledge and experience gained from her award-winning business to help others obtain better results in their businesses. Sam is a Director on the national Master Plumbers Board.

Product delays are frustrating for all, as Tracy Pleasants of Foleys has discovered first-hand— and giving customers choices is a good solution.

I recently helped one of our team to project manage a full bathroom and toilet renovation. What had started over a year ago with a quote for a fairly straightforward new bathroom had become a once-in-alifetime project for our customers.

My first learning from this process was the time required to ensure our customers were 100% happy with what we were ordering— and because I don’t do this all the time, I probably annoyed our supplier by being over-cautious, as I didn’t want to get it wrong! We began with six products, and we ended up with 18 for two relatively small rooms!

With 18 products, there were always going to be delays. What should have been a relatively smooth demo and rebuild involving a builder, tiler, painter and us, extended out to over three months— because that’s how long it took to get the toilet roll holder and two basin mixers to complete the job.

It’s easy to use the current global environment as an excuse but, unfortunately, it’s a very real one. Throw in a faulty product that has to be reordered, redelivered and reinstalled; and a califont that decides its time is up; and suddenly four months have whizzed by and we’re only just installing the toilet roll holder and basin mixers.

Setting customer expectations is all well and good, but the reality of week-long delays becoming months is frustrating for everyone. I found one way to manage this was to offer options. For example, this basin mixer, which isn’t your first choice, is available now—or you can wait for your first choice, but it could be upwards of three months until we can install it.

Luckily, however, if you’ve left your bathroom and toilet till last when doing up your house, the results are so worth it... even with the delays!

About the author: Tracy Pleasants is the Marketing Manager for Foleys based in Dunedin. Foleys is a plumbing, drainlaying, gasfitting, electrical and mechanical company with 13 branches across the South Island and Palmerston North, Putāruru and Rotorua.