David Hansen wrote:

On Thu, 6 Dec 2007 09:28:04 -0000 someone who may be "Mortimer"
wrote this:-

But why was it not picked up by an inspector or supervisor? Irrespective of
what the drawings may say or imply, any fool would spot that it didn't look
right within a few seconds as James did when he passed through on the train.

Any contractor building it would build it to the drawing they had
been given, even if they can see that it is wrong. Their reasoning
is that it is a lucrative daywork to put it right.

A mate has an engraving business.
BNFL wanted some new indicator boards naming, so sent him the drawings.
He saw immediately that they were wrong, so rang them.
"What version drawing have you got?"
"X.XX"
"Well, thats the latest, so they cannot be wrong. Get the signs done, as
we need them ASAP"

So he made them, sent them off Special Delivery, and got a phone call
the next day - "these signs are not right"
"I know, you told me to make them, even though I told you they were
wrong"
"Well, the drawing has been changed since, so remake them to the new
drawing."

That'd be the new drawing that he hadnt got, but which apparently was
version 1 of the drawings.
So they sent him a new set of drawings by fax.
Which were exactly the same as before.

He didnt want to go through with the rigmarole again, so said he wasnt
making them again until the proper drawings were sent.
Who he spoke to was adamant that the drawings were right.

He said he comes across such incompetence every week of the year - he
had an engineering graduate come to have a look at what he does - the
grad picked up a digital vernier guage and said "i've never seen one of
these in the flesh before".
He was astounded - apparently Eng. Grads. no longer do any practical
work at all, they just sit in front of a computer to do their
designs/work, so I can understand why the platform width wasnt noticed.
Alan.
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