13th April 2005, 10:35 AM
I've asked to see site records during visits on a number of occasions. And very disappointing it has been too, as I've seen the quality of diggers' record completion drop noticeably since I was digging. Some of this is due to time constraints - yes, caused by underestimation of the appropriate timescales by bad project management, but a lot of it is to do with a lack of proper training. Both these are areas where unit staff can, and will, have far more influence than I ever could. As for site visits, well I don't wander around with my hands behind my back, I've never been offered a cup of tea, and when I p*** off, it's quite often to go back to my office to try and help you guys by sorting it out with the unit director if I've seen something I don't like. I hear the same rumours as you about malpractice all the time, and if it was reported to me formally, or I saw it going on, I can do (and have done) my best to get it fixed. However, if a bunch of diggers on site think that their manager is incompetant or downright dodgy, why should it suddenly become someone else's responsibility to point that out to the unit director or the IFA? We all have a professional duty to monitor our own standards as well as those who we work with, so blaming it on someone else when nothing gets done is just buck passing.