Building Inspectors
Organized Labor
Sheryl Rose, Electrical Inspector
When it comes to electricity, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and most people know that. If it is not installed right, it can kill people. One time I was doing a single family remodel, and there was an older man watching me. He was the homeowner, a retired doctor. When I was done, he came up to me and thanked me for all my attention, checking all the details, making sure everything was safe.
The hardest part of the job is keeping up with all the work. There’s a time constraint, but you have to keep moving. It's easier when I'm working with a real electrician, because they understand the problem I'm explaining quicker. A homeowner is a different style of inspection. They don’t have a professional understanding, and I can relate to that, because I don't know everything about every trade. It can be very rewarding explaining things to people, and they can be very appreciative. Then you run into someone who’s not having a good day, and you can't take it personally.
I get to see a lot of things, like going to places like Willie Brown's new office on the Embarcadero. Or you get to do things like safety testing--throwing the building into a state of alarm and seeing how the systems work.