It appears that some of the responses to redtails' initial question are being skewed slightly. It is obvious that redtail is working under FAA guidelines and individuals that are working under CAA guidelines and British labor laws are generating most of the responses. This is not to say that the responses are not valid as most are related to human relations and not necessarily labor relations. I would advise redtail to read the reverse side of his A&P ticket.
I quote,”THE HOLDER HEREOF SHALL NOT PERFORM OR APPROVE ALTERATIONS, REPAIRS OR INSPECTIONS OF AIRCRAFT EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPLICABLE AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS OR SUCH METHOD, TECHNIQUES, AND PRACTICES FOUND ACCEPTABLE TO THE ADMINISTRATION.
The words above are your guidelines. If you refuse to sign off for what you consider to be defective or poor workmanship then don’t do it. If your company management tries to override your decision and forces you to sign off, then report them to the FAA standards branch. Of course, don’t use your real name. If you reveal your name and it gets back to your company you could very well lose your job but you still have your ticket in your wallet.
I speak from experience. I reported to the FAA that the German firm I worked for was building systems for the Airbus A310 that were defective. I told the FAA not to use my name but they did. The VP and the program manager were fired and, I was blacklisted from ever working on Airbus Programs. Little do they know my last contract position was on the cargo handling system for the A340 and the A3XX.
Now back to the subject. If you do not report the offending individual and it is determined that you were responsible for his work then you may as well paint a target on your chest. If an aircraft crashes and the eventual lawsuits ensue the lawyers will go for the deep pockets and the not so deep pockets. In one case involving the crash of a commercial CH-47 in Scotland the lawyers went after Boeing Helicopters and their chief designer for approving a design which eventually caused the crash. They also got the designer.
The best advice I can offer is to follow your conscience. And remember if you are involved in a lawsuit you can have your ticket revoked and quite possibly pay a very heavy fine to the US Government.
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The Cat