Regulation or No Regulation? Opinions from a Lifelong Fencer

By Mike Gulledge,

Consider these scenarios: Everyone who drives should have a license. Why? To ensure the person driving has the knowledge to drive safely.

What about the person who does electrical wiring? They are required to have a license to ensure they have the knowledge according to the local standards, and to ensure the job is done accurately and safely. Sure, someone can wire without a license, but it doesn’t make it right.

In East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana, a fence above four feet tall is required to have a permit issued by the permitting department to ensure the fence is installed correctly and built according to the code of the parish.

Do all fence companies acquire a permit before starting the job? No. There are companies who try to cheat the system and save money, and they can potentially cause a headache for the homeowner if that job is ever discovered. It’s a roll of the dice and the fence guy probably wins. Does that make it right? No.

What about elevators? That industry is regulated to ensure that the person who installs the elevator does it correctly and safely.

Some people say that regulations or retro-inspections of gate operator systems may cause problems for the installer because he may not have the money to go back to that job and bring it up to the proper standards. In my opinion, that’s his fault, not anyone else’s. If the installation had been done correctly from the beginning, the installer would not be in a difficult situation now.

The only reason for not regulating an industry is for a businessperson to cut corners. The standards are there to provide safety and accuracy. Cutting corners is cheating.

Do we want to be seen as an industry of people who cut corners and do the minimum needed? Or as an industry who has reputable business owners who keep their customers’ welfare and safety in their hearts? I know which side I am on.