Anyone else prefer hiring an electrician for tiny outlet moves instead of the carpenter?

I've seen plenty of trim guys try to "help out" by shifting boxes, and it rarely ends well for the wiring. If that staple is driven so hard it is crushing the Romex jacket, you definitely have a problem. Those older S3-style metal staples are notorious for nicking the insulation if you are not careful with the hammer. I once had to troubleshoot a circuit where a guy did the exact same thing—it didn't trip the breaker immediately, but the heat eventually charred the wood over two years.

The sharp bend is another red flag. Most 12/2 or 14/2 NMB cable has a minimum bend radius, usually about five times the diameter of the cable. If it is kinked tight, you are stressing the copper. Honestly, if a carpenter did this, they probaly did not leave the required six inches of free conductor or secure it properly within 12 inches of the box. Keeping that breaker off is the right call until you can back that staple out and inspect the white and black wires for any copper showing through.

Honestly, a lot of guys overreact to a tight staple. If you’re using standard 14/2 NM-B, that outer jacket is designed to take some compression. As long as the metal hasn't acutally pierced trough to the copper or the internal insulation, it’s usally fine. I’ve seen thousands of rough-ins where the staple is driven snug to keep the cable from moving when the drywallers come through, and it’s never caused a short or tripped an AFCI breaker in my expirience.

Regarding the sharp bend, the code genrally looks for a radius of at least five times the cable diameter. Unless he’s literally kinked it flat at a 90-degree angle, a tight turn into a plastic or metal box is pretty much par for the course. Most of those 1/2-inch Briscon staples are meant to be driven untill they're firm against the wood. If the breaker holds and there's no visible damage to the inner conductors, you’re probably looking at a non-issue. Sometimes the 'pro-only' crowd gets a bit too precious about a 2-inch move that any competent tradesman can handle.

If he used those old-school Gardner Bender 1/2-inch steel staples without the plastic insulator, he's playing with fire. I've seen guys drive those home so hard they cause a high-resistance short that won't even trip a standard Square D QO breaker til things start melting. Check if he used a Carlon blue work box or a metal one; if it’s metal and that staple is right on the entry, you're one vibration away from a hot box. I’d swap that out for a plastic insulated staple and call it a day. NEC 334.30 is there for a reason.

Big mistake letting the carpenter play sparky. That's a major liability—if anything goes south, your insurance'll probly walk away once they've seen the unlicensed work. If the wire's mangled under that staple, don't even bother trying to save it. You're better off just pulling a fresh run from the previous outlet so you aren't worrying about an arc in the wall later. Better safe than having a hidden hot spot.

Update: I looked closer at that staple and yeah, it was one of those steel ones without the plastic guard. After reading the warnings about insurance and high-resistance shorts, I pulled it out. The jacket was definately nicked. I ended up running a new length of Romex to be safe. Glad I kept the breaker off!