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{{Short description|Tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring}}{{Other uses}}{{pp|small=yes}}

factoids

An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure.BOOK, Electrician, Roger Jones, Trotman Publishing, 2004, 0-85660-997-8, Electricians may also specialize in wiring ships, airplanes, and other mobile platforms, as well as data and cable lines.

Terminology

Electricians were originally people who demonstrated or studied the principles of electricity, often electrostatic generators of one form or another.(Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity)- Jim Al-Khalili In the United States, electricians are divided into two primary categories: lineperson, who work on electric utility company distribution systems at higher voltages, and wiremen, who work with the lower voltages utilized inside buildings. Wiremen are generally trained in one of five primary specialties: commercial, residential, light industrial, industrial, and low-voltage wiring, more commonly known as Voice-Data-Video, or VDV. Other sub-specialties such as control wiring and fire-alarm may be performed by specialists trained in the devices being installed, or by inside wiremen. Electricians are trained to one of three levels: Apprentice, Journeyperson, and Master Electrician. In the US and Canada, apprentices work and receive a reduced compensation while learning their trade. They generally take several hundred hours of classroom instruction and are contracted to follow apprenticeship standards for a period of between three and six years, during which time they are paid as a percentage of the Journeyperson's pay. Journeymen are electricians who have completed their Apprenticeship and who have been found by the local, State, or National licensing body to be competent in the electrical trade. Master Electricians have performed well in the trade for a period of time, often seven to ten years, and have passed an exam to demonstrate superior knowledge of the National Electrical Code, or NEC. Service electricians are tasked to respond to requests for isolated repairs and upgrades. They have skills troubleshooting wiring problems, installing wiring in existing buildings, and making repairs. Construction electricians primarily focus on larger projects, such as installing all new electrical system for an entire building, or upgrading an entire floor of an office building as part of a remodeling process. Other specialty areas are marine electricians, research electricians and hospital electricians. "Electrician" is also used as the name of a role in stagecraft, where electricians are tasked primarily with hanging, focusing, and operating stage lighting. In this context, the Master Electrician is the show's chief electrician. Although theater electricians routinely perform electrical work on stage lighting instruments and equipment, they are not part of the electrical trade and have a different set of skills and qualifications from the electricians that work on building wiring. In the film industry and on a television crew the head electrician is referred to as a Gaffer. Electrical contractors are businesses that employ electricians to design, install, and maintain electrical systems. Contractors are responsible for generating bids for new jobs, hiring tradespeople for the job, providing material to electricians in a timely manner, and communicating with architects, electrical and building engineers, and the customer to plan and complete the finished product.

Training and regulation of trade

(File:Electrician Mike Hughes Installing Meter Base.jpg|thumb|301x301px|Electrician installing new meter socket on the side of a house.)File:Elektriker - Ystad-2021.jpg|thumb|Two electricians install high-current cabinet in YstadYstadMany jurisdictions have regulatory restrictions concerning electrical work for safety reasons due to the many hazards of working with electricity. Such requirements may be testing, registration or licensing. Licensing requirements vary between jurisdictions.

Australia

An electrician's license entitles the holder to carry out all types of electrical installation work in Australia without supervision. However, to contract, or offer to contract, to carry out electrical installation work, a licensed electrician must also be registered as an electrical contractor. Under Australian law, electrical work that involves fixed wiring is strictly regulated and must almost always be performed by a licensed electrician or electrical contractor.WEB,weblink DIY Electrical Work: Are Aussies DUMBER than Kiwis?, 2008-06-05, Tester, Ross, Silicon Chip, Silicon Chip Online, 2012-07-20, 2012-06-09,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120609121101weblink">weblink dead, A local electrician can handle a range of work including air conditioning, light fittings and installation, safety switches, smoke alarm installation, inspection and certification and testing and tagging of electrical appliances.To provide data, structured cabling systems, home automation & theatre, LAN, WAN and VPN data solutions or phone points, an installer must be licensed as a Telecommunications Cable Provider under a scheme controlled by Australian Communications and Media AuthorityElectrical licensing in Australia is regulated by the individual states. In Western Australia, the Department of Commerce tracks licensee's and allows the public to search for individually named/licensed Electricians.WEB,weblink Consumer Protection - Energy Safety, corporateName: Department of Consumer and Employment, Protection, corporateName: Consumer Protection, Division, personalName: David, Hoskins, bizline.commerce.wa.gov.au, 28 March 2018,weblink 2011-04-06, dead, Currently in Victoria the apprenticeship lasts for four years, during three of those years the apprentice attends trade school in either a block release of one week each month or one day each week. At the end of the apprenticeship the apprentice is required to pass three examinations, one of which is theory based with the other two practically based. Upon successful completion of these exams, providing all other components of the apprenticeship are satisfactory, the apprentice is granted an A Class licence on application to Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).An A Class electrician may perform work unsupervised but is unable to work for profit or gain without having the further qualifications necessary to become a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) or being in the employment of a person holding REC status. However, some exemptions do exist.WEB,weblink Registered electrical contractors, 2010-02-15, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100124155352weblink">weblink 2010-01-24, In most cases a certificate of electrical safety must be submitted to the relevant body after any electrical works are performed.Safety equipment used and worn by electricians in Australia (including insulated rubber gloves and mats) needs to be tested regularly to ensure it is still protecting the worker. Because of the high risk involved in this trade, this testing needs to be performed regularly and regulations vary according to state. Industry best practice is the Queensland Electrical Safety Act 2002, and requires six-monthly testing.

Canada

(File:Utility worker 4460.jpg|thumb|200x200px|A utility electrician/lineperson does maintenance on a utility pole.)Training of electricians follows an apprenticeship model, taking four or five years to progress to fully qualified journeyperson level.WEB,weblink Trade Chart / Ellis Chart, March 4, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304044039weblink">weblink 2016-03-04, Typical apprenticeship programs consists of 80-90% hands-on work under the supervision of journeymen and 10-20% classroom trainingweblink Government of Canada Training and licensing of electricians is regulated by each province, however professional licenses are valid throughout Canada under Agreement on Internal Trade. An endorsement under the Red Seal Program provides additional competency assurance to industry standards.

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Electrician fault and detections issue

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