AN ELECTRICIAN'S ROLE

Electricians undertake a number of roles regarding the installation, maintenance and testing of electrical works. The work your local electrician will complete must be compliant with many strict safety measures. These safety measures and requirements fall under different types of legislation and the electrician must keep up to date with the changes.

The electrician will complete work for domestic and commercial customers but this is dependant on the electrician’s skill level. The electrician may need to complete specific training for certain subjects such as Fire Alarm Training or Emergency Lighting training.

The electrician may do the following tasks:

• Domestic electrical installation work which may require an approved domestic installer electrician to Part P of the building regulations.
• Electrical work by electricians in commercial and industrial premises.
• Electricians will adhere to stringent health and safety standards.
• Given an array of legislation electricians must work within legal contraints.
• PAT Testing and inspection services completed by your local electrician.
• Communications and security work including fire, safety and security by electrical contractors.
• CCTV Installation by electricians
• Networking, data and communications work by qualified electricians.
• Telecommunication installations
• Building management and automation systems
• Work in hazardous locations by electrical contractors

Electrician Responsibilities:

• An electrician’s work may include work with technical plans. This is required for complicated designs of lighting systems, as well as socket and switch installations. Electricians will use these capabilities for the maintenance of electrical appliances as well.
• Electricians and electrical contractors will do periodic testing to ensure health and safety compliance of the electrical installations.
• Electricians will identify faults and will attempt to fix faulty electrical devises and equipment.

Electricians and electrical contractors can work a normal 9-5 shift or perhaps work on a contractual basis for certain works. Electricians maybe involved in project work which means that overtime at weekends is a possibility. Some electricians and electrical contractors may work on a rota with their colleagues to cover out of hours calls.

Electricians or an electrical contractor could be self employed or they may work for many different employers. Some examples of companies an electrician may work for are engineering companies, construction companies, power companies, local governments, electrical manufacturers and franchised businesses. Electricians and electrical contractors work on construction sites, residential locations, and commercial premises. The electrical work an electrician completes may be done outside and inside the related buildings.

Electricians have a number of basic skills which they use in the completion of all the electrical tasks:

• Due to the hands on approach, electricians and electrical contractors must be good with their hands and have good practical skills.
• Electricians and electrical contractors should follow a methodical approach to ensure compliance with health and safety guidelines.
• Electricians are often working on their own for one reason or another so they need to have initiative and work unaccompanied.
• Communication skills need to be exemplary as electricians or electrical contractors talk to people every day, whether for domestic or commercial electrical work.
• Given the technical knowledge required your local electrician or electrical contractor should be a good problem solver to understand electrical installation requirements.
• The work involved can be physical and demanding so electricians require a good level of fitness. Electricians and electrical contractors also work at height.

An important legislation document – 17th Edition of the wiring regulations

Your electrician or electrical contractor will describe how important the 17th Edition of the wiring regulations is to you. The majority of domestic and commercial electrical installations must now comply with the 17th Edition of the wiring regulations. The introduction of these regulations is to also ensure an electricians and electrical contractors compliance with European directives. As your electrician will explain the 17th edition is one of many editions of the wiring regulations and there are many changes compared to the previous edition.

The 17th Edition of the wiring regulations is produced by the IET, the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

This is a very important piece of legislation for electricians or electrical contractors who are undertaking the maintenance, installation and design of electrical installations. Electricians who rewire or install wiring in any premises will have to take into consideration the 17th edition of the wiring regulations. Other disciplines and technically qualified personnel should also ensure compliance with this legislation in conjunction with their local electrician or electrical contractor.

As well as electricians and electrical contractors the regulations will also be important for surveyors, local authorities, building consultants and also architects. As with many of the electrical legislation documents they are also applicable to other trade related businesses and individuals.