As a qualified electrician, you would fit, test, repair and maintain electrical circuits, wiring and other components found in homes, businesses and factories. Your work could range from fitting kitchen appliances in a customer's home, to running cable in a new office development. Electricians usually work in commercial, industrial and residential sectors and can also be self-employed as contractors.

An electrician can specialize in either maintenance or construction, but many work in both areas.

Work environment for electricians may involve working in comfortable to extreme conditions. Work may be in confined spaces, heights, around heavy equipment and dangerous working parts that requires long periods of kneeling and standing. There are high risks of injury working as an electrician. Serious precautions are needed while working with highly dangerous electrical equipment and surroundings.

Opportunities for electricians could find work with electrical contractors, manufacturing and engineering companies, construction, and kitchen companies. With good experience, you could move into management roles, electrical estimating, as well as an electrical inspector for a municipality.

You would normally work a basic 40hours week, Monday to Friday, shift work and weekends with the possibility of overtime.

To become an electrician one must sign up in an apprenticeship program with a local college or trade school and complete an in class and a on the job training schedule.

Most municipalities require electricians to be licensed.  Apprentices usually start at a much lower rate of pay but receive good pay increases as they become more skilled.              

 

Industry Changes

The demand for electricians is expected to increase for all occupations. As the population and economy grow along with new technologies, more electricians will be needed to handle the installation and maintenance of electrical devices and wiring in homes, offices, buildings and other structures.

In the manufacturing industry, the increase of robots and other automated systems will require more advanced wiring systems to be installed and maintained. Buildings will need to accommodate the use of computers and telecommunications equipment.

Additional jobs will be created as older structures need to be updated, which usually requires that they need to meet existing electrical codes.

Labor statistics expect there will be an increase in demand for electricians within the next seven to ten years due to the large number of electricians retiring. This will increase the demand for electrical work and create good job opportunities for qualified electricians.

 

Safety

Safe working practices and accident prevention are the primary importance to the health and safety of all person(s) at any or all work place environments. All person(s) including employee, employer and government, share this responsibility in order to keep everyone free of any dangers or accidents that may cause an individual(s) serious bodily harm or death.

The Occupational Health and Safety Acts and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Regulations, should be consistently reviewed and enforced in every work place environment. Educating and understanding these regulations is everyone’s responsibility in order to keep a safe work place environment.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) has contributed to a safer work place environment. Health and safety has become a high priority in the workplace due to increased awareness of dangers and the identifications of hazardous materials.

Practicing health and safety is a tremendous contribution to a safe and accident free work place environment.

 

Job Tasks

• Fitting wiring along wall cavities and through ceilings, walls and floors

• Fitting fuse boxes, circuit-breakers and earth terminals

• Mounting back boxes on walls to take plug sockets and points

• Laying the cabling connecting office equipment to power supplies and computer networks

• Installing fire alarms and security systems

• Inspecting and testing wiring systems and equipment

• Fixing faults highlighted by inspections

• Using wire cutting and splicing tools

• Using multimeters and other electrical measuring equipment

• Connecting wires to circuit breakers, transformers or other components

• Assembling, installing, testing and maintaining electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus and fixtures, using hand tools and power tools.

• Testing electrical systems and continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment and fixtures, using testing devices as ohmmeters, voltmeters and oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system.

• Planning layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment and fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.

• Inspecting electrical systems, equipment and components to identify hazards, defects and the need for adjustment or repair and to ensure compliance with codes.

• A thorough understanding of electrical safety and regulations.

• Blueprint, schematic drawing and manual reading

 

Tools

• Adjustable Pliers

• Adjustable Wrenches

• Amp Meter Amprobe

• Analog MultiMeter

• Cable Cutters

• Coax Stripper

• Combination Square

• Conduit benders

• Crimpers

• Cordless Drill/Driver

• Digital MultiMeter

• Files

• Flashlight

• Fish Tape

• Hacksaw

• Hammer/Ball Peen

• Hammer Drill

• Hex Keys

• Hole Saw

• Knockout punches

• Levels

• Lineman’s Pliers

• MegaOhm Meter

• Needle Nose Pliers

• Non-Contact Voltage Probe Neon tester

• Nut Drivers

• Offset Bender

• Phase Rotation Meter

• Pipe Wrenches

• Plumb Bob

• PVC Cutter

• Screwdrivers

• Service Cable stripper

• Socket Sets

• Solenoid voltage Tester

• Stud Finder

• Tape Measure

• Tin Snips

• Tool Pouch Belt

• Utility Knife

• Wire Strippers

 

Skills

• Critical Thinking

• Decision Making

• Numerical

• Oral Communication

• Problem Solving

• Reading Blueprints and schematics

• Writing

• Computer Knowledge

 

General Wages

• Average -   $24.50

• Minimum -  $15.00

• Maximum - $34.00

​

Sample Q&A

 

1.  An ohmmeter is connected to the H1 and X1 points of an isolation transformer before the transformer is installed. The ohmmeter displays 103Ω. What can you infer about the transformer?

a. It is additive.

b. A winding need servicing.

c. It is a step down transformer.

d. The windings are in good condition.

Ans. B

 

2. A sub-panel has been installed in an attached garage in a single family dwelling. How is the sub-panel grounded?

a. Grounding and bonding are only required at the service panel.

b. A second, separate grounding electrode is installed.

c. The sub-panel is bonded to the main panel with the sub-panel feeder cable.

d. The sub-panel is grounded through the system neutral connection.

Ans. C

 

3. A three phase wye service is installed using four RW90 conductors per phase in a parallel run. One of the phase B conductors is not conduction. Which of the following options is the only permissible solution?

a. Remove the bad conductor.

b. Make a splice in the bad conductor.

c. Replace all of the phase B conductors with T90 conductors.

d. Replace the bad conductor with a T90 conductor.

Ans. C

 

4. What is the distance that the heating portion of a heating panel must be kept from an outlet box that is being used as a luminaire?

a. 200mm

b. 100mm

c. 150mm

d. 75mm

Ans.  D       62-122

 

5. You have just finished connecting a new three phase squirrel cage induction motor. Your foreman asks you to "bump" the motor. What will this test indicate?

a. The resistance of the windings.

b. The stability of the motor mounts.

c. The direction of rotation.

d. The amount of inrush current.

Ans. C

 

6. Three step-down transformers are connected in parallel. After using the appropriate protective equipment, what is the first step in disconnecting one of the transformers for maintenance if it is impractical to lock the circuit?

a. Disconnect the primary side.

b. Pull the primary fuses.

c. Disconnect the secondary of the transformer to be serviced.

d. Short the secondary of the transformer to be serviced.

Ans. C

 

7. What is the minimum size of single-conductor aluminum-sheathed cable that can be used for a consumer's service?

a.v#6 awg

b. #4 awg

c. #3 awg

d. #5 awg

Ans. C