Electrician

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

An electrician could...

Overview Listen to this section

Electricians are the people who bring electricity to our homes, schools, businesses, public spaces, and streets—lighting up our world, keeping the indoor temperature comfortable, and powering TVs, computers, and all sorts of machines that make life better. Electricians install and maintain the wiring and equipment that carries electricity, and they also fix electrical machines.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of an Electrician?

1. Troubleshooting: ? Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
2. Repairing: ? Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
3. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
4. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
5. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

6. Installation: ? Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
7. Quality Control Analysis: ? Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
8. Complex Problem Solving: ? Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
9. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
10. Equipment Maintenance: ? Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks an Electrician might do:

• Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.
• Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components.
• Test electrical systems or continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using testing devices, such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system.
• Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
• Inspect electrical systems, equipment, or components to identify hazards, defects, or the need for adjustment or repair, and to ensure compliance with codes.
• Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
• Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, or components, using test equipment and hand tools to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem.
• Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
• Advise management on whether continued operation of equipment could be hazardous.
• Maintain current electrician's license or identification card to meet governmental regulations.
• Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
• Direct or train workers to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
• Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
• Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors.
• Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
• Perform business management duties, such as maintaining records or files, preparing reports, or ordering supplies or equipment.
• Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets.
• Construct or fabricate parts, using hand tools, according to specifications.
• Perform physically demanding tasks, such as digging trenches to lay conduit or moving or lifting heavy objects.