WHAT DOES AN ELECTRICIAN DO?
Published: Jun 6, 2025 - The Electrician performs complex installation, maintenance, and repair of advanced industrial electrical and electronic systems, including AC/DC circuits, high-voltage gear, and solid-state components. This role ensures all tasks comply with safety regulations, electrical codes, and functional standards while utilizing diagnostic tools and schematic diagrams. The electrician also supports system monitoring and fault detection by fabricating and documenting custom circuits and using advanced test instruments.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Electrician
1. Electrician Details and Accountabilities
- Electrical/Construction Application: Applies basic electrical and construction principles and practices to solve design, development, and modification problems with parts, assemblies provided.
- Electrical Testing: Tests electrical and electronic equipment and components for continuity, current, voltage, and resistance.
- Technical Drawing: Prepares sketches showing location of wiring and equipment, or follows diagrams or blueprints, ensuring that wiring is labeled and secured.
- Conduit Installation: Measures, cuts, bends, threads, assembles, and installs electrical conduit.
- Wire Splicing: Splices wires by stripping insulation from terminal leads, twisting or soldering wires together, and applying tape or terminal caps.
- Wiring Connection: Connects wiring to control and monitoring equipment.
- Apparatus Installation: Installs control and distribution apparatus such as switches, relays, and circuit-breaker panels.
- System Observation: Observes the functioning of installed equipment or systems to detect hazards and the need for adjustments, relocation, or replacement.
2. Electrician Additional Details
- Lighting Maintenance: Replaces light bulbs, light switches, and ballast receptacles.
- Appliance Installation: Replaces and installs minor appliances and equipment.
- Safety Checks: Performs electrical safety checks on receptacles and equipment (to include beds).
- Fixture Installation: Installs light fixtures, conduits, BX Greenfield, and Raceways.
- Worksite Cleanup: Cleans the work area and removes debris properly.
- Equipment Maintenance: Performs maintenance on electrical equipment (to include beds).
- Report Maintenance: Maintains reports on the results of testing and checking.
- Clock Inspection: Conducts tours for identifying and correcting the time on hallway clocks.
- Exit Light Inspection: Conducts tours for identifying exit lights requiring bulb change.
- Lens and Machinery Cleaning: Performs related work such as cleaning lenses, machinery, etc.
- Storeroom Organization: Keeps electrical storerooms organized and safe.
- Appliance Safety Checks: Performs and records electrical safety checks on appliances and equipment.
- Plant Maintenance: Handles all facets of plant and building maintenance, including the storage of hazardous materials and chemicals that the department utilizes.
3. Electrician Essential Functions
- Troubleshooting and Installation: Methods and techniques of troubleshooting, repairing, and installing plant equipment.
- MSHA Knowledge: Understand MSHA rules and regulations.
- Control Systems: Programmable logic controls, co-processors, DCS, SCADA, and wireless systems.
- Office Procedures: Office procedures, methods, and equipment, including computers and applicable software applications.
- Equipment Maintenance: Troubleshoot and maintain plant equipment, machinery, and related facilities.
- Tool Operation: Operate power hand tools and other specialized electrical equipment.
- Computer Operation: Operate office equipment, including computers and supporting software applications.
- Workplace Communication: Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
- Physical Mobility: Frequently ascends or descends ladders, stairs, elevated walkways, ramps, and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms.
- Manual Labor: Perform heavy manual labor, such as moving and installing equipment in different weather conditions.
4. Electrician Role Purpose
- Equipment Handling: Handle installation, service, maintenance, and modification on a wide variety of intricate and highly complex industrial electronic and electrical equipment throughout the facility.
- Quality Assurance: Help ensure the work performed meets functional quality standards and code requirements.
- Circuit Development: Help develop, fabricate, and document circuits or devices to facilitate monitoring equipment condition and detection or diagnosis of equipment faults.
- Safety Compliance: Utilize all proper safety devices and stay in sync with all safety regulations, procedures, and program requirements to ensure safe working conditions and to preserve a balanced environment.
- Electrical Systems Work: Work with electronics and electricity, including AC and DC circuits, single and polyphase power systems, high-voltage gear, solid-state circuitry, microprocessors, and power distribution systems.
- Code Knowledge: Understand the National Electrical Code as it applies to industrial work.
- Technical Interpretation: Use shop mathematics and apply electrical formulas, read complicated drawings and schematic diagrams, and use a variety of test instruments.
5. Electrician General Responsibilities
- Guest Repair Response: Respond and attend to guest repair requests.
- Issue Communication: Communicate with guests/customers to resolve maintenance issues.
- Preventive Maintenance: Perform preventive maintenance on tools and kitchen, and mechanical room equipment, including cleaning and lubrication.
- Visual Inspection: Visually inspect tools, equipment, or machines.
- Equipment Handling: Carry equipment (e.g., tools, radio).
- Utility Operation: Identify, locate, and operate all shut-off valves for equipment and all utility shut-offs for buildings.
- Inventory Maintenance: Maintain maintenance inventory and requisition parts and supplies.
- Shift Communication: Communicate each day’s activities and problems that occur to the other shifts using approved communication programs and standards.
- Technical Knowledge: Display basic knowledge or ability to acquire knowledge in air conditioning and refrigeration, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, pneumatic/electronic systems and controls, carpentry and finish skills, kitchen equipment, vehicles, energy conservation, and/or general building.
- General Repairs: Perform all surface preparation, painting, minor drywall and wood trim repair, light bulb and A/C filter replacement, and the complete and thorough cleanup of the painting or repair area.
- Troubleshooting and Repair: Test, troubleshoot, and perform basic repairs on all types of equipment, plumbing (e.g., plunge toilets and unclog drains), electrical components, including lamps, cosmetic items, extension cords, vacuum cleaners, internet devices, replace electrical switches and outlets, and other guestroom items.
- TV Programming and Inventory: Program TV's and perform general housekeeping and engineering-related inventory duties.
- Safety Protocol: Use the Lockout/Tagout system before performing any maintenance work.
- Landscaping Repairs: Perform repairs on interior and exterior landscaping, as well as external landscaping sprinklers.
- Computer Skills: Display basic computer skills, including inputting air handler schedules and making temperature changes.