What does an electrician do?

How do I find electrician companies near me?

When looking for a qualified electrical company, the choice will be based on several different factors. Factors such as are they specialised in commercial or residential. Furthermore, what is their experience in those specific fields? However, when considering electrician companies near me, the majority of companies will all need to have similar basic electrical qualifications and attributes. Below we discuss and list these

What does an electrical company and electrician do?

First and foremost they undertake all aspects of electrical work. We work with electricity and all the variations of electrical installation work that it covers. However, what is electrical work exactly? What does an electrician do in a typical electrical installation?

Electricians have various considerations. These include assigning electrical systems in either commercial buildings or residential homes. Furthermore, this can include industrial, warehouses, data centres, and many other industries

However, what are the daily tasks that an electrician may perform during their various activities. Some of the activities an electrician may incur on a project include:

1. Reading plans to understand where electrical circuits, sockets, fuse boards, and other electrical elements are to be found
2. Designing the layout of the electrical wiring within a building. Furthermore, this can be several buildings
3. Installation of electrical equipment. This can include hardware, systems, and building control. Furthermore, examples can include access control and CCTV
4. Maintenance of the completed or ongoing electrical wiring, fuse boards, or sockets
5. On-site inspections due to electrical faults
6. Continuing education and training

Of course, these are only a few choices of activities. There are many others throughout the typical electrical installation

What types of electricians are there

Electrical companies and electricians may perform comparable works on projects. However, due to differences in industries. There are variations of electrical installation companies and electricians. Some will specialise in a single field and others will cover multiple

Electrical installations can be summarised in 4 starting areas

1. Residential and Homes. A residential specialist will mainly focus on electrical jobs in homes and places of residency. This can include apartment blocks, hostels, and HMO's
2. A communications electrician focuses on projects associated with communication systems. Examples would include telecommunication poles and data cabling, PCs, and telephone systems. This type of engineer is commonly a structured cabling installer. However, data cabling is a specialist field and best undertaken by a structured cabling specialist. Some companies will undertake both as a specialist field. NM cabling has separate data cabling and electrical divisions for this purpose. More information on data cabling can be found here
3. Commercial Electrical Installations. These projects include more detailed and larger scaled requirements compared to residential installations. Thus, typically larger buildings. Examples would include offices, warehouses, shopping centres, data centres, and hotels
4. Outside electrical installations. These electricians are more focused on external projects. Thus, installing the cables that go from power plants to buildings and homes. These works usually involve a great deal of civil construction works also

Although these areas cover the spread of electrical installation, each will have its specialities and focus

What electrical skills are needed to be effective for an installation?

Being an electrical installer or electrician requires comprehensive training. Furthermore, an electrician needs to acquire knowledge in the industry.

The following skills are those we feel are important for our electricians and engineers

1. Solution minded. An electrician is required to have a solution focus and good at solving problems. Furthermore, they will be able to identify and diagnose electrical issues and determine the best solution.
2. Hands-on Skills. Being an electrician is all involving job. Thus, a good electrician will have no issue working with their hands. Furthermore, they will have the dexterity for working with hardware and electrical equipment.
3. Physicality. Electrical installations are a physical job. They at times require physical effort and endurance. Also, the role requires constant movement that includes moving electrical equipment, wiring, and site equipment
4. Communication Skills. Project design and implementation constantly change. Therefore, on-site communication is key. Furthermore, on longer projects, there will be a requirement to correspond and work with the following stakeholders. All form part of the successful delivery of the project
   1. The end client
   2. The main builder
   3. Other trades
   4. The electrical company team
   5. Suppliers, plant, and deliveries
5. Customer communication. In the majority of projects, the projects are undertaken directly for the end client. The first consideration is designing the right system for their requirements. Clarifying this before starting is key. Once started, the skill is then in updating and informing the client of progress and if things change or need to change. By good communication, the project and budget are maintained and all parties are satisfied.

Is electrical installation work dangerous?

Electricity, of course, can be dangerous. That's exactly why you need to ensure electrical work is always undertaken by a qualified electrical installer. Firstly, to protect yourself and secondly to maintain a safe system after the works have been completed.

Safety comes in the form of the correct training and longevity of installation experience. Experience is the greatest teacher.

Some of the precautions we use include the following. The starting basis is always personal protective clothing. The choice of the following will be based on the project type and external factors

1. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
2. Fire-resistant clothing
3. Vests and overalls
4. Electrical gloves and hand protection
5. Boots suitable for electrical installation
6. Work protection such as barriers, signs and electrical isolation locks and equipment

As well as keeping our electricians safe, a large part of our focus is keeping our customers safe. Therefore, safety equipment can be for our engineers or to protect you from the works. This can be something as simple as working when the office is closed, so you are not exposed.

What qualifies someone as an electrician?

Qualifications and certifications vary to qualify as an electrician. There are different standards boards. However, they are all based around the wiring regulations training. We ensure that all our electricians are qualified and supervised appropriately when training

Why should I employ and qualified electrician?

There are many reasons to employ a professional electrician to undertake any electrical installation work. Furthermore, repairs, fault-finding, maintenance, or new systems

Firstly, ensuring safety on the job. Electrical installations are dangerous and electrical installers are qualified to identify these hazards. When electrical installations are done poorly, the hazards can be life-changing. Fire and electrical are the two main hazards common with poor installations

The correct and training and experience will ensure the work is designed and undertaken correctly. Thus saving you money, time, and complications in the long run. A personally installed electrical system could create electrical hazards and damage to your office, building, or home. This can cause total damage or unwanted repair costs. Hiring a professional electrician helps to alleviate this potential problem

The experience of many projects allows a qualified electrical company to pass that experience on to your project. The design will correct due to experience, fault-finding will be seen before, solutions with in the industry will be known from previous projects

Our professional team of electrical installers is here to advise and guide you for all your electrical requirements

We value our customers and value correctly doing each project.

If you need an electrical installation, call our team for a free survey or advice on your requirements