An electrical contractor is basically a firm that employs electricians and makes them involved a variety of different constructional projects. The primary job of an electrical contractor is to install, repair and maintain electrical wirings and devices. For starting one’s career as an electrical contractor or electrician, he must complete several years of skill training programs and acquire a license. They have adequate licenses and insurances to employ their services and protect them in case of an accident. The requirement imposed by the government to become a legal electrical contractor is different for each state and country.
Role of an Electrical Contractor:
There are various kinds of contractors who work in this field with several areas of specialty. One is the line of contractors who work with heavy voltages and power stations by maintaining an overview to ensure that the line of electricity is well maintained between the source of the power and homes or offices. The other type is the inside electrical contractors work with people who are employed to work on electrical lines within the four walls of homes and offices. They are responsible for new cable designs, installation, and maintenance of old wires and lines. With different construction projects, these contractors may have a group of people who specialize in different fields of construction. In other words, several electricians are involved for each construction project and those who are more experienced can act as the project manager or supervisor for a large-scale job. e Along with these specialized workers, there may be amateurs involved who work with these trained people and start learning and eventually become specialized. Integrated Building Systems or Voice/Data/Video contractors are people who work with low levels of voltage. Back up powers, climate controls and wireless networks are a few examples of these kinds of jobs.
The Kind of Employment Offered:
An electrical contractor employs people of different types and each level of employment is given according to their level of experience and expertise. Some of the jobs usually offered by these contractors are:
1. Apprentice Electrician – This is the training period before starting the job. The workers learn during the process of working and they are offered guidance by the already existing set of professionals or master electricians. Their learning period continues for a period of 3 to 5 years where they also earn wages for the kind of work done. They learn the skills of installations, wiring, repairing and modifying electrical lines during this training period of the job.
2. Journeyman Electrician – This level is above the apprentice one as a journeyman has already completed his apprenticeship. During this level, the employee attains much knowledge about this field from his trainers and specializes in reading blueprints and terminating cables, if need be. He can also now supervise the apprentices and works with them to show how it is done.
3. Estimator – One of the most important tasks is to estimate the needs, costs and the duration of the project. An estimator does all of this and reports to the supervisor. The labor cost and the different kinds of expenses are calculated which forms the basis of a bid. Different contractors place their bid and the lowest one wins the contract. Thus, an estimator plays a vital job in getting a project.
4. Project Supervisor – A supervisor is a person who takes the charge and manages everything happening on the site. Therefore, the project supervisor should be the well trained and experienced man who can have the capability to run the whole project smoothly. He leads the other groups of electricians and helps them in completing their work on time. He handles their grievances and is also responsible for filing reports and giving a detailed report of the progress of the project. He is the one who is held responsible for any kind of work done on the project handled by him.
Thus, these were the 4 different kinds of employment offered by an electrical contractor and the kind of work he deals with. They should always have a license with them to prove that their work is legal and approved by the state.
