All about the ranks of electricians

In the process of choosing their future profession, many people are guided by such a career indicator as the demand and relevance of specialists in a particular field in the modern labor market. In the past few years, the so-called blue-collar professions have become more and more popular, which, in fact, are more associated with the application of specific practical skills than with the possession of a certain amount of theoretical knowledge. Today in our article we will talk about the profession of an electrician, and also figure out what categories of these specialists exist.

The work of electricians is associated with the operation of various equipment (for example, electricity meters, relay protection, communications, alarms, and much more). The profession is usually classified as a worker. Generally speaking, the need for such specialists first appeared at the end of the 19th century. This was due to the active development of electrical engineering and the most important inventions for modern people by Edison, Despres, Tesla. However, today professionals in this area remain relevant in the personnel market.

Job description specialist, the duties of a professional that he must perform on a daily basis, as well as the theoretical concepts that he must know and practical actions that an electrician must be able to perform, depend on what professional rank the employee possesses. Accordingly, the employer's requirements will change with your confirmation of a higher category. In general, all information regarding the work of a specialist in the operation of distribution networks is detailed in ECTS.

Let's consider the main provisions of job descriptions for specialists of various categories.

A specialist of the 2nd category performs the following work tasks:

• simple repair of electrical equipment (in this case, even such a simple work, a novice electrician most often does not perform independently, but under the supervision of an experienced and professional);
• carrying out cleaning work using specially designed compressed air;
• splicing wires (and in this case, the voltage indicator should not exceed 1000 V);
• repair of various power plants;
• operation of special tools and equipment;
• implementation of simple plumbing work and similar actions.

In this case, the compulsory competencies of an electrician include:

• the design of a variety of electric motors and generators;
• rigging basics;
• splicing methods;
• existing types of electrical materials, as well as their characteristics;
• rules for the operation of working equipment.

The duties of an electrician of the 3rd category include:

• work at power plants of various types, provided that they are completely disconnected from voltage;
• change in the load of electrical equipment in a particular area;
• work with fittings that do not belong to the explosive category;
• operation of wind power plants, the capacity of which does not exceed 50 kW;
• repair of electrical equipment, which includes its assembly and disassembly, as well as adjustment (these works are carried out by a specialist not independently, but as part of a team);
• implementation of rigging works by means of lifting equipment of various types;
• wiring (not independently, but together with other specialists) and other work.

To carry out their work tasks, the employee must have specialized knowledge such as:

• detailed characteristics of electrical insulating materials;
• conventional symbols of the terminals of the equipment windings;
• methods of changing cables that are characterized by high voltage;
• the basics of the functioning of electric motors, oil switches;
• ways to fix problems in the electrical network.

If a specialist has the 4th category of professionalism, then he has the right and the ability to perform the following functions:

• adjustment of electrical units (under the guidance or supervision of a more experienced electrician);
• verification work in relation to the equipment of electrical drives;
• adjustment of equipment for different types of signaling;
• operation of power and lighting electrical devices;
• installation of fluorescent circuits;
• removal of defects in electrical equipment;
• implementation of tasks on the basis of drawings and diagrams specially designed for these purposes.

In this case, the electrician must know:

• basic provisions of electronics;
• the design of electric motors of different categories and models;
• the basics of the current protection circuit;
• rules for using relay protection;
• rules for the use of control and measuring equipment.

The job description of an electrician of the 5th category includes the following duties:

• alignment of high-voltage units, the voltage indicator of which does not exceed 15 kV;
• repair work in relation to automation and telemechanics units;
• work with power and lighting installations, which have complex switching schemes;
• adjustment of cable networks (provided that their voltage indicator exceeds 35 kV);
• balancing of rotors;
• adjustment of equipment for drying and vacuum furnaces;
• installation of automatic elements in steel furnaces, rolling mills and more.

For the correct performance of the tasks described above, the specialist must have, among others, the following knowledge:

• principles of telemechanics;
• other relevant technical regulations;
• diagrams of various electric motors;
• testing techniques for cable networks;
• the internal structure of a variety of electrical appliances.

Electricians of the 6th category in the process of their work are responsible for the performance of many tasks, among them:

• maintenance of sites and workshops, which are characterized by especially complex switching schemes;
• adjustment work in relation to experimental schemes of technological equipment;
• verification work regarding the accuracy of the operation of instrument transformers;
• comprehensive testing of electrical devices;
• maintenance of electrical impulse installations;
• work with electric recorders;
• dismantling of cable lines in special pipelines.

In this case, the employee must necessarily have the following set of knowledge:

• basics of high-frequency blocking protection functioning;
• details of selenium rectifier circuits;
• safety rules;
• internal structure of ignitron welding machines with electronics;
• methods of setting up automatic control circuits and many others.

Electricians who have received the 7th grade perform the following basic work tasks:

• repair of electrical equipment of various types, the voltage indicator of which is in the range from 25 to 35 kV;
• operation of lighting equipment, which is characterized by complex switching schemes;
• adjustment of technological type welding equipment;
• work with the latest and most experienced models of electrical devices;
• test work in relation to instrument transformers;
• diagnostic work for the equipment of the transport and technological chain;
• complex adjustment work in relation to remote signaling devices.

In this case, the specialist must have the following professional knowledge:

• industrial electronics (fundamentals);
• internal structure of microprocessor units;
• methods of development and creation of control systems based on microprocessor technology;
• methods of introducing technological and test programs into use;
• methods of primary and secondary switching of complex switchgear.

This category is considered the highest, respectively, those specialists who possess it are assigned the most complex and complex tasks. Among them:

• maintenance of complex protection schemes, automation, telemechanics;
• verification work regarding the correct functioning of unique models of electrical equipment;
• development and creation of circuits on integral and logical elements;
• adjustment of equipment in especially complex experimental schemes of technological equipment;
• use of specially designed computing equipment in the course of work;
• operation of electronic circuits of inverter welding sources;
• correction of existing technological programs.

The required amount of required theoretical knowledge includes:

• configuration options for recuperative converters;
• block diagrams of the telemechanics complex;
• methods of testing when introducing complex experimental equipment into use;
• instructions for the repair work of automation containing integrated microcircuits;
• methods of tuning systems of converting technology.

In order to obtain admission to the work of an electrician, you need to obtain an appropriate secondary specialized education at a technical school or college. Then you will need to pass special qualifying exams, and only then you can start working directly. The term for obtaining education is 3 years.

Moreover, even after receiving basic education, it is necessary to constantly develop professionally. So, the profession of an electrician has a clearly defined capacity, the maximum category is 8. In order to increase the category and obtain a corresponding certificate, you need to pass a certification exam. Details about what categories of electricians are, is described in the unified tariff guide.

After graduation, a young specialist can count on employment in a position junior employee, assistant or trainee... At the same time, with the acquisition of the necessary professional experience, as well as practical skills, one can count on career advancement and, as a result, an increase in salary.