We are wanting to appoint an 'in house' electrician and I have been asked what qualifications we should be looking for. They will be required to do everything from changing light fittings/switches etc to rewiring and working on plant etc. Is there any guidance as to what levels of training there are for electricians and what those levels entitle an individual to do. Is there a difference between domestic and commercial work, (like there is for gas fitters). Any guidance would be helpful.

Thanks.

I would be looking for, for works under BS7671 for an electrician with a "Gold" JIB card, that is the nearest thing you will get to a 3rd party validation of the qualifications and experience of an electrician who is a modern entrant to the industry.

That is after the indentured apprentice went, and the NVQ system came in.

As part of that they would have NVQ3, AM2, their BS7671 exam, hopefully 2391-01 or 2394/5 or equivalent if they have recently taken the exam./

2391 is an lifetime qualification by the way.

Things like NICEIC registration are valid for contractors, but not for employees "on the books", as the "enterprise" requires the registration, if the electrician is a self-employed sole trader, then they are the enterprise, if they are on the books, then the employing organisation is the "enterprise" and would need the NICEIC registration.

So, unless you are looking for an electrician to give up their self-employment or their own company and become employed by yourselves, then registration with one of the schemes would not be relevant.

This should cover  you for installations and maintenance works on installations under BS7671.

As far as domestic, commercial and insdustrial competencies go, the qualifications cover all of those, and the JIB card would verify these qualifications, it is then down to their experience of these kinds of installations, so that might be an interview thing, and you would need someone competent to quiz them technically on that.  Also, their previous employers references, or if you can get recommendations perhaps.  A trade test these days would IMHO be a valid thing to do.

Now that covers the BS7671 side.

The next thing you mention is plant.

Do you mean construction plant, e.g. backhoe loaders (aka "JCB", other brands are available), or do you mean plant under the Machinery Directive, e.g. lathes, milling machines, PLC/CNC equipment etc.?

That makes a big difference, please say, and I can guide you more.

There are many excellent electricians who know BS7671 works really well, but know nothing of BS EN 60204-1 for machinery.

Originally Posted by: SamParker

There is a very big difference between the two electricians you are looking for and will probably find it quite difficult to find a good all rounder.  

The usual route for a plant and apparatus electrician is from a apprentice background,  a minimum of an NVQ3 in an electrical and or instrumentation discipline, coupled with and ONC is the usual minimum standard with an understanding of safe systems of work, so coupled with an IOSH managing safely qualification. 

Is the plant and apparatus going to be isolated and permitised by the electrician or does your business already have this SSOW in place?  Competency demonstration during an interview is usually normal to show that obvious drawings can be read to the trained eye, such as a star-delta starter and or reversing contactor circuit just to prove that they have had exposure.  a simple fault finding test on a small control panel is normal from what i have seen and if clean is easily completed in a suit, with a multimeter provided; for instance, a blown fuse, link bars removed in a motor so it tests open circuit. can be tested for dead without the need to be energised with the defect report that it just stopped working after trying to start.

Will they be working on PLC systems and do they understand the impact on a process by forcing contacts, stored energy in other parts of the plant, rams, springs, etc.

To be honest the best guidance will come from staff already in this field if your lucky enough to have them already.  

Regarding office type work, BS7671 as mentioned by a previous poster I would say is a bare minimum coupled with an installation course and inspection and testing if your not expecting them to farm out work to other firms once works have been carried out in your business.

I would avoid an electrician who has only ever carried out domestic work as this is a very different world and I believe they will struggle when it comes to plant and apparatus and the commercial & Industrial environment that you are expecting them to work in.  

ECA, NICEIC or equivalent approved contractors may fulfil your requirement for the works out of the ordinary in the office environment and get yourself a good plant and apparatus electrician if your protecting the business from downtime and incorporating a new preventative maintenance scheme to reduce failures in the systems. 

I'd back up everything Sam has said here, A number of good points!

It sounds as though you are looking for an electrical maintenance technician. The likes of the NICEIC is more focused on domestic electricians. A holder of one of these cards would not nessecarily have all of the skills and competance that you are looking for. 

With my background in electrical maintenance i would say that in my experience it is not the norm for electricians in this sector, (ie manufacturing, power generation, factories etc) to hold any grade card. I would not let this put you off. Instead i'd be looking at those holding an apprenticeship as stated above and ensure that you test their knowledge (good examples above) at interview.