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Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Inspect, test, repair, or maintain electrical equipment in generating stations, substations, and in-service relays.

Related: Calibration Technologists & Technicians Control & Valve Installers & Repairers Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technologists & Technicians Electrical & Electronics Installers & Repairers, Transportation Equipment Electrical & Electronics Repairers, Commercial & Industrial Equipment

Industries: Utilities Government

Summary
Details

Open and close switches to isolate defective relays, performing adjustments or repairs.
Inspect and test equipment and circuits to identify malfunctions or defects, using wiring diagrams and testing devices such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or ammeters.
Repair, replace, and clean equipment and components such as circuit breakers, brushes, and commutators.
Prepare and maintain records detailing tests, repairs, and maintenance.
Construct, test, maintain, and repair substation relay and control systems.
Open and close switches to isolate defective relays, performing adjustments or repairs.
Prepare and maintain records detailing tests, repairs, and maintenance.
Test oil in circuit breakers and transformers for dielectric strength, refilling oil periodically.
Test insulators and bushings of equipment by inducing voltage across insulation, testing current, and calculating insulation loss.
Notify facility personnel of equipment shutdowns.
Schedule and supervise splicing or termination of cables in color-code order.
Run signal quality and connectivity tests for individual cables, and record results.
Inspect and test equipment and circuits to identify malfunctions or defects, using wiring diagrams and testing devices such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or ammeters.
Schedule and supervise the construction and testing of special devices and the implementation of unique monitoring or control systems.
Disconnect voltage regulators, bolts, and screws, and connect replacement regulators to high-voltage lines.
Construct, test, maintain, and repair substation relay and control systems.
Analyze test data to diagnose malfunctions, to determine performance characteristics of systems, or to evaluate effects of system modifications.
Maintain inventories of spare parts for all equipment, requisitioning parts as necessary.
Maintain inventories of spare parts for all equipment, requisitioning parts as necessary.
Run signal quality and connectivity tests for individual cables, and record results.
Consult manuals, schematics, wiring diagrams, and engineering personnel to troubleshoot and solve equipment problems and to determine optimum equipment functioning.
Schedule and supervise the construction and testing of special devices and the implementation of unique monitoring or control systems.
Schedule and supervise splicing or termination of cables in color-code order.
Repair, replace, and clean equipment and components such as circuit breakers, brushes, and commutators.

Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.

History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Education

Postsecondary certificate

Work Experience

Less than 5 years work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

109210/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

52.51/hr

Currently Employed

300

Yearly Projected Openings

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Analytical Thinking
Cooperation
Dependability
Integrity
Adaptability/Flexibility

Adjustable wrenches
Alternating current AC arc welder
Ammeters
Bench drilling machine
Bench vises
Calipers
Claw hammer
Cold chisels
Die stocks
Drill bit set
Electronics pliers
Fire extinguishers
Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
Hacksaw
Insulation resistance meters
Jigsaw
Ladders
Locking pliers
Manlift or personnel lift
Metal shearing machine
Micrometers
Multimeters
Ohmmeters
Oscilloscopes
Phasemeters
Portable data input terminals
Power drills
Power grinders
Power riveter
Power saws
Precision file
Pullers
Punches or nail sets or drifts
Radiation detectors
Ratchets
Reamer
Relay tester
Saws
Screwdrivers
Sockets
Soldering iron
Spanner wrenches
T handle tap wrenches
Thermal imager
Threading taps
Tinners snips
Voltage and current meter calibrator
Voltage or current meters

Analytical or scientific software
Compliance software
Computer aided design CAD software
Electronic mail software
Industrial control software
Internet browser software
Office suite software
Operating system software
Spreadsheet software
Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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Statewide occupation search

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Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

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