|
Archives
Unqualified Electrical Contractors: A Shocking Concern
When you select a physician for a healthcare procedure or a lawyer to defend
you in court, you expect that individual to be a top professional with the
credentials to do the job right. Mistakes made by an unqualified practitioner
of medicine
or the law could lead to serious consequences. You should also have the same
quality expectation when hiring an electrician for your home or business, since
mistakes in a building’s wiring could lead to a fire, injury, or even death.
Unfortunately, an increasing number of unqualified individuals are seeking
and receiving electrical contractors, licenses, according to Steve Chesley,
executive
manager of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Quad Cities
Chapter. “Many of these people have never been through an apprenticeship
training program,” Mr. Chesley said. “In some cases, they were
let go by their previous employer, and have decided to start their own electrical
contracting business. Many have less than three to five years of experience
in
the industry.”
The reason the problem has grown so much recently, Mr. Chesley said, is because “electrical
construction in the area has been slow for about the last three years, and
many contractors have had to lay-off electricians, and usually, the first ones
laid
off are the least productive. These individuals then decide to try their hands
at contracting.”
Installing electrical systems is highly technical work which can be dangerous
when handled by an unqualified electrician. “When individuals without the
appropriate training and experience receive licenses, the quality and safety
of the project will be in doubt,” Chesley said. He added that the problem
is worse in the Illinois Quad-Cities than it is in Iowa, since many Iowa municipalities
require an individual to pass an examination and show proof that they have
five years of experience in the industry.
Bob Redecker, electrical inspector for the City of Moline, commented on the
issue of years of experience. “We don’t currently require a specific number
of years of verifiable experience for an electrical contractor to receive a license,” he
said. “But, we are in the process of changing the licensing requirement
to include five years of experience in the trade.”
In Davenport, the standards for receiving a license are higher. “To get
a license to become an electrical contractor in Davenport, an individual must
have five years of journeyman-level experience, beyond an apprenticeship or five
years of training to become a journeyman,” said John Claeys, senior electrical
inspector for the City of Davenport. “A journeyman,” he explained, “is
a person who has received the appropriate amount of formal training, such as
an apprenticeship. When in doubt about an electrical contractor, a person should
contact their local electrical inspector.”
Unqualified electricians also raise concern because they usually under-bid
legitimate contractors, who employ highly trained, qualified electricians,
Mr. Chesley noted. “Giving
a construction project of any nature to a contractor just because he placed the
lowest bid for the job is never a good idea,” he said. “This is one
field where the phrase “you get what you pay for,” really holds true.
An unqualified electrician just starting a new business might be so eager to
gain customers, he or she will automatically give a rock-bottom estimate. But
such an estimate could include cutting corners in an unacceptable manner, including
utilizing inferior materials and employing unskilled labor, putting workers and
project at risk. That’s a risky trade-off, and people who hire such contractors
may end up paying more than they realized.”
NECA executives find the issue of unqualified electricians alarming because
the organization works to promote the highest standards of industry safety
and quality.
NECA has currently developed 26 electrical installation standards and continues
to produce and update standards every year. Contractor companies that belong
to NECA employ electricians who have successfully completed a five-year apprenticeship
training program which includes 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. To help
journeyman electricians keep up with the industry’s rapidly changing
technology, continuing education courses through the Quad Cities Electrical
Training Center are offered
on a continuing basis.
“
In light of the current situation, homeowners and business owners should do their
homework when they hire an electrician,” Mr. Chelsey said. NECA recommends
that anyone needing electrical work should look for the following qualifications
in an electrical contractor:
• Make sure they are a licensed and bonded contractor with the city where
the work is to be performed.
• Make sure they have at least five years experience in the trade, as a
journeyman.
• Find out where they received their training.
• Check with some of their past customers.
• Make sure they belong to a professional trade association.
“
If a contractor’s responses to those qualifications meet with your approval,
you can feel secure, knowing that you’ve hired an experienced professional
to work on the building where you live or do business,” Mr. Chelsey
said.
To visit the national NECA website, go to www.necanet.org.
Archives
|
