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Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.

Related: Electrical & Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, & Relay Electricians Helpers--Electricians Hoist & Winch Operators Telecommunications Line Installers & Repairers

Industries: Utilities Construction Government

Summary
Details

Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches.
String wire conductors and cables between poles, towers, trenches, pylons, and buildings, setting lines in place and using winches to adjust tension.
Identify defective sectionalizing devices, circuit breakers, fuses, voltage regulators, transformers, switches, relays, or wiring, using wiring diagrams and electrical-testing instruments.
Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduit running through the trenches.
Clean, tin, and splice corresponding conductors by twisting ends together or by joining ends with metal clamps and soldering connections.
Splice or solder cables together or to overhead transmission lines, customer service lines, or street light lines, using hand tools, epoxies, or specialized equipment.
Attach cross-arms, insulators, and auxiliary equipment to poles prior to installing them.
Install watt-hour meters and connect service drops between power lines and consumers' facilities.
Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas.
Travel in trucks, helicopters, and airplanes to inspect lines for freedom from obstruction and adequacy of insulation.
Cut trenches for laying underground cables, using trenchers and cable plows.
Cut and peel lead sheathing and insulation from defective or newly installed cables and conduits prior to splicing.
Splice or solder cables together or to overhead transmission lines, customer service lines, or street light lines, using hand tools, epoxies, or specialized equipment.
Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites.
Coordinate work assignment preparation and completion with other workers.
Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate and identify problems, using reading and testing instruments.
Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches.
Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate and identify problems, using reading and testing instruments.
Dig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment.
Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs.
Replace or straighten damaged poles.
Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment.
Dig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment.
Test conductors, according to electrical diagrams and specifications, to identify corresponding conductors and to prevent incorrect connections.
Trim trees that could be hazardous to the functioning of cables or wires.
Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
Install watt-hour meters and connect service drops between power lines and consumers' facilities.
Clean, tin, and splice corresponding conductors by twisting ends together or by joining ends with metal clamps and soldering connections.
Place insulating or fireproofing materials over conductors and joints.

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

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

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.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
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.
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.
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.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
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.
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.
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.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
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.
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.
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.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
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.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

More than 1 year on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

125710/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

60.44/hr

Currently Employed

2,460

Yearly Projected Openings

220

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
Integrity
Dependability
Self Control
Cooperation
Persistence

Air compressors
All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled
Ammeters
Articulating boom lift
Augers
Awls
Backhoes
Bench vises
Blocks or pulleys
Bolt cutters
Boring machines
Cable clamp and staple
Cable reels
Circuit breakers
Circuit tester
Circuit tracers
Conduit benders
Conventional truck cranes
Detection apparatus for non metallic objects
Drill bit set
Dump trucks
Dynamometers
Ear plugs
Electrical insulators
Electrical power sensors
Electrical resistance or conductance sensors
Extension pole
Facial shields
Fiber optic test sources
Fire blankets
Fire extinguishers
Fire retardant apparel
Fish tape
Flares
Flatbed trailers
Forklifts
Fuse pullers
Gas detectors
Gas generators
Gin pole and accessories
Goggles
Grab hooks
Grounding devices or assemblies
Grounding hardware
Hacksaw
Hammers
Hand drill bit for wood
Hand reamer
Hard hats
Hazardous material protective apparel
Heat tracing equipment
Hex keys
Hoists
Hydraulic press frames
Hydraulic shears
Jacks
Ladders
Laser printers
Levels
Lifelines or lifeline equipment
Lifting hooks
Lifts
Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
Linemans pliers
Lug crimping tool dies
Mask or respirators filters or accessories
Measuring wheels for distance
Megohmmeters
Mill saw file
Multimeters
Needlenose pliers
Nut drivers
Ohmmeters
Oscilloscopes
Pad or keyhole saw
Personal computers
Phasemeters
Pick or place robots
Picks
Pipe wrenches
Platform lift
Plumb bobs
Pneumatic drill
Pneumatic hammer
Potentiometers
Power chippers
Power drills
Power saws
Power screwguns
Power trimmers
Pressure or steam cleaners
Protective gloves
Pry bars
Pullers
Punches or nail sets or drifts
Recreational motorboats
Reflectometers
Safety boots
Safety harnesses or belts
Safety shoes
Saws
Scaffolding
Screwdrivers
Shovels
Skid steer loaders
Sledge hammer
Slings
Slip or groove joint pliers
Snowmobiles or snow scooter
Socket sets
Soldering iron
Spades
Specialty wrenches
Spot welding machine
Strap wrenches
Stripping tools
Tampers
Telescoping boom lift
Tongs
Torque wrenches
Traffic signals
Trenching machines
Two way radios
Utility knives
Voltage or current meters
Water pumps
Wheel bulldozers
Wheel chocks
Winches
Wire cutters
Wire lug crimping tool
Wire or cable cutter
Wood chisels

Computer aided design CAD software
Electronic mail software
Geographic information system
Inventory management software
Mobile location based services software
Office suite software
Spreadsheet software
Video conferencing software
Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

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