When people see City Light workers in action they most often are watching line workers
electrician journeymen and apprentices who are out in the neighborhoods
usually high above the ground,
maintaining and repairing the lines that carry power to homes and businesses.
What customers don’t see is another important group of electrical workers
who make sure there is power in those lines
Those workers are known as electrician constructors.
This group is responsible for maintaining and repairing the equipment
that helps distribute the power to customers.
Electricity is transmitted from one of the generation sources over high tension power lines at extremely high voltages.
This power needs to be stepped down through the use of transformers,
which range from large pieces of equipment located in substations
on down to the small cans that sit atop power poles and make the voltages usable
and make the power usable by household appliances.
The power is routed to and from these transformers via switches and circuit breakers.
The electrician constructors are the specialists that keep these important parts of the system up and running.
Much of the work is preventive maintenance, keeping the equipment from failing
Much of the work is preventive maintenance, keeping the equipment from failing
and causing customers to lose power from a mechanical failure.
Electrician constructors can be found working at one of the hydroelectric generation projects
inside at the electrical shop out of the elements,
or outside at a sub-station working in the rain or whatever else nature has in store on any particular day.
The constructors must master several skills,
ranging from operation of standard tools like wrenches and hammers
to heavy lifting equipment, like cranes and lifts or
sensitive metering devices.
In addition to hands on work, the constructors may also need to apply mathematical computations
and deciphering of maps and blueprints in their everyday work.
Great opportunity to do the full range of construction
You get to use your mind when it comes to electrical circuits
and the scheme of things, you have to have your head cut in because you’re working
with a lot of high voltages and you get to use your hands and your body
physically put in the electrical apparatuses it’s a great all around construction job.
Working in a substation can be dangerous work,
voltages can range from 26 thousand volts to 240 thousand volts.
However, electrician constructors follow a coordinated safety regime
that lets them go about their work safely.
About 80 % of our job is knowing how to de-energize equipment
so we can work on it. We don't work on it
in a high voltage state because voltages are too high.
Our main job is to de-energize things properly so no one gets hurt.
The work is coordinated with power dispatchers
at the system control center, the nerve center for City Light’s
thousands of miles of power lines and associated equipment.
While testing transformers, safety is important
not only to electrician constructors but also other people working in the same area.
This test is to insure the equipment can carry the designed load.
operate safely and will last the manufacturer's stated lifetime.
These transformers are scheduled to be installed in commercial buildings.
Others tested will go into substations, underground vaults, pad mounts and on top of power poles.
It's better to find a problem here than after a transformer has been installed in a building project.
Electrician constructors are trained through a four year apprenticeship training program.
This program not only trains but exposes the workers to the different kinds of jobs the utility has for them in the future.
As an apprentice I get to do a lot of outside rotations as well. It’s the best job there is.
This is a report by Seattle City Light.
