Playing with Electricity

Safety First

Out of all of the issues that have arisen about the division in low- and high-voltage work, safety and licensing stand out as key concerns.

With so many variations in state licensing requirements, how do business owners know the best route to take? Is it worth investing in training even if it's not required?

Electricians must also follow the National Electric Code.

"The state of Ohio has adopted the 2005 edition," says Johnson.

"Each individual political subdivision that has a registered building department must adopt the Code, as some in our trade area are using the 1999 code and some have adopted the 2002 code. While the code has a three-year cycle, changes are minimal with each edition, always providing for the minimum safety standard to high-voltage electrical installations."

Johnson points out that, currently, home automation has no such minimum standards that are agreed upon by installers and industry organizations.

"CEDIA, TIA, ETA, CEA, CABA, etc. all have their own certification programs, but no one has stepped up to provide a comprehensive minimum standard of low-voltage installations," he says.

"It is quite possible that your definition and mine could be different."

In S&S Electric's playing field, Florida has licensing requirements for installing any electrical system, high- or low-voltage.

However, there's a loophole that allows individuals to perform low-voltage work without a license, a legislative issue that Smith is trying to counteract.

According to Smith, the electrical inspector typically overlooks the low-voltage work and doesn't inspect it.

"However, more and more municipalities starting in the Miami and Orlando areas are starting to pay attention to the low-voltage installation in homes," says Smith.

Preparation Is Key

Bob Baird is a firm believer that safety is the bottom line.

As vice president of apprenticeship and training for Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. (IEIC), an association for merit shop electrical and systems contractors, he's responsible for the organization's national training programs for electricians and low-voltage technicians.

"We train low-voltage technicians to recognize electrical hazards since they're not trained to work on power electrical systems," says Baird. "There is a need for adequate training."

Baird has found that it's generally easier to train electricians in low-voltage work than to train low-voltage technicians in high-voltage work.

This is mostly because electricians are already trained in electrical theory and safety and know how to work around the other electrical and mechanical systems in the building.

"Low-voltage technicians are generally more specialized and have not had the broad training that is necessary to work on power electrical systems," he says.

Many of the technicians who are now working independently in low-voltage work once specialized in low-voltage work for a big company that provided a very controlled environment.

After losing their jobs to downsizing, many have become contractors working in general construction -- an environment that's not as controlled as they're used to. The dramatic shift of enviroments can often lead to competency issues.

Baird provides an example of how mistakes due to an untrained low-voltage worker can run in the thousands: A military base had multi-mode fiber optics cable installed. It tried to activate the system and it didn't work.

The contracting officer decided the system wasn't good enough and ordered it to be torn out. He called an industry expert in, but by the time he arrived they had already taken all the cable out.

The expert found that the cable was actually fine, but the technicians had terminated the multimode cabling with single-mode connectors.

In this example, $500,000 was lost because of lack of knowledge on the job, according to Baird.

Baird recommends that all electricians be trained in low-voltage.

"You can be the best in the world, but unless you know how to terminate Cat 5 cable, you won't do it properly. Unless you're trained in splicing and terminating multi-mode fiber, it won't work out," says Baird.

Most contractors are familiar with the various organizations that provide training on both the electrical and low-voltage side of this work. IEIC provides training in 38 states.

Manufacturers of low-voltage systems will also provide some degree of training.

"While there are variations between location to location and from instructor to instructor, you'll find the major organizations have nationally standardized systems and provide the best possible training," says Baird.