An electrical contractor specializes in working with the electrical equipment, machines and wiring system. His area of work includes variety of sectors ranging from residential to commercial which have their specific needs and requirements. He has to come across various tasks including installation, maintenance, repairing and upgrading electrical wiring within older buildings as well. Either he can get a complete fresh project to take care of or a project initially completed by some other contractor. In any situation it is a prime duty of electrical contractor that he completely understands the need and structure of the project and delivers a high performance. And to be able to handle this important aspect of any sector, he must be a qualified and licensed according to the local regulatory standards and guidelines.

Aspiring electrical contractors are commonly trained through an apprenticeship program in electrical work which can be completed in four years or different depending on the guidelines issued by the local regulatory body. Some states may require a master electrician’s license before they can work as contractor. Almost every major city like Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver has certain rules for this and highly encourages this segment of employment. Although different states have different rules regarding the licensed work permit for an electrical contractor but the most common and basic elements essential for any contractor are – common aptitude and expertise towards electrical concepts and codes, an on-the-job training and apprenticeship, clearing the exam for certified license. But over all this, other personal traits which are highly required in a successful electrical contractor are the leadership quality, agility, calmness, eagerness to learn new and different methods etc.

They have a huge set of duties and responsibilities to cater to the contract laid between them and the customers. They are the professionals who install wiring and electrical system for homes, buildings, offices, factories etc. to give them electrical power. Their duties and responsibilities can be discussed in the below points.

• To begin with, their prime duty is to understand the building structure and needs according to which the electrical services and wiring systems can be laid down. Moreover, he needs to review the complete blueprint, panels and outlets which highly determines the building electrical system layout.
• After the full review, it is required that they develop their plan and layout of the electrical system which not only meets the customer requirement but also is in accordance with the industry safety rules and codes.
• One of their prime duties is to assemble, install, test and maintain electrical or electronic wiring system, equipment and apparatus using hand tool or power tool.
• It is very important to diagnose the malfunctioning systems, circuits and components to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem if any kind of complaint is triggered by their customers in their project.
• One of the other important responsibilities that they have to take care of this leading and managing their team. It is their prime duty that they select qualified and experienced professionals as team members and workers to meet up the industry requirements and who are well-versed with the installation, maintenance and repairing the electrical circuits and equipment.
• It is highly recommendable that they guide and advise the customers or the clients if they come across any hazardous or unsafe situation during the operation which can result in some dangerous results in a long run.
• Their work of area also includes maintenance duties including regular inspection of electrical equipment, electric circuits, replacing worn parts and repairing complex devices.
• They should also anticipate the unexpected events which mean that their plan should include expectation of something going wrong.  If this step id applied effectively then possible causes of failures or events that could alter the method of accomplishing the task could be thought beforehand. And also it is expected out of electrical contractors that they assess the complete project and identify all possible hazards. Although it is not possible to think of everything which can go wrong but if this step is taken then many unexpected things could be avoided.
• They also have to take care and maintain the record of all the resources, equipment and tools required and used during the project. This helps in avoiding the situations where the team run out required equipment or things get lost after the project.
• While assigning duties and responsibilities to the sub-ordinates or workers, it is highly required from the contractors that they assess people’s abilities and skills. According to workers’ capabilities, work should be assigned to them. Also, they should maintain the training and on-the-job reports of the sub-ordinates and workers. This will help in further assigning the tasks and polishing the skills.
• Part of being the best in the business includes that they also include all the safety features and monitor the operations including safety components.

Keeping the above points in mind, one can turn out to be a successful electrical contractor in the industry. Along with these points, one should continue to learn and excel in the current standard industry codes and technologies as this industry is continuously flourishing with the new concepts and codes along with magnificent opportunities.