Substation Electrician

When a person walks into a darkened house, they will likely want to flick a switch and flood the room with light. When that switch flick does nothing but make noise, and the room stays dark, the person may be incredibly upset. The job of a Substation Electrician is to keep the electricity flowing, so those lights can come on when asked.

If you’re a Substation Electrician, you perform inspections and routine maintenance of substations most of the time. You may have to climb up poles, or use a crane and bucket to get to some equipment. You test the electrical current using special hand tools, replace worn connections and fuses, and make sure the parts are well oiled. If you must shut down the electrical current to make your repairs, you notify your Supervisor, and then work as quickly as you can before the complaint calls come flooding in.

If a substation breaks, no matter what time of day or night, you’ll be called to make repairs. You throw switches in an attempt to isolate the problem, and then you test the current. You also replace wires, circuits, and breakers as needed.

After making repairs, you test the system to check if it’s functional. When you’re sure the system is safe, you direct your Supervisor to turn the flow back on.

As a Substation Electrician, you deal with wires that carry quite a bit of electricity, so you must be incredibly careful to avoid getting hurt as you work. You may invest in thermal underwear and thick hats for cold days, when you need to be outside in very cold and damp conditions.