EnergySafe Magazine Spring 2015, issue 41 | Page 12

12

Electrical
news

Revised guidelines aid
supervision of apprentice
electricians
By Bronwyn Hellings, Customer
Service Technical Officer
A revised set of guidelines has been
developed to aid electricians and
electrical contractors supervising
apprentices during on-the-job training.
It is the responsibility of the supervising
electrician to provide effective supervision
of the apprentice.
Restrictions
In all cases, the supervising electrician
shall be responsible for carrying out isolation
procedures, confirmation of isolation,
compliance testing and commissioning/
energisation. Apprentices should carry out
these tasks, but only under direct supervision
and in the final stages of their apprenticeship
under the conditions below:
»» a third stage apprentice may carry out
basic fault-finding under direct supervision
»» a fourth stage apprentice may carry
out basic fault-finding under general
supervision, only if they are deemed
competent to do so
»» a fourth stage apprentice may carry out
advanced fault-finding and confirmation
of isolation under direct supervision.
Diversification of training
The level of guidance required by an
apprentice may be expected to gradually
diminish from direct supervision through
to general instruction, and then to a broad
direction over the stages of the apprenticeship,
as competency is attained and demonstrated
by the apprentice.
The level of competency directly
relates to the type of work being carried out.
A fourth stage apprentice who generally
works on domestic installations would not
necessarily be competent to work at the same
level on a construction or large industrial site,
and may require additional direct supervision
on the requirements when introduced
to these unfamiliar work sites. Therefore,
the supervising electrician must ensure the
apprentice is given adequate supervision
until it can be established that they
are considered as competent to perform
the task for a particular installation.
It is desirable for the apprentice to experience
a broad range of electrical installation work, to
ensure a balanced overall electrical knowledge
is obtained at the completion of training.
Direct supervision
The supervising electrician shall
provide specific and constant guidance
to the apprentice, closely liaising with

and monitoring the apprentice, and
continually reviewing the work practices
and the standard of the apprentice’s work.
The electrician shall be readily available
in the immediate work area, within audible
range (earshot) and where possible within
the visual range of the apprentice.

intervals throughout the day. The supervising
electrician shall provide the apprentice
with instruction and direction for the tasks
to be performed. They shall periodically
check and test the work being performed
and provide the apprentice with additional
guidance and assistance as required.

General supervision
The apprentice does not require specific
constant guidance from the supervising
electrician while performing familiar tasks.
However, the apprentice will still require
tangible face-to-face contact at regular

Broad supervision
The apprentice at this stage of training must
be able to demonstrate electrical knowledge
relevant to the task and will therefore not
need constant guidance from the supervising
electrician, while performing familiar tasks.