Skip to content
Menu

Electrician - residential

Residential electricians are responsible for the installation of electrical components as per the electrical blueprints or at the requirement of the house owner.

Task performed

  • material handling – items handled may range in weight
  • prepping wooden wall studs for wire installation
  • pulling wire
  • pulling wire through metallic/non-metallic conduits
  • assembling/installing light fixtures (rough-in/finishing phases)
  • installing wall plugs (rough-in/finishing phases)
  • installing breaker box panels (rough-in/finishing phases)
  • splicing wires (rough-in phase)
  • terminating wires (finishing phase)
  • conduit and Junction Box installation - connecting residential services
  • clean-up (sweeping, picking up waste materials)

Tools used

  • drills (cordless/electric)
  • pliers
  • wire cutters
  • knives, hammers
  • levels
  • screwdrivers
  • wrenches
  • saws (hand/electric)
  • measuring tape
  • vacuum
  • flashlight
  • crowbar
  • knock-out sets (foot/hydraulic/mechanical)
  • sledgehammer
  • grinder
  • allen keys
  • staple gun
  • shovel
  • powder-actuated tools
  • steel fish tape
  • tool box/belt
  • portable generators
  • flood lights
  • ladders

Personal protective equipment

  • safety glasses
  • hearing protection
  • hard hat
  • steel toed boots
  • gloves
  • overalls (optional)
  • knee pads (optional)
  • fall protection equipment (task-specific)
  • respiratory protection equipment (where required)
  • face shield (task-specific)

Critical physical job demands and other task requirements

Critical job demand descriptor

% of time the task is performed

Task

Constant >66%
  • standing
  • gripping of objects
Frequent 34%–66%
  • power grip with dominant hand
  • reaching below shoulder height
Occasional 5%–33%
  • lifting floor to waist and waist to chest
  • carrying of objects
  • bilateral power grip
  • climbing of stairs/ladders
  • balancing, kneeling and crouching
  • repetitive squatting
  • reaching above shoulder height
  • twisting

Suitable duties

  • goals must be clear, realistic and achievable
  • must have 'buy-in' from the worker
  • worker helps to set the goals, and must be answerable if goals are not met (this allows barriers to RTW to be identified at an early stage and obstacles overcome)
  • workers need to understand they have an obligation to participate in rehabilitation and RTW as per Section 232 of the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act).

Return to work suggestions

Worker can begin with light duties and include more tasks as their capacity for work changes. We'll work with all parties, including the treating medical provider, employer and worker to ensure everyone is aware of where the worker is with their rehabilitation and stay at, or return to work.

Note: some tasks are dependent on worker's injury and capacity, and some tasks may require the assistance of a co-worker.

Offsite

If the worker needs to take a break from work, their rehabilitation can still begin at home. Tasks can include:

  • video on safety issues can be viewed (lying in bed if injury type requires)
  • computer-based programs, CDs or DVD on work-related subjects
  • phone-based work
  • emails
  • training
  • other worksite inductions
  • checking or auditing paperwork, e.g. helping the WHSO audit lost time injuries (LTIs) for a six-month period.

Host employment

In the event an employer is unable to provide suitable duties, a host placement may be required. If this is the case, the worker may be placed at a different employer in a graduated return to work plan until they're able to 'upgrade' back to his/her pre-injury role with their pre-injury employer.

WorkCover Queensland's Recover at Work program places injured workers in short term host employment with employers who have an established track record of successful return to work outcomes with their own workers.