About This Career

Repairs, maintains, or installs electric motors, wiring, or switches.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Maintenance, Installation and Repair pathway.

A person in this career:

• Inspects and tests equipment to locate damage or worn parts and diagnoses malfunctions, or reads work orders or schematic drawings to determine required repairs.
• Reassembles repaired electric motors to specified requirements and ratings, using hand tools and electrical meters.
• Measures velocity, horsepower, revolutions per minute (rpm), amperage, circuitry, and voltage of units or parts to diagnose problems, using ammeters, voltmeters, wattmeters, and other testing devices.
• Repairs and rebuilds defective mechanical parts in electric motors, generators, and related equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
• Lifts units or parts such as motors or generators, using cranes or chain hoists, or signals crane operators to lift heavy parts or subassemblies.
• Records repairs required, parts used, and labor time.
• Disassembles defective equipment so that repairs can be made, using hand tools.
• Adjusts working parts, such as fan belts, contacts, and springs, using hand tools and gauges.
• Lubricates moving parts.
• Reads service guides to find information needed to perform repairs.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel