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What is low-voltage vs. high-voltage, when is authorization required, and what documentation should you have in order?
The name of the education contains an important point: low voltage. Most of what you work with as an electrician runs on low voltages — circuit boards, signals, controls and communication. But you move in a field where the rules for electricity, safety and documentation are strict and you need to know them.
Put simply, low current is about the low voltages used for electronics, signals and communication, while high current is the electricity that powers installations in buildings and drives heavy equipment. As an electrician you work mostly on the low current side, but you must understand when a task crosses over into high current — then different, stricter rules apply.
Authorisation is Official Permission to Perform Certain Types of Electrical Work. Certain Electrical Installations May Only Be Performed By or Under an Authorised Company. Most Electronics Work Falls Outside the Actual Authorisation Requirements, but the Moment a Task Touches Authorised Electrical Installation, It Must Be Handled According to the Rules. If in Doubt, Ask Your Master — It's Never Wrong to Check.
Before you are allowed to start the main course, a number of safety certificates must usually be in place. The specific requirements are set in the course regulations and can change, but in practice most electronics apprentices encounter these types:
One of the rules that is quite special for electronics deals with static electricity, ESD. A small shock you barely feel can destroy a sensitive component. That is why you work with grounding straps, ESD mats and controlled materials. It is not a law in the classical sense, but an industry standard you are expected to follow carefully — and it is typically part of your training from day one.
“The rules are not to make the job difficult – they are so that you and those around you come home whole.”