Expert, instructed or layperson?
The qualification levels that determine who may do what in electrical work
Not everyone at an electrical system may do the same thing. The electrical safety rules, which are based on the European standard EN 50110-1 on the operation of electrical installations, operate with three qualification levels that determine who may perform which tasks — and who must not approach live parts at all.
§The three levels
| Level | Characteristic | What the person is allowed to do |
|---|---|---|
| Expert | Has education and experience to independently assess risks of electrical work | Perform and manage work on the installation and instruct others. |
| Instructed | Has received specific instruction from an expert for a specific, defined task | Perform precisely the task often under supervision or following a fixed procedure. |
| PLACEHOLDER_90 | Does not have special electrical knowledge | Must not work on or near energized parts |
§Why it matters for you as a student
When you start your apprenticeship you're typically an instructed person initially: you perform specific limited tasks under instruction from a qualified colleague. As you complete basic course safety training and main course practical work — including L-AUS and AUS — you move toward being able to function as qualified on more and more tasks.
§The law behind: electrical safety act and regulations
The legal basis is found in the electrical safety act and the associated regulations on safety for both execution and operation of electrical systems. They have replaced large parts of the previous high-voltage regulations and are administered by the Safety Authority, which is the authority that supervises electrical safety in Denmark.
- 01The Electrical Safety Act sets the overall framework.
- 02The regulations on safety during execution and operation unfold the concrete requirements
- 03EN 50110-1 provides the technical and practical basis behind the rules
- 04The Safety Authority supervises and can issue guidance
§An everyday example
Imagine an experienced colleague asks you to check the voltage on a particular field in a transformer station with a tested voltage meter. Because you have been specifically instructed in that exact task, you can carry it out as an instructed person — but you would not yourself be able to judge whether it is safe to open an entirely new field in the system without an expert being involved. That difference is the core of why the levels exist: tasks must be matched with the knowledge and experience that is actually necessary to assess the risk correctly.
Measuring equipment must be looked after
§PLACEHOLDER_91
PLACEHOLDER_92
In practice, you encounter lay people all the time — a resident who is curious about what you are doing at the cabinet in the garden, or a contractor from another trade working on the same building site. Being able to explain briefly and calmly why a particular area is cordoned off is just as much part of the trade as the electrical work itself, and it is something you practice throughout your apprenticeship.
“Knowing your place in the system — expert, instructed or layperson — is as important as knowing the technique behind the system.”