ForumElectric: Electrical forum, Electrical engineering, electrician, power plant, energetics, wires

je61 · Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 3

hey, i am a apprentice electrician
and i have a buddy that wants to become one too, but has a mild red-green color blindness
what i want to know is, is this legal for him to pursue a career in residential electrical? if so, safe? in my stint as an apprentice i never recaled a time when i had to differentiate between two similar red/green colors etc. which would prove difficult for him
thanks

yanici · Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 208

That's an interesting question. I remember taking the colorblindness test when I entered the military. If you were color blind, at that time, you couldn't be assigned to maintenance of electronic equipment. However, after reading the Massachusetts journeyman electrician licensing requirements, I see no restriction for it. I can see where it could be dangerous though.

CDN74 · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1

I have the same problem as your friend. I too have a mild green red colour blindness. However I am just finishing up my apprenticeship and I have NEVER run into any issues with it.

In fact I have never had a problem at any time in my life with colour blindness. I probably wouldn't even know I had it unless I had found out when I was doing med. tests for the military.

To tell your friend not to worry.

gabrielpacyna · Posted: 2007-10-12, 23:38

My friend electrician was probably, mild colourblind, but I can not surely tell that.
But he often asked me for a colour not to be mistaken. From him I learned how to connect any cable with several o more wires inside, without reading their numbers and often most black.
I do not need measure them to check out which is which. He had some methods, one of them told me. In fact they are simply and more surely, than signing all the wires of the both sides the cable and I use the method than colours, of course I recognize and always check the most important colours like blue and green-yellow but only to proove them. It is very important to replace old and long cable in machines for new. I have never mistaken in wires.
So sometimes not everything is that it means.
Gabriel
English, I know, forgive me.