This unit of competency has been developed for Engineering Tradesperson – industrial electrician apprenticeship training and the recognition of trade-level skills in finding and rectifying faults in electrical circuits and equipment.

It covers safe fault finding testing and procedures in a range of electrical circuits and equipment as well as the rectification of those faults in accordance with the relevant standards.

This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to meet the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC).

Essential Performance Capability (EPC) classified as ‘critical’:

EPC 54 – Demonstrate the knowledge and skills for diagnosing and rectifying faults in electrical apparatus and associated circuits.

Some jurisdictions require the holder of this unit to be licensed or certified and users should check with the relevant authorities.

Band: A

Unit Weight: 4

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria on at least two (2) occasions and include:

following work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safe work practices

identifying and interpreting circuits, drawings and specifications relevant to the work to be undertaken

determining the electrical and non-electrical isolation requirements to prevent the creation of hazards linked from the loss of machine/system/process control according to established procedures

using lock out tag procedures with appropriate tags/signs

proving electrical isolation and following established safety rules prior to working on electrical equipment or wiring

ensuring all electrical equipment and tools are tested and tagged and up to date

applying methodical diagnostic techniques and using safe working practices to fault find electrical circuits and equipment

using test equipment, including the use of multimeters, cathode ray oscilloscopes (CROs), signal/function generators and power supplies in diagnosing faults in electrical circuits and equipment

taking measurements and compare the results to the calculated value

dismantling, repairing and replacing faulty components and equipment using appropriate hand and power tools and engineering techniques

carrying out electrical tests for continuity and insulation resistance tests on single and three-phase appliances and equipment

repairing faulty electrical installation circuits, components and wiring to comply with relevant standards

retesting according to regulatory and legislative requirements

documenting all reasons and remedial action taken in accordance with SOPs.

Evidence required to demonstrate the required knowledge for this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include knowledge of:

safe work practices and procedures and use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

fault finding techniques, including:

visual inspection

signal injection and measurement

half split rule and component isolation

interpreting wiring and equipment circuits, drawings and specifications

test equipment for diagnosing faults including multimeters, ammeters, voltmeters, continuity testers, wattmeters and tong testers

specialised alternating current (AC) test equipment, including:

CRO and its operating features, interpreting a CRO screen, dual trace CROs and its advantage over a single trace CRO and CRO applications

signal, function generators and power supplies and their operating features and applications when fault finding AC circuits

diagnostic techniques, including testing for voltage, current, frequency, polarity, phase, circuit continuity, insulation resistance and earth continuity

wiring faults, including short circuit, open-circuit, high resistance, breakdown in insulation resistance, residual current device (RCD) tripping, transposition of conductors, earthing, loose connections and corrosion

power distribution, lighting control, signal and data, motor control and package unit control circuits

lighting faults, including switching, lamp holders, ballast, starter, capacitor, igniter, transformer, loose connections, poor contact, corrosion and lighting management systems

equipment faults in the following single-phase appliances:

hand held power tools, fridges, microwaves, hot water systems, TV’s, motors, air conditioning units, air compressors, portable pumps, pedestal drills, lathes, bench grinders, motors, fans and fan motors

equipment faults in the following three-phase appliances:

variable speed drives (VSDs), fan and pump motors, freezer units, welding machines, heaters, general commercial kitchen equipment, generators, air conditioning units, air compressors and air blowers

mechanical faults in motors, including bearings, fans, bent shaft, locked rotor, blocked air vents, centrifugal switches, slipping belts and environmental factors.

Assessors must:

have vocational competency in fault finding, testing and rectifying electrical circuits and equipment at least to the level being assessed with relevant industry knowledge and experience

satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 and comply with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 or equivalent legislation covering VET regulation in a non-referring State as the case requires.

Where possible assessment must occur in operational workplace situations. Where this is not possible or where personal safety or environmental damage are limiting factors, assessment must occur in a sufficiently rigorous simulated environment that reflects realistic operational workplace conditions. This must cover all aspects of workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.

Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

This section describes those required skills (reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy) that are essential to workplace performance in this unit of competency.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Maintenance and diagnostics