Can You Be Colourblind And Still Be An Electrician?
According to the BBC, more than 3 million Brits suffer with some form of color blindness. That’s a staggering number for such a small nation and yet many of these people are still able to pursue a career that one could be forgiven for thinking wasn’t possible. For example, being an electrician.
If you know anything about wiring then you’ll be familiar with the concept that different wires are denoted by different colours. When installing any type of electrical installation, you will need to make sure that these wires are fitted correctly to ensure safe and consistent use of the installation. However, if you’re colourblind, you can’t see those colours so wouldn’t installing electrics be impossible? That begs the question: can you be colourblind and still be an electrician?
It’s good news for anyone looking to become an electrician but who struggles with color blindness; at least for the most part. Owing to changes in the colours of modern wires, being colourblind isn’t as much of an issue as it would have been fifty years ago. However, there may be times that, as an electrician, you need to work with older installations and this can be challenging especially if you are totally colourblind.
Wiring that was made before the 1970s followed the same pattern; live wires were red, neutral wires were black and the earth wire was green. However, after this, the earth wire became green and yellow to help those who were colourblind. Fast forward to the early 2000s and even more changes were made.
What Is Colour Blindness?
The correct term for colour blindness is colour vision deficiency and it’s a relatively common condition that affects more than 3 million people in the UK alone. It is believed that, around the world, there are 300 million people suffering from this condition.
When a person is colourblind, they find it challenging to make a clear differentiation between certain colours. This isn’t usually all colours but there are some rare cases that a person is completely colourblind and does not see in colour at all. This condition is known as achromatopsia.
You’ll normally find that colour blindness is a hereditary condition so if one of your parents is colourblind then there’s a good chance that you will be too. However, this isn’t always the case and it’s not uncommon for the condition to present itself later in life.
While it may be frustrating, especially in terms of being able to do certain jobs, colour blindness is not normally something to worry about and certainly isn’t usually an indicator of a more serious problem.
Changes To Modern Wiring
As we have mentioned, in the 1970s a new colour system for wiring was introduced as a way of helping people who were colourblind. This meant that the previously green earth wire became green and yellow. This was useful since, for a lot of colourblind people, red and green are perceived to be the same which understandably caused confusion.
Further changes were made in 2004 to provide more assistance to colourblind electricians and the red wire was totally phased out. Instead, in modern installations, the live wire, or single phase wire now has a brown casing. Additionally, the previously black neutral wire is now blue. This is much easier for people with colour blindness so this condition shouldn’t affect your ability to follow your chosen career path.
Electricians Cannot Be Colourblind
It is a common misconception that you cannot become an electrician if you suffer from colour blindness. However, there are some limits on how you might be able to work your way towards becoming qualified. You see, if you intend to complete an apprenticeship then there is a colour blindness test that you will be required to take and pass. The good news is that this does not apply to people who are self-funding their apprenticeship. Nor does it apply to people who are completing other types of training such as Tech Certs or training to become a domestic installer.
This means that becoming an electrician is far more accessible than it once was when everyone was required to pass a colour blindness test. That said, it is a very wise idea to consider how your condition may affect your work and determine whether you will be able to complete jobs safely. In most cases, you will be dealing with modern wiring that comes in colours that will not be a problem for colourblind people. However, you may, from time to time, stumble upon old wiring which will be difficult, if not impossible for you to decipher. In the interests of your own safety and that of those you are working for, it’s best to avoid dealing with this old wiring.
Technology For Colourblind Electricians
If you have your heart set on becoming an electrician but find that your colour blindness gets in the way then all is not lost. There are smartphone and tablet apps that allow you to determine a colour without actually being able to see it yourself. You simply point your device at the colour you wish to know and it will accurately tell you.
While this is a handy feature to use as a guideline, we would never recommend relying solely on this as there is room for error which could put your safety at risk.
Recent Article: How Much Does It Cost For An Electrician To Install A Ceiling Light
Conclusion
Many people dream of forging a career as a successful electrician but if you are colourblind, you might think that you cannot follow this path. Fortunately, colour blindness is something that has already been dealt with and modern electrical wiring comes in colours that can be differentiated between by those who are colourblind.
That said, it’s important to keep in mind that you may sometimes be presented with wiring that predates the 1970s and this can be almost impossible to decipher. Moreover, if you are taking an apprenticeship, you will be required to pass a colour blindness test although, those who are self funding or taking other forms of training will not be required to do this.