Data / Pharma Electrician

conork92

Currently work as a Maintenance Electrician in the Facilities sector looking after offices , apartment blocks and health centres etc

Looking to get into the Data or Pharma area in the future as a Maintenance Electrician and just need more info from anybody who is currently working in these areas or has in the past .

What is your day to day work like , money , conditions etc . is it all just paperwork and checks

Are these roles hard to get into and are they worthwhile to get into

I'm currently studying Electrical Engineering as I feel this might give me a better chance

Any help or information would be great

Thanks

micks

IN data centres and Pharma you will have differing roles
- operations
- Maintenance

and in both these roles you will have day and shift rosters

Operations
- unlikely to be strictly electrical
- monitoring plant & equipment on BMS / DCS
- responding to alarms on same
- control and application of LOTO
- Control of permitting
- rounds/readings/checks
-Preventative maintenance work orders

Maintenance
- tends to be preventative and corrective maintenance


Salary <Mod snip: As per forum charter no posting rates. Thank you>

Electrical Engineer is a different role to an electrician
Might help you in some circumstances but in most circumstances its irrelevant

regards getting into either - there is no sure thing way to gain entry

I've spent the last 18 yrs in both

A lot MV experience got me into Pharma which then the pharma experience got me into Data Centre industry

Tuco88

I was on hire to pharmaceutical plant for a few years, so from my experience what helps a lot and handy to have...

Good at electrical Schematics, fault finding with motors/pumps, ATEX understanding.
Good instrumentation/Automation understanding.

Not much paperwork, all calibrations are done with CMX/maximo and work-orders done with SAP/TCX it will vary with plant's that's what I am used to.

Most of the time you will be at PM's, Like calibration's monthly checks testing of O/L Alarms, Emergency-lighting so on....

Isolation's and De-Isolation's(LOTO) and rest's of drives/alarms will be tossed in also.
Fault finding usually from new operators ha, and general repair.


I did find it to get very, very repetitive at time's doing Calibrations on TT's level switches, weights and the like gets dull after 3-4 months so I asked for a change, the Larger the plant the better IMO more of a variety/change.It can get very challenging at time's straight to heartbreak ridge kinda stuff.

Work conditions are very handy,It will probably ruin a good worker ha.
Pay is always decent in the Pharma side.

ATM I prefer projects, learning and getting the chance to work with stuff I have never done before. Id say presently the last 2 months Iv experienced more than 6 months in the Plant but the problems can be worse at times ha.

If you can get in with the full time company with all the perks and so on id go for it.

I can't help with the Data side.

2011

Mod note:
As per the forum charter, no posting of rates.
Thank you.

2011

+1 to the above posts.

conork92 wrote: »

I'm currently studying Electrical Engineering as I feel this might give me a better chance

Normally people study electrical engineering so that they can work as an electrical engineer. The role of an electrician compared to the role of an engineer is very different.

As a general rule engineers do not work on their tools whereas someone working as an electrician does.

The roles you are looking at are roles where employers invest in their staff in terms of training particularly in pharma. Potential employers may be reluctant to employ someone with an engineering degree in this role as they are far less likely to stay long term.