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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => AC Power and Grounding => Topic started by: Jeremy Young on February 25, 2019, 05:30:08 PM
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This post is just an FYI for those who may be operating in BC Canada and who (like me prior to last week) were unaware of this certification program.
It seems that our local inspectors (BC Safety Authority) have prepared a certification program for those who work in Live Sound and theatres that bridges the gap between unregulated work and that which requires electrical tickets like the FE or LE. Seems like a great idea, except when you don't know it exists.
I'm currently applying to take the exam myself, but thought this information might be useful to someone else. For me it was mentioned by another local sound engineer, but had it been an inspector shutting down my show it would have been a very nasty surprise indeed.
LPEC - Live Performance Electrical Certificate (https://www.actsafe.ca/courses/live-performance-electrical-certificate/)
"The Live Performance Electrical Certificate (LPEC) is an industry training credential for workers who
perform temporary assembly and interconnection of plug-in wiring systems used in live performing arts,
trade shows, conventions, touring shows and festivals."
See their FAQ sheet for details.
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This post is just an FYI for those who may be operating in BC Canada and who (like me prior to last week) were unaware of this certification program.
It seems that our local inspectors (BC Safety Authority) have prepared a certification program for those who work in Live Sound and theatres that bridges the gap between unregulated work and that which requires electrical tickets like the FE or LE. Seems like a great idea, except when you don't know it exists.
I'm currently applying to take the exam myself, but thought this information might be useful to someone else. For me it was mentioned by another local sound engineer, but had it been an inspector shutting down my show it would have been a very nasty surprise indeed.
LPEC - Live Performance Electrical Certificate (https://www.actsafe.ca/courses/live-performance-electrical-certificate/)
"The Live Performance Electrical Certificate (LPEC) is an industry training credential for workers who
perform temporary assembly and interconnection of plug-in wiring systems used in live performing arts,
trade shows, conventions, touring shows and festivals."
See their FAQ sheet for details.
Thanks for posting this!
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Sounds much like the proposed Maryland law coming up before the responsible committee tomorrow (Mar 1. 2019). https://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,170194.0.html
BC requires 800 hours under a licensed person. Maryland is only requiring 3,000 hours. Oh, and MD requires the Low Voltage license to work with optical cable, too. Glass? Really? Especially in this arena, do we need that extensive experience? Is this not an example where one could test out?
Honestly, is this level of regulation and oversight really necessary? On one hand, most of what we Loungers do on a small stage are fairly obvious and low risk. On the other hand, I see smart people making dumb decisions i.e., cutting ground pins and cheaters, among other more dangerous "shortcuts".
Can we legislate and regulate out laziness and stupidity?
I'm thinking of the chilling effect on low/no budget community festivals and theater.
frank
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Hi Frank, I haven't admittedly been paying attention to the Maryland thread but I'll check it out before commenting on my thoughts on it. Thanks for sharing that here.
I just received a response from ActSafe that I am qualified to take the exam, so that means they are not terribly discriminating and it really is up to the person taking the course to qualify based on knowledge. Hopefully I can prove my knowledge in the exam. I wasn't able to get my former employer to sign off on my 800-hours since he is now deceased and I've been working freelance/solo ever since, but I plead my case and they made an exception for me.
It could have gone a different way and that might have changed my outlook on this whole regulation thing, but for now I'll say that safety should always be a top priority and any program that encourages training/certification like this should be a welcome addition to this industry.
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...and I passed with 95% on the exam! Hopefully that 5% I got wrong doesn't kill me. /satire *immediately knocks on wood*
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...and I passed with 95% on the exam! Hopefully that 5% I got wrong doesn't kill me. /satire *immediately knocks on wood*
I'm curious if you get feedback on what answers you got wrong. As a teacher, I think that's very important to a student correcting their knowledge errors.
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They don't, but this is from their FAQ section:
"After I take the exam, will I get a chance to review the questions I got wrong?
We’ve heard from many people who would like to see how they did on the exam, and most people have very good reasons for asking. Unfortunately, we can’t offer feedback because the test has to be applied consistently to assess the competency of all candidates fairly. We don’t change the test unless we are made aware of an error, so giving candidates information about their results compromises the test.
However, if you’ve failed the test twice and would like to study before you try it again, please call [omitted]. In those cases only, she can review your previous results. If the errors you made on the first two attempts fall into one or two knowledge areas, she can give you some general advice about what to study before you do the test again."
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I looked at the study guide a few days ago, and this could be a really great test for those of us south of the great white north.
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There were some questions that were NOT in the study guide, but overall it was a great program. At the very least, the study guide is a good thing to read for anyone in this industry.
That said, if I'd tried to take that test 5 years ago before reading a million of your posts and others on this forum I don't think I would have pulled off that grade. So tip of the hat to you sir, and everyone else who regularly contributes to these forums for the benefit of others.
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...and I passed with 95% on the exam! Hopefully that 5% I got wrong doesn't kill me. /satire *immediately knocks on wood*
I wonder if anyone has done a study to see if there is any correlation between electricians scores on their qualification exams and their life expectancy?
As much as we pick on being right to be safe, realizing that electricians only have to be right 75% of the time to qualify for a license makes one wonder.
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I wonder if anyone has done a study to see if there is any correlation between electricians scores on their qualification exams and their life expectancy?
At least for the Maryland Master Electrician test, there's a time limit with too many questions to spend enough time on each one. For example, the final 6 questions count 5 points each, but each one is a test in itself where you have to determine the size of the feeder transformer powering different building, such as an apartment complex, college dorm, commercial store front, etc. So I can spend maybe 10 minutes on each question max, and you have to show your work. If I was in the business of installing electrical power for apartment buildings (which I have never done, or plan to do) then I would spend a lot more than 10 minutes determining the size of the transformer based on the number of units in the building, number electric ovens, number of electric clothes dryers, air conditioning units, etc... If fact I would probably build an Excel spreadsheet with all the proper formulas and de-rating percentages, then plug in the number of apartment units and appliances to get the final KVA value. It might take me a few hours to build the spreadsheet once and test it, but after that it would be 5 or 10 minutes of plug & chug for each calculation. Plus I find a lot of information via a search on the pdf, which is really quick (and perhaps a little lazy on my part). But the written test requires you to use a physical copy of the book and mark it up with little tabs. That does help a lot, but realistically that not how I work nowadays.
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...and I passed with 95% on the exam! Hopefully that 5% I got wrong doesn't kill me. /satire *immediately knocks on wood*
FYI in the In the new maryland bill you can take the test and 70% is passing!!!!
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Good to know! FWIW, the passing grade for the LPEC exam is also 70%.