colour blindness ?

[clayton13]

Hi there, I just want to run a question past you guys, i want to start training as an electrician but i'm concerned about the rules regarding colour blindness, i am colour blind but i feel this shouldnt be a problem ( Should it ? )

Will i be asked to pass a colour blindness test at any point ?

Are there any colour blind electricians on this forum ?

Regards

Steve

 

[trev]

When I started serving my time I had to take a colour vision test, any hint of a problem would have meant me making another career choice because I would not have been allowed to follow the path I did.
Funny how times change.

 

[NickD]

thanks' i cant do the test on my tablet but i'm sure i can see the colour differences in the lines.

Means nowt if you don't complete the test. How do you know you're seeing them *right*? That's the whole point of faulty perception, you perceive things at odds to how they really are.

 

[Eddiesparks]

Not forgetting Red and Green and a host of others.

I've never seen a red and green conductor. Is that an earthed live?!

 

[uksparks]

You're screwed if you're wiring with singles though.

So long as you know the difference you can get along fine. I'm not bad enough to be dangerous, if I was unsure to the point it was 50/50 id ask someone's opinion.

 

[clayton13]

Means nowt if you don't complete the test. How do you know you're seeing them *right*? That's the whole point of faulty perception, you perceive things at odds to how they really are.

ha true, i'll try it on my main comp tomorrow, cheers

 

[NickD]

I've never seen a red and green conductor. Is that an earthed live?!

I have. The one on my bus route came back from Magaluf sunburnt and hungover last week.

 

[trev]

Please don't think I'm having a go at you mate because I'm not but what would happen if you were on your own on a job?

 

[Richo77]

I've been a spark for 19 years. I'm colour blind, never had a problem with electrical installation work. I found out after I finished my apprentiship. Wasn't until I applied for a job as an operator on an oil refinery and failed the medical I found out. I couldn't believe it!!!

 

[clayton13]

Colour Blindness Par se should not be an issue to you wanting to be an Electrician, if you can distinguish the colours you need to then your fine just always ensure you have good lighting, head torches etc for poor lighting conditions as this will be your weakness... Green/Yellow is striped now because green and red were often confused by people with some forms of colour blindness and we used to have a lad work for us and not once did it lead to problems ...he made mistakes but no more than anyone else on the learning curve.

Please ignore the arrogance of some responses thinking having colour blindness means you must be having a laugh wanting to be an Electrician TBH its shows more about their ignorance to the real world and hope you go for it and forget the worries.... only you will know if your form of Colour Blindness will be an issue but if you can distinguish all the colours we deal with from each other then your home free.

Thanks, i needed that :yesnod:

 

[uksparks]

I guess at the end of the day, you have lived with what you can see all your life no different to how anyone else knows colours. Personally I think you would probably have to be quite bad to not take it up as a career, like others say, only you know what you can see and how you identify the colours.

If you put a brown and red pencil next to each other, I can tell you which is which if I have a good look, but if they are on their own I can't.

 

[NickD]

Please don't think I'm having a go at you mate because I'm not but what would happen if you were on your own on a job?

Brew up and read the paper, obviously, same as the rest of us.

 

[Darkwood]

There are many levels of colour blindness and it may be the case that severe forms are tested for hence reflected in some comments but your interest in wanting to be a sparks indicates you are probably not hampered that way.
The colour blind test do check for different colour cone problems and some may well be a disadvantage like multi-cone deficiency where you are blind to many ranges of colours but again you will probably know what your problem areas are and if it will effect you.

 

[Lou7]

Some of the training schemes make you sit colour tests, my son is colour blind, we rang the local colleges, some made you do the test others didn't. The only job I've ever had to sit one was with BT. So I guess it's up to the employer.

 

[7029 dave]

When I went for an apprentership with Haydon Young years ago had to take colour test, failed, took one with BT passed, load of old rubbish never ever had a problem with seeing any colours bunched together or single!!.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I know two colour blind electricians and they do not seem to have any problems. They are both green/brown/red colour blind. They're both qualified so they must have either passed any test they were given or there was no test.

I think its more down to how colour blind you are, so its up to you to decide if its a problem.

If you do have to have a test then I suggest these EnChroma | Color For The Color Blind or just search for chromagen glasses.

Colour blind tests just get you to distinguish shapes or numbers, which you must have taken as a child. The above glasses dont help you to know what the colour is but they do enable you to see the difference between the colours enabling you to pass the test.

Good luck.

 

[fuel]

When I started serving my time I had to take a colour vision test, any hint of a problem would have meant me making another career choice because I would not have been allowed to follow the path I did.
Funny how times change.

This is exaxtly what i thought and was told several times in the past year, hene what i thought, and there are too many genuine wind-ups floating about here latley...

Ive learnt something today, i apologise and sincerely hope i havent offended you in any way Clayton13. Good luck to you and all the best for the future.

 

[Sintra]

I remember an old spark who was fine until they brought in the harmonised colours. He ended up taking early retirement due to it as he felt he had become a liability.

 

[Jaxo]

I would check this out properly before starting your apprenticeship.. ... I had an apprentice a about 6 years ago who got tested in his second year and was found to be colour blind (Although he already knew himself) and they told him he couldnt continue... 2 years wasted

 

[jaypp]

I bet there's an 'app' for identifying colours. If not, I'm gonna patent it!!:smile5:

edit: just googled this; colour identifier

already available!

 

[Silly Sausage]

I bet there's an 'app' for identifying colours. If not, I'm gonna patent it!!:smile5:

edit: just googled this; colour identifier

already available!

I worked on that colour coding 25 years ago when I was C programmer for a colour measurement type company.
Old hat!