Master license holder

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elec24

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I work for a big company in the maintenance department and my department head has asked me to hold the Master's license for the company. Is anyone familiar with this situation and can you shed some light on any guidelines or repercussions this could have for my license? I am also interested in how much I should be asking for a raise if I hold the license. I would like to fully understand what is in involved with holding the license for a maintenance department as well as what it is worth. Not sure if they are willing to give me a raise but I'm curious what other people heard or know about the raise if any that should come with the responsibility. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
 
Your company is not a contractor but rather you work for maintenance in a plant, on a campus, or something of that nature?

Does the maintenance department make new installations or just fairly basic maintenance and repairs?

Does the maintenance department need to file for electrical permits on the projects they do? If so does a contractor or master license holder need to be the person that files?

I'd find out from licensing authority if you company even needs to have someone with such a license. Many places they only require journeyman level licensing for full time maintenance type electricians, and even if permits are required they can be filed by the owner and don't require a contractor or master to file. This only applies to work done at the plant, campus, etc. if you go out and do work for someone else that is contracting and a different ball game.
 
elec24 said:
I work for a big company in the maintenance department and my department head has asked me to hold the Master's license for the company.
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I am in similar situation. My boss was asking me if we need permit I will sign them. I told him I can not do that under company name because license seal is under my name. My company and my insurance. I will need to be payed extra. He reply “ I don’t understand “

Maybe someone here is more familiar wit this I am curious to.


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I had this from a very large hospital, I had put a resume in for the head maintenance job. I replied sure we can however we need to get my lawyer in here and it will very expensive. The head of HR didn't understand, even when the head of maintenance was in the interview with us said "your dealing with a Master, he has more credentials than I do and you have to pay to use them!". We never could come to terms so I moved on.
It's the Masters liability and he can only get $1mil. on a personal account, here any way, So he must become part of the Co. to be insured. Plus what your state/county/city has for input.
 
Funny how those that "don't understand" have no problem blaming you in a lawsuit when something goes wrong.
 
kwired said:
Your company is not a contractor but rather you work for maintenance in a plant, on a campus, or something of that nature?

Does the maintenance department make new installations or just fairly basic maintenance and repairs?

Does the maintenance department need to file for electrical permits on the projects they do? If so does a contractor or master license holder need to be the person that files?

I'd find out from licensing authority if you company even needs to have someone with such a license. Many places they only require journeyman level licensing for full time maintenance type electricians, and even if permits are required they can be filed by the owner and don't require a contractor or master to file. This only applies to work done at the plant, campus, etc. if you go out and do work for someone else that is contracting and a different ball game.
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I work for a large manufacturer with around 3000 employees. We generally fix and maintain machines as well as some minor new installations. I am also in charge of some electrical vendors that perform new installations as well. They will generally obtain the permit if the job requires it. We recently started an "M" class electrical apprenticeship program and my boss wants someone to hold the master's license and get involved with that as well.

I heard from a buddy in a similar situation that you can't do side work and the company has to insure you if you are the license holder. One person said its worth an extra 20K a year and another master electrician gets $6.00/hour extra to hold it for his company.
 
Looks cheap to me, $20k is $10hr.
$6hr is foolishness. I can do one side job and make over $250. ymmv.
 
elec24 said:
I work for a large manufacturer with around 3000 employees. We generally fix and maintain machines as well as some minor new installations. I am also in charge of some electrical vendors that perform new installations as well. They will generally obtain the permit if the job requires it. We recently started an "M" class electrical apprenticeship program and my boss wants someone to hold the master's license and get involved with that as well.

I heard from a buddy in a similar situation that you can't do side work and the company has to insure you if you are the license holder. One person said its worth an extra 20K a year and another master electrician gets $6.00/hour extra to hold it for his company.
Click to expand...

How can that company hold your license if license is under your name and you are not owner or co-owner (partner) of this company


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elec24 said:
I work for a large manufacturer with around 3000 employees. We generally fix and maintain machines as well as some minor new installations. I am also in charge of some electrical vendors that perform new installations as well. They will generally obtain the permit if the job requires it. We recently started an "M" class electrical apprenticeship program and my boss wants someone to hold the master's license and get involved with that as well.

I heard from a buddy in a similar situation that you can't do side work and the company has to insure you if you are the license holder. One person said its worth an extra 20K a year and another master electrician gets $6.00/hour extra to hold it for his company.
Click to expand...
I'd find out for certain what the laws of the electrical AHJ are. Here a journeyman could hold such a position, as long as all he is doing is supervising other electrical workers and not "contracting" The plant would be required to pull permits for work they do, but not for "maintenance". They would file a permit as the owner not as a contractor, and that journeyman supervisor could file the permit on behalf of the owner. Outside contractors brought in for a project have to file their own permits for any work they do.

Laws might be different where you are though, make sure what they are before you do anything related to this. If you are required to file permits under your name - that could open more liability to you and you should be paid more for that exposure.
 
romex jockey said:
I wonder if my contractors insurance provider would create a disclaimer for employment like this?

~RJ~
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I'm sure most would.

Rules may be different in some places, you only need insurance here if you actually are contracting. One can hold a contractor license and not be contracting.

One can have a contractor license and contract part of the time and work for an employer part of the time. Contractor insurance should only apply to the contracting activity and not the employment activity. In fact in the annual auditing they will look at activity and adjust premium according to that activity (the actual liability exposure) If you only had say $20k of receipts because you did this part of the time, your exposure is less, and so will be your premium than if you did this full time and had $500k in receipts. Type of projects you did and other details factor into premium some as well.
 
elec24 said:
I work for a big company in the maintenance department and my department head has asked me to hold the Master's license for the company. Is anyone familiar with this situation and can you shed some light on any guidelines or repercussions this could have for my license? I am also interested in how much I should be asking for a raise if I hold the license. I would like to fully understand what is in involved with holding the license for a maintenance department as well as what it is worth. Not sure if they are willing to give me a raise but I'm curious what other people heard or know about the raise if any that should come with the responsibility. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

You can hold the masters for the company. You can also pull a maintenance permit for one year at a time in MA to cover all your work that you do. Document every bit of work that you do. I would recommend that you pull permits under the maintenance permit and send them in for all the work that you do. If the company subs work out (YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHER COMPANY PULLS A PERMIT FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO.) You will be responsible for the work that goes on while you hold the masters and that will be there for life. Even if you leave the company your name is on it and if something should happen any parties involved could come after you. Just remember if you hold the masters everyone else is working for you and you are responsible for there mistakes if they are made.
 
69gp said:
You can hold the masters for the company. You can also pull a maintenance permit for one year at a time in MA to cover all your work that you do. Document every bit of work that you do. I would recommend that you pull permits under the maintenance permit and send them in for all the work that you do. If the company subs work out (YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHER COMPANY PULLS A PERMIT FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO.) You will be responsible for the work that goes on while you hold the masters and that will be there for life. Even if you leave the company your name is on it and if something should happen any parties involved could come after you. Just remember if you hold the masters everyone else is working for you and you are responsible for there mistakes if they are made.
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Is this reply based on laws where you or OP is located? If so that is fine, otherwise as I have already stated, one of the first things to do is find out exactly what the laws are. Even if the licensing AHJ doesn't require some of the things mentioned here, some liability may still fall on your shoulders or the company may at least try to put some blame on you and sue you should something bad happen and you maybe need to talk to an attorney as well to help you with making decisions on how to proceed.

If you are going to be subject to a higher liability risk then you really need liability insurance for it, that alone justifies some increase in pay.

A carefully written employment contract might be necessary to help ease up on any liability you may be subject to. Gross negligence is always going to be a losing battle if that comes into play, and insurance may not pay those incidents either.
 
kwired said:
Is this reply based on laws where you or OP is located? If so that is fine, otherwise as I have already stated, one of the first things to do is find out exactly what the laws are. Even if the licensing AHJ doesn't require some of the things mentioned here, some liability may still fall on your shoulders or the company may at least try to put some blame on you and sue you should something bad happen and you maybe need to talk to an attorney as well to help you with making decisions on how to proceed.

If you are going to be subject to a higher liability risk then you really need liability insurance for it, that alone justifies some increase in pay.

A carefully written employment contract might be necessary to help ease up on any liability you may be subject to. Gross negligence is always going to be a losing battle if that comes into play, and insurance may not pay those incidents either.
Click to expand...

Most of what I said is law. The part about documenting all the work you do and pulling a permit to supplement the maintenance permit that needs to be pulled is not required. Just when something does happen lawyers add everyone to a lawsuit and drop people off if its not related to the case. As for other contractors on the job. I always tell them to make sure they pull a permit. You have 3 days in MA to pull a permit after work starts. If I am the primary electrical contractor and you don't pull a permit in time I am on the phone to the wiring inspector.

The reason why is if something does go wrong and I am the only one that pulls a permit then they are only coming after me. And I am not going to be responsible for someone else's mistakes.
 
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