Mildred Said:

A test of your moral character?

We Answered:

Black and White...
It is a case of knowing the subject well. To see the world as the subject sees it... thus a clear choice!

Travis Said:

Can I become a power lineman with a red/green color deficiency?

We Answered:

I once worked with high voltage as an EE. Some of my co-workers have been color blind. At more than one company. It was usually against company policy, but it didn't seem to greatly affect their performance.

Complicated wiring systems can sometimes have very complicated wiring color schemes with multiple colors and even stripes. But these tend to be banks of computerized systems, and other low or relatively low voltage situations. Even for those not color blind, it's usually easier to trace the wire than guess what it is by color.

High voltage, especially the kind of very high voltage you are describing, situations are typically designed to be visually simple. Things tend to be clearly marked with multiple visual cues and simple color schemes. Typically you will see uniform conditions with simple solid (no stripes) wiring colors like red, black, white and green. But only a fool trusts his life to color clues and markings. Even if you are not color blind, you have to examine things to make sure that everything is as it should be and safe before you begin or finish work.

However, if you have trouble passing the color-blindness test this may be your hurdle. Some employers will test you, some won't. Some may not care if you pass or not. Some may pass on you if you fail. However, a lot of employers will just get you to sign forms saying you are physically qualified to work as part of the hiring process. This will include being able to lift a certain amount of weight and not being color blind among other things.

If you choose to keep your color blindness a secret, and many do, just make sure it stays a secret. If you ever get shocked, your employers can use your color-blindness to blame the accident on you and either deny you health benefits or even fire you. I have seen such things happen.

Red/green color blindness can be tough because electricians often use green for ground and red for a hot lead (at least in the US). Confusing these can create real problems and even dangers. EEs often use situation dependent color schemes depending on type of power (DC, AC, 3-phase) and how complicated the wiring needs to be. Some schematics will list wiring colors and some will not. But as long as you trace the wires and pay attention to what you are doing, you should be OK in most situations.

Jamie Said:

Any Color-Blind People?

We Answered:

A questions which is raised here quite often: Can you do any military or police jobs if you are colorblind? Most say yes, but I suppose it also depends on the place you take the entry tests.

I'm also colorblind (red-blind) and writing about it on my weblog. Maybe we can join forces .....