Insider Info

Electricity is your friend.

Want to toast something? You have to plug the toaster into the outlet. Addicted to surfing the Internet? Your device needs juice before you can go anywhere. Although you can't see or hear it, electricity keeps your lights bright and your household happily chugging along.

Yet there is a downside to electricity -- it can be dangerous. People can be hurt or killed from electrical shocks. Luckily, electrical inspectors are there to inspect wires, amps and loads -- and ensure that the power of electricity is safely harnessed.

"Safety is very important. If something is not done correctly, I have to know why and inform the electrician that the job cannot pass inspection until it is corrected. If I make a wrong decision, someone can get hurt or killed," says Mary-Beth Hull, an electrical inspector in New York.

With her experience, she understands the benefits of electricity -- and its dangers. "My job is important because it keeps people safe."

Hull grew up around electricity. Her father was an electrician and taught her everything she knows. Dedicated to her electrifying career choice, Hull worked as an electrician for 10 years before embarking on her electrical inspector career.

"I became an electrical inspector because I enjoy working with electricity and working with people," Hull says. She inspects anywhere from one to 20 structures a day. "I inspect pools, hot tubs, sheds, garages, offices. Anywhere there is electricity, we inspect it."

As a woman, Hull is in the minority -- most electrical inspectors are male. "[Being] female in a field that's 99 percent male is a challenge," she admits. Despite the challenge, Hull has discovered the key to working in her male-dominated field.

"Be yourself. You can't walk in with a 'I am woman, hear me roar' attitude, because you won't get very far. At the same time, you can't let them intimidate you."

In her time as an electrical inspector, Hull has quickly earned the respect of her supervisor and co-workers. What's her secret? Admitting her mistakes and standing up for what she believes in -- and what she knows is right.

"If you find something wrong on a job, stand your ground. If a mistake should occur, don't be embarrassed or ashamed. Learn from your mistakes," she advises.

Another inspector also has a family connection to the field.

"My dad was a contractor, and I developed this huge fear of the inspector when I used to hang out on the site with him as a kid," says Sheldon Dewhurst of Austin, Texas.

"When the inspector was coming, I always had to stay out of the way because everybody was getting things ready for the inspection. As a result, I figured these inspector-people must be really bad guys."

As Dewhurst got older and entered into the electrical trades himself, he learned how important electrical inspectors are to contractors.

"The contractor and the electrician both benefit from the inspections because the electrical inspector ensures the contractor that the electrician has done the job, and the electrician has somebody to double-check his work," says Dewhurst. "Nobody wants to do a bad job, to build a bad house."

As an apprentice electrician, Dewhurst quickly learned respect for the electrical inspector in his area. In fact, it was his admiration for this inspector that got him thinking about a career as an electrical inspector before he'd even received his journeyman electrician's certificate.

"I was always really amazed by his knowledge of the code, because he didn't see it as black and white. He always had a solution for an electrical problem and was always there to help," says Dewhurst.

It was this willingness to help and share knowledge that impressed Dewhurst the most.

"I remember hearing about a private builder, somebody building his own home, doing his own electrical work. It didn't pass the rough inspection, so this old inspector went back to the house at the end of the day and helped the builder get the wiring right."

When Dewhurst realized he could help people by being an electrical inspector, he set his sights on this career and never looked back. In fact, Dewhurst got his first inspection position six years after becoming a certified electrician. In doing so, he became the youngest electrical inspector in his state.

"I was anxious to be in a position to help people, I guess. When I was a kid my parents always said I should be a social worker, because I was always cleaning kids up after fights or bringing somebody home for lunch because he didn't have one."

Dewhurst was looking forward to the chance to follow in his mentor's footsteps when he started his inspection career. After his first day on the job, he had more admiration for the old inspector than ever before.

"I did six inspections in six hours, spent about two hours of that in transit, talked to what seemed like a thousand people and wrote up a million reports. I was just devastated. I thought this job was nothing like I thought it would be."

However, Dewhurst quickly learned to juggle his hectic schedule and even found time to offer advice at the occasional site.

"It's nice to be able to get to know a few of the people you're dealing with on a regular basis. Most of the sites I go to are contractors who know the drill, so the inspection goes smoothly and we have time to talk about the next stage of wiring," says Dewhurst.

Although his favorite part of the job is the interaction with other people, Dewhurst admits it can be tough dealing with builders, electricians or contractors who don't want to change anything about the electrical wiring job they've done.

"On occasion, I run into a contractor or electrician who tries to cut corners or a private builder who doesn't know the code. I have to tell them to clean up their electrical work, and they're not too happy with me. They take it personally and forget I'm not enforcing these rules for my own enjoyment," says Dewhurst.

He says he's only ever run into three really difficult characters. "One offered me a bribe and then threatened to blackmail me when I declined, one chased me with a hammer, and one called the city and said I'd sabotaged his wiring job."

In spite of these little bumps, Dewhurst says his career as an electrical inspector has been smooth sailing so far.

"It's a really rewarding career because you have this great chance to help people -- not just the contractors or the private builders, but also the people who live and work and depend on these buildings to have safe electrical power," says Dewhurst.

Another inspector agrees.

Doug McLaren works for a big electrical utility company and says it's very satisfying to assist in eliminating electrical fires and fatalities. "I want everyone to have a safe electrical environment," he says.

For those young people considering the field, McLaren offers this advice:

"One, have good skills for dealing with people. Two, know the electrical codes you are enforcing. Three, have a knowledge of the electrical industry as well as the codes. Four, be able to empathize with the person doing the electrical work. Five, be self-motivated because you'll work on your own most of the time."