What counts as medium and high voltage?
The National Electrical Code puts its line at 1000 volts ac or 1500 volts dc. In the 2023 edition, Article 305 covered wiring methods for systems above that level. The 2026 edition moved the over-1000-volt rules into their own articles in Chapter 2. On the job, people call distribution-class work from a few thousand volts up to the 30 kV range medium voltage. Transmission voltages sit above that. The national cable splicing certification covers shielded cable from 2.1 kV to 35 kV, and that is a good working picture of the medium voltage trade.
What does the work look like?
There are three main lanes. Cable splicers and terminators join and terminate shielded power cable in vaults, manholes, substations and plants. They use pre-molded, heat-shrink and cold-shrink kits, hand-taped splices, and sometimes old paper-insulated lead-covered (PILC) cable. Testing technicians check switchgear, breakers, transformers, relays and cable, then decide whether the equipment can stay in service. Senior testers also do power switching. Line and substation crews build and maintain the utility side.
The employers fall into the same groups. They include electric utilities, specialty electrical contractors, underground distribution and network maintenance crews, construction contractors, and industrial plants. NETA Certified Technicians must be employed by a NETA Accredited Company, so testers who want NETA certification work for these independent testing firms. Many federal agencies write splicer certification into their construction contracts, so a certified splicer has an edge on government work.
How do you qualify?
No national license exists for high voltage work. You need three things: a solid electrical trade foundation, a recognized credential for your specialty, and employer training that meets OSHA. Most people get the foundation through a union or open-shop electrical apprenticeship or a lineman program. Then they move toward splicing or testing.
For splicing, the National Cable Splicing Certification Board runs the certification. IBEW, NECA, IEC and the NJATC are all members. You need at least two years of experience splicing and terminating shielded cable from 2.1 kV to 35 kV. You then sit a written core exam of about 100 multiple-choice questions. After that comes a practical exam, where examiners watch you splice or terminate cable in the category you picked. For testing, NETA defines four levels. Level 1 is an employer-examined trainee grade, and NETA certifies Levels 2, 3 and 4 by exam. You have to be working for a NETA Accredited Company.
What safety rules apply?
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 covers work on generation, transmission and distribution equipment. To count as a qualified employee, you need training in five areas. You must be able to tell exposed live parts from other parts and determine the nominal voltage. You must know the minimum approach distances for your voltages and how to keep them. You must use the right PPE, insulating materials and insulated tools, and you must recognize and control the hazards. A phone or radio does not make a ground worker qualified.
Your employer has to check at least once a year that you follow these work practices. If you are not complying, if equipment or procedures change, or if a task is outside your normal duties, you must be retrained. OSHA treats any task you do less than once a year as needing retraining before you do it. Training also covers emergency procedures such as pole-top and manhole rescue.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. Ranges are the 25th to 75th percentile for high voltage testing work, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data for May 2025 moved to 2026 with a wage index. State figures are modeled, and specialty, overtime, travel and union status move the figure. Refer to the High Voltage & Testing salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Electrical trade foundationMost high voltage workers come up through an electrical or lineman apprenticeship before they specialize in splicing, testing or substation work.
- OSHA qualified employee trainingUnder 29 CFR 1910.269(a)(2)(ii), your employer must train you in live-part recognition, voltage determination, minimum approach distances, PPE and insulated tools, and hazard control.
- Splicing experienceThe NCSCB medium voltage certification requires at least two years splicing and terminating shielded power cable from 2.1 kV to 35 kV.
- Splicer examsYou sit a written core exam of about 100 multiple-choice questions, then one practical in kits, hand-taped splices or PILC cable.
- NETA Level 2 (testing)Requires 40 hours of safety training, 160 hours of electrical training and two years of related experience. You then pass a 100-question, two-hour exam with a score of 410 or more on a 200 to 500 scale.
- High school diploma or GEDThis is the stated prerequisite for NETA Level 1 trainee, the entry point into electrical testing.
How to get there
- Before you startFinish high school or a GEDThis is the stated minimum for a NETA Level 1 trainee and the usual entry requirement for apprenticeships.
- Apprenticeship yearsComplete an electrical or lineman apprenticeshipBuild your general trade skills and your safety habits. Ask for crews that do underground distribution, substations or plant medium voltage work.
- Early careerSpecialize in splicing or testingSplicers log work on shielded cable. Testers join a NETA Accredited Company as Level 1 trainees and work under a Level 3 or Level 4 technician.
- After 2 yearsEarn NCSCB splicer certification or NETA Level 2Splicers need two years at 2.1 kV to 35 kV. NETA Level 2 needs two years of related experience and 200 hours of training.
- Year 5+Move to NETA Level 3Requires five years of experience and 64 hours of safety plus 400 hours of electrical training in total. Level 3 technicians supervise juniors and perform power switching.
- Year 10+Reach NETA Level 4 senior technicianRequires ten years of experience and 104 safety hours plus 600 electrical hours in total. Level 4 technicians run large projects and multiple crews.
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Questions people ask
Is there a high voltage electrician license in the US?
There is no single national high voltage license. Most workers hold a trade background, a specialty credential such as NCSCB splicer certification or NETA certification, and employer training that meets OSHA 1910.269.
What voltage counts as high voltage under the NEC?
The NEC treats systems over 1000 volts ac or 1500 volts dc as a separate class with their own articles. The 2026 edition moved those rules into dedicated articles in Chapter 2.
How long before I can get certified as a cable splicer?
The NCSCB medium voltage certification asks for at least two years of experience splicing and terminating shielded power cable between 2.1 kV and 35 kV. You then pass a written exam and one practical exam.
Can school count toward NETA experience?
Yes. Two or more years of technical education in an electrical field counts as up to one year of related experience at each NETA level.
Who decides if I am a qualified employee under OSHA?
Your employer does. It must train you in the 1910.269(a)(2)(ii) skills and check your work practices at least once a year. If you are not following the rules, or the equipment or procedures change, you must be retrained.
How much do high voltage testing workers earn?
The modeled US median is about $106,600 a year. The middle half earns roughly $84,700 to $123,100. Oregon, California and Washington sit near the top.
Sources
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.269 Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution
- eCFR: 29 CFR 1910.269
- OSHA: Interpretation on qualified employee requirements under 1910.269
- InterNational Electrical Testing Association: Technician Certification
- electrical training ALLIANCE: Cable Splicing Certification
- NFPA: NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (2026)
- NFPA: 2026 NEC public input submittals, Article 305 scope
