3,000-plus electricians are at risk of losing their licenses

By The Star Staff

Expert Electricians Association of Puerto Rico (CPEPR by its Spanish initials) President Frances Berríos Meléndez said Monday that 3,031 workers in the electrical industry are at risk of losing their licenses due to noncompliance with the legal requirement of continuing education hours.

“Law 115 [of June 2, 1976], which regulates the profession, requires us to make public the names of the workers who will be referred to the Examining Board for noncompliance,” Berríos Meléndez said in a written statement. “After 15 days, these 3,031 colleagues will be notified in writing that they have been referred for license suspension. The Association’s certification constitutes sufficient evidence for the Board to take action on or before 60 days from our notification. During this process, the electrician has to show that he has caught up with his eight hours of statutory education. If this unfortunate situation materializes, we could have to deal with a country stranded in the middle of a historic process of energy transition and reconstruction.”

“We have a ministerial duty with our members, but more importantly, we have a high responsibility to the country’s public safety and compliance with Law 115,” the CPEPR president added. “People who are out of compliance are not up to date with the new and best energy practices in an industry that takes leaps and bounds and that is constantly changing every day. This endangers the health, safety, and well being of Puerto Ricans.”

Expert electricians, by provision of the law, must take their continuing education courses through the CPEPR.

Berríos Meléndez noted that expert electricians with suspended licenses may request their reinstatement in writing to the examining board within one year after the cancellation, beyond which they cannot be reinstated and the interested party will have to request a new license and take the revalidation exam again.