View source for Plumber

{{Short description|Tradesperson specializing in water and sewage systems}}
{{about|the occupation}}
{{Infobox Occupation
| name           =Plumber
| image          = [[Image:Plumber at work.jpg|300px]]
| caption        = Residential plumber at work.
| official_names = 
<!------------Details------------------->
| type                 = [[Skilled trades|Vocational]]
| activity_sector      = Construction
| competencies         = 
| employment_field     = 
| related_occupation   =  [[Carpenter]], [[electrician]]
| average_salary       = 
| formation= [[Industrial Training Institute]] (ITI), [[Apprenticeship]]
}}

A '''plumber''' is a [[tradesman|tradesperson]] who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) [[water]], hot-water production, [[sewage]] and [[drainage]] in [[plumbing]] systems.<ref>Whitney, William D., ed.. "Trade." Def, 7. ''The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language'' vol. 8. New York. The Century Co. 1895. 6,415. Print.</ref><ref name="MichReport">[http://milmi.org/Portals/137/publications/Employment_Occupations_Skilled_Trades_Michigan.pdf Employment and Occupations in the Skilled Trades in Michigan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042545/http://milmi.org/Portals/137/publications/Employment_Occupations_Skilled_Trades_Michigan.pdf |date=2017-12-01 }}, Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives (June 2013).</ref>

==History==
{{Expand section|date=October 2023}}
The origin of the word  "plumber" dates from the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>Pulsifer, William H. [https://archive.org/details/notesforhistoryo00pulsrich Notes For a History of Lead], New York University Press, 1888 pp. 132, 158</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.etymonline.com/word/plumber |title= plumber (n.) |date=October 7, 2021 |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref>  Roman roofs used lead in conduits and drain pipes<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Px4XAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA821 Middleton, The Remains of Ancient Rome, Vol. 2, A & C Black, 1892]</ref> and some were also covered with lead; lead was also used for [[piping]] and for making baths.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121025509/http://www.ila-lead.org/factbook/annex.pdf Historical production and uses of lead]. ila-lead.org</ref> The [[Latin]]  for [[lead]] is ''{{lang|la|plumbum}}''.  In medieval times, anyone who worked with lead was referred to as a plumber; this can be seen from an extract about workmen fixing a roof in Westminster Palace; they were referred to as plumbers: "To Gilbert de Westminster, plumber, working about the roof of the pantry of the little hall, covering it with lead, and about various defects in the roof of the little hall".<ref name="plum1">{{cite book|title=The history of the ancient palace and late Houses of Parliament at Westminster|year=1836|publisher=J B Nichols and son|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DQc3AAAAMAAJ/page/n141 122]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DQc3AAAAMAAJ|author=EW Wedlake|author2=J Britton |access-date=28 June 2010|chapter=Westminster Palace}}</ref>

==Plumbing activities ==
[[File:Working underground.jpg|thumb|Plumber exiting a sewer via a manhole]]
Years of training and/or experience are  needed to become a skilled plumber; some jurisdictions also require that plumbers be licensed.

Common plumbing tasks and skills include:

* Reading drawings and specifications, to determine the layout of water supply, waste, and venting systems
* Detecting faults in plumbing appliances and systems, and correctly diagnosing their causes
* Installing, repairing and maintaining domestic, commercial, and industrial [[plumbing fixture]]s and systems
* Locating and marking positions for [[Pipe (fluid conveyance)|pipe]] connections, passage holes, and fixtures in walls and floors
* Measuring, cutting, bending, and threading pipes using hand and power tools or machines
* Joining pipes and fittings together using [[soldering]] techniques, [[compression fitting]]s, [[Threaded pipe|threaded fittings]], solvent weld, crimp and push-fit fittings.
* Testing pipes for leaks using air or water pressure gauges
* Paying attention, in all work undertaken, to legal regulations and [[Construction site safety|safety issues]]
* Ensuring that all safety standards and [[Building code|building regulations]] are met.

=== Australia ===
Plumbing work is defined in the Australian Standards (AS3500) Regulations 2013 and refers to any operation, work or process in connection with installation, removal, demolition, replacement, alteration, maintenance or repair to the system of pipes and fixtures that conveys clean water into and liquid waste out of a building.

To become a licensed plumber a four-year apprenticeship and a Certificate III in Plumbing is required. As part of this course, instruction in the basics of gas fitting will be undertaken. Upon completion, these basics in gas fitting will allow the plumber to not only apply for their plumbing license but also an interim gas license, and carry out gas work under the supervision of a fully qualified gas fitter.

To obtain a full gas license from the Department of Mines and Energy, the plumber will need to have worked on an interim gas license for a minimum period of twelve months and successfully completed a Certificate IV in Plumbing.

===Canada===
In Canada, licensing requirements differ by province; however, the provinces have pooled resources to develop an Interprovincial Program Guide that developed and now maintains apprenticeship training standards across all provinces. The [[Interprovincial Standards|Red Seal]] Program, formally known as the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, is a program that sets common standards to assess the skills of tradespeople across Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.red-seal.ca/about/pr.4gr.1m-eng.html|title = Red Seal Program}}</ref>  The Red Seal, when affixed to a provincial or territorial trade certificate, indicates that a tradesperson has demonstrated the knowledge required for the national standard in that trade.

=== Colombia ===
Plumbing is not regulated in Colombia, so anyone can provide this service. Plumbers usually learn the trade because their families work in the construction industry, and they specialize in this field, but anyone can legally offer plumbing services. The most popular training institution for trades is [[National Training Service (Colombia)|SENA]], a public school that provides high-quality education, though it is not mandatory.

=== Ireland ===
In Ireland, a four-year apprenticeship plus qualification exam was necessary for someone to practice professionally. Accreditation of businesses is of great help in order to show their credibility and experience in the job.

===United Kingdom===

National Vocational Qualifications ([[NVQ]]) remained the main form of plumbing qualification until they were superseded in 2008 by the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF)<ref>{{cite web | title =Plumbing Qualifications in the UK | publisher = Local Heroes | url =https://www.localheroes.com/advice/how-to-become-a-plumber| access-date =27 February 2018 }}</ref> and then again, in 2015, into the [[National qualifications frameworks in the United Kingdom]]. The terms NVQ and SVQ ([[Scottish Vocational Qualification]]) are still widely used.<ref>{{cite web | title =Plumbing Qualifications in the UK | publisher = Local Heroes | url =https://www.localheroes.com/advice/how-to-become-a-plumber| access-date =27 February 2018 }}</ref>

Plumbers in the United Kingdom are required to pass Level 2 and Level 3 vocational requirements of the [[City and Guilds of London Institute]]. There are several regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom providing accredited plumbing qualifications, including [[City and Guilds of London Institute]] and [[Pearson PLC]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Plumbing Qualifications in the UK | publisher = Local Heroes | url =https://www.localheroes.com/advice/how-to-become-a-plumber| access-date =27 February 2018 }}</ref>

===United States===

Each state and locality may have its own licensing and taxing schemes for plumbers. Some states license journeymen and master plumbers separately, while others license only master plumbers. To become licensed, plumbers must meet standards for training and experience, and in most cases, pass a certification exam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Become a Plumber |url=https://www.howtobecome.com/how-to-become-a-plumber}}</ref>  There is no federal law establishing licenses for plumbers.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 November 2016 |title=How to Become a Plumber in the USA |url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters.htm#tab-4 |access-date=1 November 2016 |publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref>

== Dangers ==

There are many types of dangers to a plumber. These include electric shock, strains and sprains, cuts and lacerations, bruises and  contusions, fractures, burns and scalds, foreign bodies in the eye, and hernias.<ref>[https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_1079_1952.pdf "Injuries  and  Accident  Causes in  Plumbing  Operations" United States Department of Labor. 1949]</ref> Working at height or in confined spaces, or working with lead and asbestos are all on-site dangers that plumbers can face.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.plumbermag.com/how-to-articles/site_safety_injuries_entry/9_hazards_plumbers_should_be_aware_of|title = 9 Hazards Plumbers Should be Aware of|date = 15 January 2018}}</ref>

===Infectious disease risks===
Plumbers risk infections<ref>[https://oem.bmj.com/content/69/2/140 "Infectious disease risks associated with occupational exposure: a systematic review of the literature" ]</ref> when dealing with human waste while repairing sewage systems. Microbes can be excreted in the [[Feces|faecal matter]] or [[vomit]] of the sufferer onto the toilet or sewage pipes. Human waste can contain infectious diseases such as [[cholera]], [[typhoid]], [[hepatitis]], [[polio]], [[cryptosporidiosis]], [[ascariasis]], and [[schistosomiasis]].

==Other uses==
The term "[[White House Plumbers]]" was a popular name given to the covert White House Special Investigations Unit established on July 24, 1971, during the presidency of [[Richard Nixon]]. Their job was to plug intelligence "[[News leak|leaks]]" in the U.S. Government relating to the [[Vietnam War]] (i.e. the [[Pentagon Papers]]); hence the term "plumbers".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=II. The Plumbers|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/05/kissinger-and-nixon-in-the-white-house/308778/|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=17 September 2013|quote=In the early evening of June 17, 1971, Henry Kissinger held forth in the Oval Office, telling his President, and John Ehrlichman and Bob Haldeman, all about Daniel Ellsberg. Kissinger's comments were recorded, of course, on the hidden White House taping system, and four years later, a portion of that tape was listened to by the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, which was then investigating the internal White House police unit known as the Plumbers.}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Pipefitter]]
* [[Piping]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Plumbing}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Construction overview}}

[[Category:Construction trades workers]]
[[Category:Industrial occupations]]
[[Category:Plumbers| ]]