By Josephine Reid
Generally speaking, there are no particular tasks that require an electrical engineer to wear a lab coat or any particular uniform scrubs. An electrical engineer designs and develops new electrical equipment, solves problems and tests equipment. They work with all kinds of electronic devices, from the smallest pocket devices to large supercomputers.
Electrical engineering deals with electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics. It also covers power, control systems, telecommunications and signal processing. These engineers are usually concerned with large-scale electrical systems such as motor control and power transmission, as well as utilizing electricity to transmit energy. Electrical engineers may work on a diverse range of technologies, from the design of household appliances, lighting, and wiring of buildings, telecommunication systems, electrical power stations and satellite communications.
A lab coat, however, can be of use for storing useful items in the many pockets it provides. In the lab, where there can be a presence of some sort of chemical spills, lab coats can help protect from the potentially dangerous material. When properly used, lab coats provide protection of skin and personal clothing from incidental contact and small splashes, prevents the spread of contamination outside the lab (provided they are not worn outside the lab). Lab coats also are supposed to provide a removable barrier in the event of an incident involving a spill or splash of hazardous substances.
Overall, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical engineers develop, test and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment (such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems and power generation equipment).
Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems — from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPS). Their general day to day does not necessarily require the use of a lab coat.
