Structural Steel and Welding Trades Worker

Overview

Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers cut, shape, join and repair metal components of iron and steel structures, boilers, pressure vessels and pipes, ships and other vessels.

Day-to-day

• studying blueprints, drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
• selecting, cleaning and preparing metal stock
• cutting marked-out metal sections and shapes using hand tools, flame cutting torches and metal cutting machines
• shaping and bending metal sections and pipes using hand and machine tools, and by heating and hammering
• aligning parts to be joined using hand tools and measuring instruments
• joining metal sections using various welding techniques, bolting and riveting
• examining welds for width of bead, penetration and precision
• finishing products by cleaning, polishing, filing and bathing in acidic solutions
• cleaning and smoothing welds by filing, chiselling and grinding.

Considerations

• physically demanding
• working outdoors.