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Find Local Unions In Your Area
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Sheet Metal Workers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
What you'll do
- • Construct components for high-performance wind turbine systems.
- • Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- • Fasten roof panel edges and machine-made molding to structures, nailing or welding pieces into place.
- • Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices.
- • Inspect individual parts, assemblies, and installations for conformance to specifications and building codes, using measuring instruments such as calipers, scales, and micrometers.
- • Install green architectural sheet metal components, such as cool roofs or hot or cold walls.
- • Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building's water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
- • Perform sheet metal work necessary for solar panel installations.
- • Secure metal roof panels in place, and interlock and fasten grooved panel edges.
- • Verify that heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed, installed, and calibrated in accordance with green certification standards, such as those of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Abilities you need to have
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Roofers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.
What you'll do
- • Apply gravel or pebbles over top layers of roofs, using rakes or stiff-bristled brooms.
- • Apply modular soil- and plant-containing grids over existing roof membranes to create green roofs.
- • Apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption.
- • Attach solar panels to existing roofs, according to specifications and without damaging roofing materials or the structural integrity of buildings.
- • Glaze top layers to make a smooth finish or embed gravel in the bitumen for rough surfaces.
- • Install attic ventilation systems, such as turbine vents, gable or ridge vents, or conventional or solar-powered exhaust fans.
- • Install layers of vegetation-based green roofs, including protective membranes, drainage, aeration, water retention and filter layers, soil substrates, irrigation materials, and plants.
- • Install skylights on roofs to increase natural light inside structures or to reduce energy costs.
- • Install solar roofing systems that have energy-collecting photovoltaic panels built into roofing membranes, shingles, or tiles.
- • Punch holes in slate, tile, terra cotta, or wooden shingles, using punches and hammers.
Abilities you need to have
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Pipefitters/Plumbers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Assemble, install, or repair pipes, fittings, or fixtures of heating, water, or drainage systems, according to specifications or plumbing codes.
What you'll do
- • Calculate costs or savings for water- or energy-efficient appliances or systems.
- • Compile information on governmental incentive programs related to the installation of energy or water saving plumbing systems or devices.
- • Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools.
- Determine sizing requirements for solar hot water heating systems, taking into account factors such as site orientation, load calculations, or storage capacity requirements.
- • Install alternative water sources, such as rainwater harvesting systems or graywater reuse systems.
- • Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters.
- • Install, test, or commission solar thermal or solar photovoltaic hot water heating systems.
- • Perform domestic plumbing audits to identify ways in which customers might reduce consumption of water or energy.
- • Recommend energy or water saving products, such as low-flow faucets or shower heads, water-saving toilets, or high-efficiency hot water heaters.
- • Weld small pipes or special piping, using specialized techniques, equipment, or materials, such as computer-assisted welding or microchip fabrication.
Abilities you need to have
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- • Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Elevator Constructors
About the job
Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
What you'll do
- • Assemble electrically powered stairs, steel frameworks, and tracks, and install associated motors and electrical wiring.
- • Assemble elevator cars, installing each car's platform, walls, and doors.
- • Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms.
- • Connect car frames to counterweights, using steel cables.
- • Cut prefabricated sections of framework, rails, and other components to specified dimensions.
- • Install electrical wires and controls by attaching conduit along shaft walls from floor to floor and pulling plastic-covered wires through the conduit.
- • Install outer doors and door frames at elevator entrances on each floor of a structure.
- • Operate elevators to determine power demands, and test power consumption to detect overload factors.
- • Participate in additional training to keep skills up to date.
Abilities you need to have
- • Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- • Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- • Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Laborers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
What we do
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
What you'll do
- • Apply weather-stripping to reduce energy loss.
- • Identify, pack, or transport hazardous or radioactive materials.
- • Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
- • Perform building weatherization tasks, such as repairing windows, adding insulation, or applying weather-stripping materials.
- • Perform construction laborer duties at green building sites, such as renewable energy plants or wind turbine installations.
- • Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
- • Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
- • Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
- • Transport or set explosives for tunnel, shaft, or road construction.
- • Use computers or other input devices to control robotic pipe cutters or cleaners.
Abilities you need to have
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Plasterers
About the job
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
What you'll do
- • Apply insulation to building exteriors by installing prefabricated insulation systems over existing walls or by covering the outer wall with insulation board, reinforcing mesh, and a base coat.
- • Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco.
- • Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.
- • Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.
- • Cure freshly plastered surfaces.
- • Install guide wires on exterior surfaces of buildings to indicate thickness of plaster or stucco and nail wire mesh, lath, or similar materials to the outside surface to hold stucco in place.
- • Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing.
- • Mold or install ornamental plaster pieces, panels, or trim.
- • Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere.
- • Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls or ceilings.
Abilities you need to have
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Masonry
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. Lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.
What you'll do
- • Construct and install prefabricated masonry units.
- • Dig trench for foundation of monument, using pick and shovel.
- • Drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes.
- • Lay brick to build shells of chimneys and smokestacks or to line or reline industrial furnaces, kilns, boilers and similar installations.
- • Line interiors of molds with treated paper and fill molds with composition-stone mixture.
- • Position mold along guidelines of wall, press mold in place, and remove mold and paper from wall.
- • Remove sections of monument from truck bed, and guide stone onto foundation, using skids, hoist, or truck crane.
- • Repair cracked or chipped areas of stone or marble, using blowtorch and mastic, and remove rough or defective spots from concrete, using power grinder or chisel and hammer.
- • Replace broken or missing masonry units in walls or floors.
- • Smooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools.
Abilities you need to have
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Carpenters
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
What you'll do
- • Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces.
- • Cut and bind material.
- • Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.
- • Draw building diagrams and record dimensions.
- • Fasten metal treads across door openings or where carpet meets flooring to hold carpet in place.
- • Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method.
- • Measure, cut and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall.
- • Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding.
- • Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.
- • Take measurements and study floor sketches to calculate the area to be carpeted and the amount of material needed.
Abilities you need to have
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- • Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Operating Engineers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
What you'll do
- • Compile cost estimates for jobs.
- • Drive tractor-trailer trucks to move equipment from site to site.
- • Operate compactors, scrapers, or rollers to level, compact, or cover refuse at disposal grounds.
- • Operate conveyors to remove grit and debris from digesters.
- • Operate road watering, oiling, or rolling equipment, or street sealing equipment, such as chip spreaders.
- • Perform specialized work, using equipment such as pile drivers, dredging rigs, drillers, or concrete pumpers.
- • Push other equipment when extra traction or assistance is required.
- • Talk to clients and study instructions, plans, or diagrams to establish work requirements.
- • Test atmosphere for adequate oxygen or explosive conditions when working in confined spaces.
- • Turn valves to control air or water output of compressors or pumps.
Abilities you need to have
- • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- • Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Painters
About the job
Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.
What you'll do
- • Bake finishes on painted or enameled articles, using baking ovens.
- • Cut stencils and brush or spray lettering or decorations on surfaces.
- • Mix and match colors of paint, stain, or varnish with oil or thinning and drying additives to obtain desired colors and consistencies.
- • Polish final coats to specified finishes.
- • Remove old finishes by stripping, sanding, wire brushing, burning, or using water or abrasive blasting.
- • Select and purchase tools or finishes for surfaces to be covered, considering durability, ease of handling, methods of application, and customers' wishes.
- • Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
- • Spray or brush hot plastics or pitch onto surfaces.
- • Use special finishing techniques such as sponging, ragging, layering, or faux finishing.
- • Waterproof buildings, using waterproofers or caulking.
Abilities you need to have
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Electricians
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.
What you'll do
- • Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
- • Construct or fabricate parts, using hand tools, according to specifications.
- • Direct or train workers to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- • Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets.
- • Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors.
- • Perform business management duties, such as maintaining records or files, preparing reports, or ordering supplies or equipment.
- • Perform physically demanding tasks, such as digging trenches to lay conduit or moving or lifting heavy objects.
- • Provide assistance during emergencies by operating floodlights or generators, placing flares, or driving needed vehicles.
- • Provide preliminary sketches or cost estimates for materials or services.
- • Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
Abilities you need to have
- • Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- • Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- • Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Ironworkers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.
What you'll do
- • Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
- • Catch hot rivets in buckets and insert rivets in holes, using tongs.
- • Dismantle structures or equipment.
- • Drive drift pins through rivet holes to align rivet holes in structural steel members with corresponding holes in previously placed members.
- • Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
- • Force structural steel members into final positions, using turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, or hand tools.
- • Hold rivets while riveters use air hammers to form heads on rivets.
- • Insert sealing strips, wiring, insulating material, ladders, flanges, gauges, or valves, depending on types of structures being assembled.
- • Place blocks under reinforcing bars used to reinforce floors.
- • Unload and position prefabricated steel units for hoisting as needed.
Abilities you need to have
- • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Insulators
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Apply insulating materials to pipes or duct work, or other mechanical systems in order to help control and maintain temperature.
What you'll do
- • Apply, remove, and repair insulation on industrial equipment, pipes, ductwork, or other mechanical systems such as heat exchangers, tanks, and vessels, to help control noise and maintain temperatures.
- • Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic.
- • Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments or cement mortar.
- • Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials.
- • Install sheet metal around insulated pipes with screws in order to protect the insulation from weather conditions or physical damage.
- • Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers, and to regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
- • Prepare surfaces for insulation application by brushing or spreading on adhesives, cement, or asphalt, or by attaching metal pins to surfaces.
- • Read blueprints and specifications to determine job requirements.
- Remove or seal off old asbestos insulation, following safety procedures.
- • Select appropriate insulation such as fiberglass, Styrofoam, or cork, based on the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of the material.
Abilities you need to have
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Boilermakers
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**NOTE: the salary numbers in the video are low due to including residential and non-union trades and do not reflect the wages earned by union trades workers. Refer back to the tab titled ‘What’s In It For Me?’ for union pay ranges.
About the job
Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.
What you'll do
- • Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
- • Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.
- • Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers, using hand tools.
- • Install refractory bricks or other heat-resistant materials in fireboxes of pressure vessels.
- • Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- • Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.
- • Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.
- • Shape seams, joints, or irregular edges of pressure vessel sections or structural parts to attain specified fit of parts, using cutting torches, hammers, files, or metalworking machines.
- • Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.
- • Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
Abilities you need to have
- • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- • Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- • Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.