Work performed by boilermakers requires a high degree of technical skill and knowledge attained from years of experience and training.

Field construction boilermakers work on construction sites, sometimes at great heights or where working conditions may be hot or extremely cold. Boilermakers often operate potentially dangerous equipment, such as acetylene torches and power grinders. They also handle heavy parts and work from ladders and scaffolds or on top of large vessels. Boilermakers receive extensive safety training and wear personal protective equipment, including hardhats, harnesses, protective clothing, safety glasses and shoes, and respirators to reduce the chance of injuries. Boilermaker work is physically demanding and maybe in cramped quarters inside boilers, vats, or tanks. The size of materials, tools, and equipment handled by boilermakers require excellent physical strength and stamina.

Becoming a Boilermaker

• Work performed by boilermakers requires high technical skill and dedication to excellence.

• Field construction is an outdoor job, where Boilermakers work in all weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold.

• Boilers, dams, power generation plants, storage tanks, and pressure vessels are usually of mammoth size; therefore, a major portion of boilermaker work is performed at great heights, often from 200 to 1000 feet above the ground.

• Field construction and repair work is contract work; so, when the contract is completed, the job is ended. You may have to travel the territory of your local lodge or to other areas of the country and live away from home for long periods of time.

• The size of the materials, tools, and equipment handled by boilermakers requires excellent physical strength and stamina.

• To become a journeyman Boilermaker, an apprentice must complete 6000-hours of on-the-job training, forty-eight (48) online self-study lessons, 21 OJT Modules, and a minimum of 576 of classroom/shop instruction (144 hours a year).