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CAREER
Boilermakers
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$65,360
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+0.9% (little or no change)
Most Common Level of Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Career
What Boilermakers Do
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.
Other Job Titles Boilermakers May Have
Boiler Maker, Boiler Mechanic, Boiler Repairman, Boiler Service Technician, Boiler Technician, Boilermaker, Boilermaker Mechanic, Boilermaker Pipe Fitter, Boilermaker Welder, Service Technician
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.
- Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
- Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.
- Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- Bolt or arc weld pressure vessel structures and parts together, using wrenches or welding equipment.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Boilermakers
Most common level of education among people in
this career: High school diploma or equivalent (58%)
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Associate's degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Majors Related to Career
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
