Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Summary

Ironworkers prepare girder to be hoisted into place.

Quick Facts: Structural Iron and Steel Workers
2010 Median Pay	$44,540 per year $21.42 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Apprenticeship
Number of Jobs, 2010	59,800
Job Outlook, 2010-20	22% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	13,100

What Structural Iron and Steel Workers Do

Structural iron and steel workers install iron or steel beams, girders, and columns to form buildings, bridges, and other structures. They are often referred to as ironworkers.

Work Environment

Ironworkers perform physically demanding and dangerous work. They usually work outside in all types of weather. Ironworkers have one of the highest rates of injuries of all occupations.

How to Become a Structural Iron and Steel Worker

Although most ironworkers learn their trade through a formal apprenticeship, some learn informally on the job. Certifications in welding and rigging can be useful.

Pay

The median annual wage of structural iron and steel workers was $44,540 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of ironworkers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. The need to rehabilitate, maintain, and replace a growing number of older bridges is expected to drive employment growth, as will the ongoing construction of large projects, such as high-rise buildings. Job opportunities should be best in metropolitan areas, where most large construction projects take place.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of structural iron and steel workers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

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What Structural Iron and Steel Workers Do About this section

Ironworkers must adjust the position of beams.

Structural iron and steel workers install iron or steel beams, girders, and columns to form buildings, bridges, and other structures. They are often referred to as ironworkers.

Duties

Ironworkers typically do the following:

• Unload and stack prefabricated steel so that it can be lifted easily with slings
• Use a crane to lift steel beams, girders, and columns into place
• Stand on beams or girders to help position steel pieces that are being lifted
• Signal crane operators for positioning of the structural steel
• Align beams and girders into position
• Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of the structural steel
• Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts or by welding them into place
• Use metal shears, torches, and welding equipment to cut, bend, and weld the steel

Iron and steel are important parts of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Even though the primary metal involved in this work is steel, these workers often are known as ironworkers or erectors.

When building tall structures such as a skyscraper, ironworkers erect steel frames and assemble the cranes and derricks that move structural steel, reinforcing bars, buckets of concrete, lumber, and other materials and equipment around the construction site. Once this job has been completed, workers begin to connect steel columns, beams, and girders according to blueprints and instructions from construction supervisors.

As they work, they use a variety of tools. They use rope (called a tag line) to guide the steel while it is being lifted; they use spud wrenches (long wrenches with a pointed handle) to put the steel in place; and they use driftpins or the handle of the spud wrench to line up the holes in the steel with the holes in the framework. To check the alignment, they may use plumb bobs, laser equipment, or levels.

Structural steel generally comes to the construction site ready to be put up—cut to the proper size, with holes drilled for bolts and numbered for assembly.

Some ironworkers make structural metal in fabricating shops, which are usually located away from the construction site. For more information, see the profile on assemblers and fabricators.

Work Environment About this section

Ironworkers often must work at great heights and risk falling.

Structural iron and steel workers held about 59,800 jobs in 2010. About 85 percent were employed in the construction industry, and only 4 percent were self-employed. The following industries employed the most workers:

Ironworkers perform physically demanding and dangerous work. They usually work outside in all types of weather, and some must work at great heights. As a result, workers must wear safety devices, such as harnesses, to reduce the risk of falling.

Injuries

Ironworkers have one of the highest rates of injuries of all occupations. In fact, ironworkers experience several work-related deaths each year due to falls. In addition to falls, workers may experience cuts from sharp metal edges and equipment, as well as muscle strains and other injuries from moving and guiding structural steel.

Work Schedules

Most ironworkers work for a wage or salary for an employer; only 4 percent were self-employed in 2010.

Nearly all ironworkers work full time. Those who work at great heights do not work during wet, icy, or extremely windy conditions.

How to Become a Structural Iron and Steel Worker About this section

Most ironworkers learn their trade through a 3- or 4-year apprenticeship.

Although most structural iron and steel workers learn through a formal apprenticeship, some learn informally on the job. Certifications in welding and rigging can be useful.

Apprenticeship

Most ironworkers learn their trade through a 3- or 4-year apprenticeship. For each year of the program, apprentices must have at least 144 hours of related technical training and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training. Nearly all apprenticeship programs teach both reinforcing and structural ironworking. On the job, apprentices learn to use the tools and equipment of the trade; handle, measure, cut, and lay rebar; and construct metal frameworks. In technical training, they are taught techniques for reinforcing and installing metals, as well as basic mathematics, blueprint reading and sketching, general construction techniques, safety practices, and first aid.

After completing an apprenticeship program, they are considered journey workers who do tasks with less guidance.

A few groups, including unions and contractor associations, sponsor apprenticeship programs. The basic qualifications required for entering an apprenticeship program are as follows:

• Minimum age of 18
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Physical ability to perform the work

Certification

Many ironworkers become welders certified by the American Welding Society. Certifications in welding and rigging may increase a worker’s usefulness on the jobsite.

Education

A high school diploma is generally required. High school courses in math, shop, blueprint reading, and welding are useful.

Important Qualities

Balance. Because workers often walk on narrow beams, a good sense of balance is important to keep them from falling while doing their job. They also need excellent eyesight and depth perception to work safely at great heights.

Physical strength. Ironworkers must be strong enough to guide heavy beams into place and tighten bolts.

Stamina. Ironworkers must have endurance because they spend many hours on their feet while connecting heavy and often cumbersome beams.

Unafraid of heights. Some ironworkers must not be afraid to work at great heights. For example, as they erect skyscrapers, workers must walk on narrow beams at great heights while connecting beams and girders.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of structural iron and steel workers was $44,540 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,330, and the top 10 percent earned more than $80,030.

The starting pay for apprentices is usually between 30 percent and 50 percent of what fully trained ironworkers make. They get pay increases as they become more skilled.

Most ironworkers work for a wage or salary for an employer; only 4 percent were self-employed in 2010.

Nearly all ironworkers work full time. Those who work at great heights do not work during wet, icy, or extremely windy conditions.

Ironworkers have a higher rate of union membership than many other construction occupations. Although there is no single union that covers all ironworkers, the largest organizer of these workers is the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of ironworkers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. The need to rehabilitate, maintain, or replace a growing number of older highways and bridges is expected to drive employment growth, particularly because state and federal legislatures will likely continue funding these infrastructure projects.

In addition, steel is an important part of commercial and industrial buildings. The construction of these structures should create additional demand for ironworkers.

Job Prospects

Those who are certified in welding and rigging should have the best job opportunities. Those with prior military service are also viewed favorably during initial hiring.

As with many other construction workers, employment of ironworkers is sensitive to the fluctuations of the economy. On the one hand, workers may experience periods of unemployment when the overall level of construction falls. On the other hand, shortages of workers may occur in some areas during peak periods of building activity. Employment opportunities should be best in metropolitan areas, where most large commercial and industrial buildings are constructed.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For information about apprenticeships or job opportunities as a structural iron and steel worker, contact local structural iron and steel construction contractors, a local joint union–management apprenticeship committee, or the nearest office of your state employment service or apprenticeship agency. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor's toll-free help line, 1 (877) 872-5627, or Employment and Training Administration.

For apprenticeship information, visit

International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers

For more information about ironworkers, visit

Associated Builders and Contractors

Associated General Contractors of America