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What is a Boilermaker?

Ask most people, and the answers you may receive are a shot and a beer or a college football team from Indiana.
The answer you will read here is quite different.

Boilermakers are defined by the work they do.


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.


Boilermakers are highly skilled workers and receive excellent wages and benefits for their hard work.


What we do

We Build, Repair, and Maintain all types of:
  • Boilers
  • Pressure Vessels
  • Tanks
  • Industrial Pollution Reduction Systems

We Work In:

  • Clean Energy Technologies, including Green Hydrogen and Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS)
  • Nuclear Power Plants
  • Hydro-Electric Power Plants
  • Fossil Fueled Power Plants
  • Refineries
  • Chemical Manufacturers
  • Bitumen (oil sands) Processing Facilities
  • Steel Mills
  • Pulp and Paper Mills
  • Petroleum and Coal Producers
  • Shipbuilding

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).

Tasks Performed by Boilermakers

The following are typical on-the-job tasks a Field Construction Boilermaker can expect to encounter on the job:


  • Loading and unloading materials

  • Rigging materials for movement

  • Directing crane operators

  • Assembling/disassembling scaffolds and work platforms

  • Changing crane booms

  • Inspecting and caring for rigging accessories and equipment

  • Oxy-Fuel Burning and Arc-Gouging

  • Removing and replacing pressured and non-pressure components

  • Interpreting blueprints

  • Laying out components

  • Erecting support steel beams, columns, high/low-pressure components

  • Using various welding equipment and process

  • Aligning and fitting components


How to ApplyHow to Apply

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Training ScheduleTraining Schedule

ApplicationsApplicationsBecome an ApprenticeHow to Apply

External link opens in new tab or windowBNAP Welding Boot CampBNAP Welding Boot CampRegister HereRegister Here

sajac-boilermakers.org

Administered by the Employers engaged in Field Erection and Repair and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers


Support the Boilermakers National Apprenticeship Program.
Hire an apprentice.


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