Career profile for Boilermaker

What does a Boilermaker do?

Boilermakers construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries.

In addition, Boilermakers

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 kind of tasks does a Boilermaker perform regularly?

Boilermakers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

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.
Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.
Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers, using hand tools.
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.
Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
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.
Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.
Install refractory bricks or other heat-resistant materials in fireboxes of pressure vessels.
Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.

The above responsibilities are specific to Boilermakers. More generally, Boilermakers are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Controlling Machines and Processes		Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
Performing General Physical Activities		Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment		Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Controlling Machines and Processes

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Performing General Physical Activities

Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment

Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.

What is a Boilermaker salary?

The median salary for a Boilermaker is $65,360, and the average salary is $67,430. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Boilermaker salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Boilermakers earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Boilermakers earn less than $39,620 per year, 25% earn less than $53,240, 75% earn less than $81,150, and 90% earn less than $99,920.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Boilermakers is expected to change by -1.3%, and there should be roughly 1,300 open positions for Boilermakers every year.

Median annual salary: $65,360
Typical salary range: $39,620 - $99,920
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): -1.3%

What personality traits are common among Boilermakers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Boilermaker are usually higher in their Realistic interests.

Boilermakers typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Boilermaker tend to value Support, Relationships, and Independence.

Most importantly, Boilermakers strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Second, Boilermakers moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Lastly, Boilermakers moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Boilermakers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, attention to detail, and initiative.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Boilermakers, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence		Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Achievement/Effort		Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

What education and training do Boilermakers need?

Boilermakers often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Boilermakers usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Boilermakers

11.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
53.8% completed high school or secondary school
27.2% completed some college coursework
4.9% earned a Associate's degree
2.8% earned a Bachelor's degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Boilermakers

Boilermakers may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as design, mathematics, or building and construction knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Boilermakers might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Production and Processing		Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Important Abilities needed by Boilermakers

Boilermakers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Boilermakers need abilities such as problem sensitivity, arm-hand steadiness, and finger dexterity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Boilermakers, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Finger Dexterity		The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Control Precision		The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Critical Skills needed by Boilermakers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Boilermakers frequently use skills like operations monitoring, operation and control, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Boilermakers, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Operations Monitoring		Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control		Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Equipment Maintenance		Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Quality Control Analysis		Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

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