Ironworker
- Not to be confused with "steelworker", which refers to an employee in a steel mill.
 This bridge is a common job for an ironworker | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Construction |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Patience, steady hand, ability to read plans, physically strong |
Fields of employment | Construction site |
Related jobs | Carpentry, Laborer, Electrician |
An ironworker is an tradesman (man or woman) who works in the ironworking industry. Ironworkers erect (or even dismantle) the structural steel framework of pre-engineered metal buildings, single and multi-story buildings, stadiums, areans, hospitals, towers, wind turbines, and bridges.[1] Ironworkers assemble the structural framework in accordance with engineered drawings.[2] Ironworkers also unload, place and tie reinforcing steel bars (rebar) as well as install post-tensioning systems, both of which give strength to the concrete used in piers, footings, slabs, buildings and bridges. Ironworkers load, unload, place and set machinery and equipment and operate power hoists, forklifts, and aerial lifts. They unload, place and fasten metal decking, safety netting and edge rails to facilitate safe working practices. Ironworkers finish buildings by erecting curtain wall and window wall systems, pre-cast concrete and stone, stairs and handrails, metal doors, sheeting and elevator fronts. Ironworkers perform all types of industrial maintenance as well.[3]
Historically ironworkers mainly worked with wrought iron, but today they utilize many different materials including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, glass, concrete and composites.
History
Practically overnight, bridge carpenters became Ironworkers during the 1880s. It was seen as a new exciting job for Pioneers in America despite its dangerous drawbacks. For about two dollars per day, a worker would risk their lives on high structures.[4]
With the industrial revolution, the production of cast iron parts brought about the use of cranes. This heavy equipment was used in the early 1900s to construct high level structures. This new technology brought about a special form of trade workers called Ironworkers. They used the crane to lift steel girders into place, and used rivets to connect the girders to the columns of a structure. The mortality rate of men working in this trade was the highest of all trades, and the ironworker could be lucky to live 10 years without a serious or fatal injury. In the early 20th century, the International Union of Ironworkers would emerge out of concern for safety on-the-job and the lack of protection from employers. The Union's first order of business was to give widows of ironworkers 50 dollars to cover the costs of a funeral and to give disabled Ironworkers 5 dollars a week to compensate for lost wages. With the increase in benefits from Unionization, the Ironwork greatly increased its presence in numbers in the early 1900s. Approximately 10,000 workers were considered Ironworkers through the Union.[4]
In the early 1900s, the Ironworker wage was 40 to 50 cents an hour, and it rose to $1.37 an hour for a structural ironworker before dropping to $1.05 during the depression. However, 1940 and 1967 wages rose for structural, ornamental, and rebar ironworkers to $3.40 and $3.29 an hour. By 1970, iron worker wages reached $7.97. Then, they rose to $15.26 in 1980, and they reached $20.88 in 90's. Ironworker rates reached $24.15 an hour in 2002.[5]
Types
There are three main types of ironworks: reinforcing, structural, and ornamental.
Reinforcing ironworker
A reinforcing (rebar) ironworker, colloquially known as a "Rodbuster", works with reinforcing bars to make structures based on a certain design. Reinforcing ironworkers assemble structures with reinforcing bars by tying the bars together with tie wire. They place the rebar inside of forms, so concrete can be poured over top of them to form a solid structure. When reinforcing floors, concrete blocks are used to raise the rebar off of the deck, so no rebar can be seen underneath of the deck of the floor after the forms are stripped. In addition, ironworkers often have to cut the steel that they have for a job to fit into certain positions. For example, the rebar will have to be cut with a cutting torch, so it can fit around a drain. In some instances, welded wire fabric is used to help strengthen concrete; however, it is difficult to place this fabric in the concrete because it must be placed while the concrete is being poured into the forms.[6]
The average annual income for a reinforcing bar ironworker in residential construction is an average hourly wage of $23.59 in early 2009 and rebar ironworkers in commercial and industrial construction earn an hourly wage of $39.11.[7]
The typical tools of a reinforcing bar ironworker are pliers, tie wire reel, rod buster bag, and a rebar hook. The ironworker’s work pliers is the main tool of a reinforcing bar ironworker. The pliers cuts soft annealed rebar tie wire and twists the wire into place. The pliers have a hook bend handle, and a spring in between the handles for self-opening of the pliers. The pliers cut ACSR, screws, nails and most hardened wire. Also, the pliers is finished with a black oxide paint to resist rust on the tool. A tie wire reel is a lightweight aluminum alloy mechanism used for dispensing tie wire efficiently. A rod buster bag, a pouch, is a split-leather double bottom bag used for holding tools while they are not in use. A rebar hook is a hook made of solid steel that as a snap hook in front, and it fits onto a tool belt easily.[8]
In British English a reinforcing ironworker is a steelfixer. In the UK and Ieland the main tool used is the pincer-like nips.
Structural ironworker
Before construction can begin, the structural ironworkers put together the cranes that will be used to lift the steel columns, beams, and girders according to blueprints to erect a structure. To hoist the steel, structural ironworkers use cables connected to the crane to lift the beams onto the steel columns. A rope called a tagline is attached to the beams so an ironworker can control the beams if necessary. The crane hoists steel into place, and the ironworkers position the beams in place with spud wrenches to align bolt holes. Then, the beams can be bolted to the steel columns. This process is continued until there are no beams or columns left to construct the structure.[9] Structural ironworkers also erect joist girders, bar joists, trusses and install metal decking.
The average annual income for a structural ironworker in the early 2000s was 15.85 dollars per hour; however, a full time structural ironworker could make between 30 dollars per hour to 40 dollars per hour depending on the location of the work.[7]
The typical structural ironworker tools are the spud wrench, bolt bag, sleever bars, bull pins and beaters. The spud wrench is the most important tool of a structural ironworker because it serves dual purposes. It is a wrench to tighten bolts, and the opposite end of the wrench can be used to align holes of beams with columns. It is made from a steel alloy, and it has a smooth tapered end to easily align bolt holes on beams. The bolt bag is a heavy canvas bag used for storing bolts and nuts that erect a structure. A sleever bar is a steel alloy bar used to pry on beams to put them in place. A beater is forged steel head mallet with a lacquered hickory handle for beating on beams to help move them in place.[10]
Ornamental ironworker
Ornamental ironworkers install metal windows into structures, erect curtain walls and window wall systems that cover the steel, erect metal stairways, cat walks, gratings, ladders, doors of all types, railings, fencing, gates, metal screens, elevator fronts, platforms and entranceways. A variety of materials are used to make these structures, and this type of work is fastened by welding or bolting to the main structure. A common name for an ornamental ironworker is a finisher because they are responsible for finishing the structures after the structural and rebar work is done.[11]
The main wage rate for ornamental ironworkers ranges from $20.89 per hour to $27.01 per hour. The wages are adjusted according to the location of the work and the nature of the work.[12]
The main tool of the ornamental ironworker is an arc welder. According to ironworkers.org, welding and burning equipment are considered “tools of the trade.” However, any ironworker must be certified to weld on a project.[11]
See also
- 3D's
- Apprenticeship
- Construction worker
- Fabrication (metal)
- International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers
- List of metalworking occupations
- Vocational training
- Welding
Notes
- ^ Len F. Webster (1997), The Wiley Dictionary of Civil Engineering and Construction, Wiley-Interscience, ISBN 0471181153
- ^ M.Y.H. Bangash (2000), Structural Detailing in Steel, Thomas Telford, ISBN 0727728504
- ^ Ironworker Career Profile
- ^ a b "Our History". Ironworker. Union Ironworkers Local 512. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ "Wages". Union Ironworkers Local 55. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Structural and Reinforcing Ironworkers". Conley Hall Dillon. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ a b "#382 - REINFORCING-IRON WORKER". Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ "IRONWORKER'S TOOLS". Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Structural and Reinforcing Iron and Metal Workers". Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Structural Tools". Ironworker Gear. MonsterCommerce. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ a b "Ornamental Ironworkers". Ironworker. International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Ironworkers. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Wages". Construction. Retrieved 2009-04-05.