About This Career

Fabricates, positions, aligns, and fits parts of structural metal products.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Verifies conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
• Aligns and fits parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.
• Moves parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
• Studies engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
• Positions, aligns, fits, and welds parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
• Sets up and operates fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components.
• Tack-welds fitted parts together.
• Lays out and examines metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
• Lifts or moves materials and finished products, using large cranes.
• Removes high spots and cuts bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 50 lbs., sometimes up to 100 lbs. You will need a lot of strength at this level.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel