Welders

Nature of work

Welders join, cut or shape metal using a variety of welding processes and equipment. This group also includes machine operators who use previously set up production welding, brazing, and soldering equipment. They work for companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft and ships and other metal products, and by welding contractors and welding shops, or they may be self-employed.

Job duties

Welders:

• Read and interpret blueprints or welding process specifications.
• Run manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments using processes like gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), oxy-acetylene welding (OAW), resistance welding and submerged arc welding (SAW).
• Use manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment.
• Use brazing and soldering equipment.
• Use metal shaping machines like brakes, shears and other metal straightening and bending machines.
• Repair worn parts of metal products by welding on extra layers.

Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators:

• Use previously set up welding machines like spot, butt and seam resistance or gas and arc welding machines to make or repair metal parts.
• Use previously set up brazing or soldering machines to bond metal parts or to fill holes, indentations, and seams of metal articles with solder.
• Start up, shut down, adjust, and monitor robotic welding production line.
• Help with welding, brazing, and soldering equipment maintenance and repair.
• May adjust welding heads and tooling according to work specifications.

Sample job titles

• fabrication welder
• gas and arc welder
• high pressure welder
• maintenance welder
• production welder
• spot welder
• submerged arc welder
• welder
• welding machine operator

Skills

• Manual dexterity
• Hand-eye coordination
• Physical strength and stamina
• Good vision (glasses are acceptable)
• Attention to detail
• Cautious
• Alert
• Patience
• Ability to work with little direction or supervision
• Ability to concentrate over long periods of time
• Ability to cooperate and coordinate work with others

Job requirements

• Array
• Array

Other considerations

• Welder setting: indoors in production and repair shops, or outdoors on construction sites.
• Machine operator setting: indoors on their feet.
• 40-hour work week with overtime sometimes required. Shiftwork is common.
• Risks: injury working with torches and hot metal, sparks, toxic gases. Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces these risks.
• Apprentices usually earn a percentage of the journeyperson (fully qualified) rate. This percentage increases as each level of the apprenticeship program is completed.
• Experienced welders and machine operators may move into inspection or supervisory positions or open their own businesses.
• Welders may specialize in certain types of welding like custom fabrication, ship building and repair, aerospace precision welding, pressure vessel welding, pipeline construction welding, structural construction welding, or machinery and equipment repair welding.
• Everyone has fair access to participate and succeed in the apprenticeship system. Everyone who develops the necessary skills and abilities should be able to succeed in the trades and trade qualification system. Work environments in the province support women and equity-seeking communities.

Regulations

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