Boilermaker

NOC #72103

  • Environment Primarily outdoor work
  • Education High school diploma
  • Average salary $66,000 to $105,000

Career profile

Boilermakers construct, assemble, maintain and repair stationary steam boilers, heat exchangers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing trains, tanks and vessels. They also test, inspect, repair and maintain these metal structures. Boilermakers bring a combination of welding, fabricating and pipefitting to a fabrication, construction or turnaround maintenance job. They align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats by following blueprint instructions.

Oil and gas services, Contracted and turnaround maintenance, Modular fabrication, Construction, Start-up and commissioning

In this occupation activities include:

  • Examining boilers, pressure vessels, tanks or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots or defective sections so that they can be repaired
  • Installing manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves gauges or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers
  • Bolting or arc welding pressure vessel structures and parts together using wrenches or welding equipment
  • Positioning, aligning and securing structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks or vats of pressure vessels following blueprints
  • Shaping or fabricating 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
  • Repairing or replacing defective vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment or metalworking machinery

Education

  • A high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required.

Certifications

  • Standard and emergency first aid
  • Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
  • Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
  • H2S Alive®
  • Confined space entry
  • Respirator fit testing
  • Fall Protection

Licensing

  • Completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program is typically required to become a certified tradesperson. Another route to apprenticeship training is a pre-apprenticeship foundation program. In most provinces, both of these routes can begin in high school.
  • The Red Seal endorsement is the interprovincial standard of excellence, and is available to tradespersons upon successful completion of the Red Seal examination.

  • Minimal or no travel
  • Shiftwork/variable work hours
  • Primarily outdoor work
  • Work not physically demanding
  • Safety-sensitive environment
  • Work away from home/in camps

You have the technical skills of many metalworking crafts, from welding to fitting to fabricating and more. You bring people skills to the job too.

  • Attention to detail
  • Active listening
  • Mechanical
  • Selecting the right equipment
  • Installing equipment
  • Public safety and security
  • Critical thinking
  • Quality control analysis
  • Controlling operations
  • Repairing machines and systems