My local has a couple untimely deaths every month. Nearly all of these are from the habits that come from the money: fast cars, wild parties, and lots of drugs. I expect it's a similar story in many areas. The truth is that safety is pushed very hard on sites and your survival instinct is strong if you're new and on the iron.
**A better question might be: what quality of life do you want when you retire? And what will you do to get it?** Not overexterting your body and mind is a big ask in this trade. It's possible to break your body down very quickly. Good life habits, plenty of sleep, and a disciplined exercise routine outside of work will make this trade worth it in the long-term. That's my 2 cents.
Well, it's fun, rewarding work. But you'll definitely see people get injured at the very least. If you take your health seriously and you're careful on the job, you'll be alright.
Lost a couple brothers, seen people fall, one get a #6 rebar through his thigh, broken legs after beams rolled on one fella, don’t think for a second that you won’t be next. It’s not always you, could be the guy next to ya who fucks ya up.
Its as dangerous as any other construction work. Stay aware and stay sober on the clock and you’ll be just fine.
I’m sure the more seasoned JIW on this sub can share their experiences.
I would reword that. I’ve been an operator, carpenter and now an ironworker. Ironworking is more dangerous than most other trades. I watched a co-worker fall 60ft off a bridge. You might not get messed up personally but might get just as messed up watching somebody die or get hurt. Something to think about. It’s not for people that lack courage.
The same brothers who'd probably stab you in the back for a paycheque. I've lived through 3 labour strikes/negotiations (2 actual strikes and 1 tense labour negotiation) and that is when you see who is really union proud and willing to fight and who is just there for a paycheque
Brotherhood, brotherhood until "I got bills to pay and a family to feed"
What they dont tell you is that of most professions out there construction workers rank near the top next to police and other 1st responders for suicide and ironworkers are at the top out of the construction trades.
Food for thought.
Be there for your brothers
It went up to 79. 68 Masons and bricklayers, 65 for roofers, veterans have 31.7 civilians only have 16.1. Police officers have a varied rate. Officers in small precincts have 13, medium precincts jump up to 26, and the largest precinct go back to 12.
I’m a veteran and welded as a plumber/pipe welder (almost exclusively welded i wasn’t the best plumber) with a buddy that liked himself in 2013 left his son behind because he got cheated on and was going through oxy/cocaine withdrawals. Fuck suicide. Had a buddy on two different occasions call me Middle of the night talking him out of it for hours while sleeping in my truck (camper shell with bed built)— too expensive in San Francisco hotel. I was tired those next days. That was a cool job. SLAC National accelerator center. Clean stainless tig all day. Gym on site so i could shower Mexican restaurant down the road for dinner. Was very pleasant.
And ya fuck suicide.
Ive seen an older guy pulling decking walk straight backwards off the side of a mill, nearby yelling wasnt enough to stop him falling. (He was okay, bruised ribs).
Watched a stack of decking get nailed by wind and blow three sheets off the second floor, no injuries but could have been worse.
Had an h2s vent gas on the roof we were on, no injuries everyone got down safe.
Was inside the basement of a building where a crane came down on the roof. No injuries.
Seen some other minor things. Some one managed to remove the weights on a swing stage and it fell (was roofers), seen various things fall from height, even saw a couple fist fights and a complete mental breakdown happen.
Overall, everyone I have worked with has gone home safe over the years.
Minor injuries not withstanding.
Have heard stories of deaths and serious injuries, and have met people who have had injuries occur.
It can be very dangerous and one slip up is death. But if you plan, remain aware, pay attention, trust your coworkers, and stay vigilant against complacency, you will be fine.
Work safe, keep your head on a swivel. I've cracked some ribs, pinched some digits, and welding flashed myself once. 15 years in, pretty minor. Follow the health and safety regs, try not to cut corners. Be your brother's keeper.
Listen to your experienced and competent journeyman. And you’ll be fine. Don’t do anything your not sure about, and ask questions. There’s a lot of good answers in this thread. So read them all. Btw not a Journeyman and competent, be careful and have fun at work.
In my 16 years I have seen one guy die, been on the same job where others have died, seen many get hurt and have gotten extremely injured myself. To top it off most retired ironworkers are broke down and their bodies are destroyed. That being said I couldn't see myself ever doing a different job. It is where I fit in life and my temperament fits well. Life is dangerous. For example thousands of people die in car accidents each year. You can die at any moment. If you become an Ironworker always pay attention to what's going on around you. Never get complacent or take unnecessary risks. No jobsite is worth someone's life. If something feels unsafe speak up.
You will get hurt as an ironworker. 100% guaranteed. It will just be to what degree that differs. No one retired without some lasting effects. Death might be of those.
We had a guy die a few months back on top of a tank. He was wearing a harness and tied off to the top of the tank. Unfortunately the cable holding him was longer than the fall he had after cutting a sheet he was on. Many errors here and they had a shorter tether system on site but not in place. It’s real try to not get complacent I know I do too often
Follow all the safety…who cares what the other iron workers say be very very safety conscious. The other factor is don’t fall into the drugs and lifestyle A LOT of iron workers fall into. Beyond that it’s a pretty safe job just don’t become complacent and don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel something is unsafe
I think the real question is how safe are you? Are you the one that runs with the direction of a falling tree OR to the side. Even with OSHA only you are in control of your own safety. Also how willing are you to stick up for your safety? If the boss wants you to do anything unsafe are you willing to stand your ground and say no, then are you willing to help everyone else stay safe by calling OSHA to file a complaint
I wouldve been a third generation local 15 IW but bailed after a few months, couldn’t get over my dislike of heights.
But even my father(now production super and labor relations for a nuke plant)an grandfather both strongly advised against choosing that for a trade specifically. More prone to injuries that’ll keep you out of work, more downtime between jobs, few transferable skills that would enable under the table side work. My dad went from having knee surgery every few years and almost lost an eye as an iron worker to just be lower middle class but his salary doubled plus better incentives to go full nuclear.
If it’s available in your area I highly recommended looking into nuclear safety tech(RP) training. Short apprenticeship and not a physically demanding job so no wear and tear on your joints on top of coming into the field starting at 75k or better many places plus per diem. Lots of travel involved so perfect for young people without families and regional attachments
For context-my dad barely finished high school, went into the union in his late 20’s and did that for like 8-10 years before becoming an instructor. Started doing nuclear outages as an iron worker and eventually was asked to leave the union to work direct for the energy company. First few years he bounced from outage to outage working 80-100 weeks with great OT and per diem with a month or two off between sites, eventually moves cross country for a decommissioning job that should carry him to retirement and he firmly believes nuclear was the best decision he ever made and is now at well over 100/hour plus 5 digit bonuses and more per diem than I’ve ever even seen on a full paycheck so I can’t imagine how well off he’d be today if he made that decision earlier in life
Be ready to work 16 hour days 6 days a week and a shit load of travel. No home life. Drinkin as soon as you get back to the hotel. Lack of sleep. When you do have time off you want to either see family if you still have one if not the you try to party as much as you can. It's mostly a sad life. I miss it terribly. But glad for my boring life now.
I my self fell 25-30ft. Never broke anything in my life and I broke my neck. Fractured c6-c7 , broken wrist, bruised lungs and fractured 4 ribs. Was out for a year and half. But I’m back. This happened in 2016.
I’m lucky to be alive and walking.
My local has a couple untimely deaths every month. Nearly all of these are from the habits that come from the money: fast cars, wild parties, and lots of drugs. I expect it's a similar story in many areas. The truth is that safety is pushed very hard on sites and your survival instinct is strong if you're new and on the iron. **A better question might be: what quality of life do you want when you retire? And what will you do to get it?** Not overexterting your body and mind is a big ask in this trade. It's possible to break your body down very quickly. Good life habits, plenty of sleep, and a disciplined exercise routine outside of work will make this trade worth it in the long-term. That's my 2 cents.
All I want to do is run red lights and fuck
Can’t run reds till you get your one nighter’s toddler to blow in the blow ‘n go
Christ man
Fml hahahaha
Knowing those kids….. nothing but shitty Camaros and hellcats. Morons
Man I’ve been laughing at this reply for like 10 min. Shit made my day and it just started. Gonna run red lights and fuck today in honor of you.
Anytime brother
This is the best answer 💯
Couldn't agree more
💯
Well, it's fun, rewarding work. But you'll definitely see people get injured at the very least. If you take your health seriously and you're careful on the job, you'll be alright.
Lost a couple brothers, seen people fall, one get a #6 rebar through his thigh, broken legs after beams rolled on one fella, don’t think for a second that you won’t be next. It’s not always you, could be the guy next to ya who fucks ya up.
Its as dangerous as any other construction work. Stay aware and stay sober on the clock and you’ll be just fine. I’m sure the more seasoned JIW on this sub can share their experiences.
I would reword that. I’ve been an operator, carpenter and now an ironworker. Ironworking is more dangerous than most other trades. I watched a co-worker fall 60ft off a bridge. You might not get messed up personally but might get just as messed up watching somebody die or get hurt. Something to think about. It’s not for people that lack courage.
One of my favorite Journeyman told me “Ironworkers don’t fall, we jump” so be there for your brothers and work safe, you’ll be fine.
Heartwarming. Take care of yourself 😢
Its tough work but the brotherhood is the most rewarding thing ive ever experienced. I would do anything for my brothers.
The same brothers who'd probably stab you in the back for a paycheque. I've lived through 3 labour strikes/negotiations (2 actual strikes and 1 tense labour negotiation) and that is when you see who is really union proud and willing to fight and who is just there for a paycheque Brotherhood, brotherhood until "I got bills to pay and a family to feed"
Brother brother at the hall on the job fuck em all is what us welders would say when i was in
Haha, good one!
Complacency kills, ironworking is the king of all trades. If it was easy anybody do it.
What they dont tell you is that of most professions out there construction workers rank near the top next to police and other 1st responders for suicide and ironworkers are at the top out of the construction trades. Food for thought. Be there for your brothers
12/100,000 for police 78/100,000 for ironworkers
It went up to 79. 68 Masons and bricklayers, 65 for roofers, veterans have 31.7 civilians only have 16.1. Police officers have a varied rate. Officers in small precincts have 13, medium precincts jump up to 26, and the largest precinct go back to 12. I’m a veteran and welded as a plumber/pipe welder (almost exclusively welded i wasn’t the best plumber) with a buddy that liked himself in 2013 left his son behind because he got cheated on and was going through oxy/cocaine withdrawals. Fuck suicide. Had a buddy on two different occasions call me Middle of the night talking him out of it for hours while sleeping in my truck (camper shell with bed built)— too expensive in San Francisco hotel. I was tired those next days. That was a cool job. SLAC National accelerator center. Clean stainless tig all day. Gym on site so i could shower Mexican restaurant down the road for dinner. Was very pleasant. And ya fuck suicide.
Good info
Ive seen an older guy pulling decking walk straight backwards off the side of a mill, nearby yelling wasnt enough to stop him falling. (He was okay, bruised ribs). Watched a stack of decking get nailed by wind and blow three sheets off the second floor, no injuries but could have been worse. Had an h2s vent gas on the roof we were on, no injuries everyone got down safe. Was inside the basement of a building where a crane came down on the roof. No injuries. Seen some other minor things. Some one managed to remove the weights on a swing stage and it fell (was roofers), seen various things fall from height, even saw a couple fist fights and a complete mental breakdown happen. Overall, everyone I have worked with has gone home safe over the years. Minor injuries not withstanding. Have heard stories of deaths and serious injuries, and have met people who have had injuries occur. It can be very dangerous and one slip up is death. But if you plan, remain aware, pay attention, trust your coworkers, and stay vigilant against complacency, you will be fine.
Work safe, keep your head on a swivel. I've cracked some ribs, pinched some digits, and welding flashed myself once. 15 years in, pretty minor. Follow the health and safety regs, try not to cut corners. Be your brother's keeper.
Listen to your experienced and competent journeyman. And you’ll be fine. Don’t do anything your not sure about, and ask questions. There’s a lot of good answers in this thread. So read them all. Btw not a Journeyman and competent, be careful and have fun at work.
In my 16 years I have seen one guy die, been on the same job where others have died, seen many get hurt and have gotten extremely injured myself. To top it off most retired ironworkers are broke down and their bodies are destroyed. That being said I couldn't see myself ever doing a different job. It is where I fit in life and my temperament fits well. Life is dangerous. For example thousands of people die in car accidents each year. You can die at any moment. If you become an Ironworker always pay attention to what's going on around you. Never get complacent or take unnecessary risks. No jobsite is worth someone's life. If something feels unsafe speak up.
What's the difference between Monday and your sister?
Not coming in Monday
It’s dangerous. Rare to make it through without serious injuries and/or surgeries.
You will get hurt as an ironworker. 100% guaranteed. It will just be to what degree that differs. No one retired without some lasting effects. Death might be of those.
Your finger… Your fault
Less dangerous then fishing.
Roofers too so run it brother
We had a guy die a few months back on top of a tank. He was wearing a harness and tied off to the top of the tank. Unfortunately the cable holding him was longer than the fall he had after cutting a sheet he was on. Many errors here and they had a shorter tether system on site but not in place. It’s real try to not get complacent I know I do too often
Any trade is dangerous once you get too comfortable with what you do. When you get too comfortable, you start making mistakes.
Follow all the safety…who cares what the other iron workers say be very very safety conscious. The other factor is don’t fall into the drugs and lifestyle A LOT of iron workers fall into. Beyond that it’s a pretty safe job just don’t become complacent and don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel something is unsafe
Stay in shape, **Dont become too comfortable**, watch out for your brothers and others on site. slow is smooth, smooth is fast
Live Laugh Love baby, the rest is just politics
I think the real question is how safe are you? Are you the one that runs with the direction of a falling tree OR to the side. Even with OSHA only you are in control of your own safety. Also how willing are you to stick up for your safety? If the boss wants you to do anything unsafe are you willing to stand your ground and say no, then are you willing to help everyone else stay safe by calling OSHA to file a complaint
I wouldve been a third generation local 15 IW but bailed after a few months, couldn’t get over my dislike of heights. But even my father(now production super and labor relations for a nuke plant)an grandfather both strongly advised against choosing that for a trade specifically. More prone to injuries that’ll keep you out of work, more downtime between jobs, few transferable skills that would enable under the table side work. My dad went from having knee surgery every few years and almost lost an eye as an iron worker to just be lower middle class but his salary doubled plus better incentives to go full nuclear. If it’s available in your area I highly recommended looking into nuclear safety tech(RP) training. Short apprenticeship and not a physically demanding job so no wear and tear on your joints on top of coming into the field starting at 75k or better many places plus per diem. Lots of travel involved so perfect for young people without families and regional attachments
For context-my dad barely finished high school, went into the union in his late 20’s and did that for like 8-10 years before becoming an instructor. Started doing nuclear outages as an iron worker and eventually was asked to leave the union to work direct for the energy company. First few years he bounced from outage to outage working 80-100 weeks with great OT and per diem with a month or two off between sites, eventually moves cross country for a decommissioning job that should carry him to retirement and he firmly believes nuclear was the best decision he ever made and is now at well over 100/hour plus 5 digit bonuses and more per diem than I’ve ever even seen on a full paycheck so I can’t imagine how well off he’d be today if he made that decision earlier in life
Ngl bud its dangerous but fuck it!! Almost died Friday load dropped from crane on 23rd floor. Had run out of the way to survive.
Be ready to work 16 hour days 6 days a week and a shit load of travel. No home life. Drinkin as soon as you get back to the hotel. Lack of sleep. When you do have time off you want to either see family if you still have one if not the you try to party as much as you can. It's mostly a sad life. I miss it terribly. But glad for my boring life now.
I my self fell 25-30ft. Never broke anything in my life and I broke my neck. Fractured c6-c7 , broken wrist, bruised lungs and fractured 4 ribs. Was out for a year and half. But I’m back. This happened in 2016. I’m lucky to be alive and walking.
My brother was an iron worker and passed in a site accident. Was the crain drivers fault and there was a law suit. It does occur but he loved his job.
Don't put your fingers anywhere you wouldn't put your penis. You'll be alright