Getting in Touch with the Welding Profession

If you are interested in making a living joining two metals together, you will be part of a profession with a long and storied history going back to the Bronze Age. In fact, examples of welding from that time period have been found in Ireland and India among other places.

Alloying technology, as welding is called, began as forge welding. This is the process where blacksmiths join iron and steel by heating and hammering. It’s what many of us have seen blacksmiths doing in countless Western movies.

Modern Welding Techniques

During the 20th century, more advanced techniques started emerging. These included:

• Arc welding
• Oxyfuel welding
• Electric resistance welding

Shielded metal arc welding remains one of the most common alloying methods. However, advances continue to be made in the field with new developments that include laser beam, electromagnetic and even robot welding.

Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), welding is currently and projected to be a booming field through 2020. The job outlook is expected to grow about 15% through that year. The average pay is about $35,450 per year with overtime being common in the profession.

Becoming a welder usually requires some training. It may be on-the-job training or years of combined schooling and on-the job development for more skilled jobs.

Welder Insurance

As an independent welder or an owner of a shop that employs welders, you understand how critical the profession is to you, particularly making a decent living at it. A welding error could cost you a significant amount of money; a mistake could cause you to lose a job.

One way to protect yourself against that is to consider getting welder liability insurance. This can protect you in several ways:

• Bodily injury pays the hospital bills of someone in the shop who might get burned by a hot piece of metal or other mishap.
• If a customer’s property is damaged at your location, property damage protection will pay to repair or replace that property.
• Products and completed operations coverage pays for any damage your products might do to a customer after the product leaves the shop.
• If you’re welding out of a rented business space, rental premises damages protects you against any damage you may have cause to the property.