Ironworking in its simplest terms involves the installation of “…structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support buildings, bridges, and roads,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”). It is dangerous work. Ironwork is recognized as one of deadliest ways to earn a living in this country, where ironworkers face a variety of daily risks from extreme heat exposure to working at heights. Read, “The 10 most dangerous jobs,” written by Mallory Gruben and published by NW Labor Press on April 18, 2024.
The BLS confirms most ironworkers are employed in a select number of industries: (1) Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors Construction; (2) Nonresidential Building Construction; (3) Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; (4) Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing; and (5) Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction. Across these industries in our part of the country, a lot of people earn their living as ironworkers.
As of 2023, the Department of Labor reports that Illinois employs more ironworkers than any other state other than Texas, California, and New York. Most of these workers will be reporting to work on jobsites around the Cook County area.
Cook County Ironworkers
Located in Illinois’ northeast quadrant, Cook County is the heart of the internationally known Chicago Metropolitan Area, a statistical jurisdiction with over 134 different municipalities. It is huge: Cook County covers over 1600 square miles. And it is home to many: over 5 Million people (almost half the state’s entire population) live in Cook County. Only Los Angeles County has a greater population.
Ironworkers in Cook County are reported to earn between $87,886 and $121,881 each year as structural iron and steel workers. Cook County’s structural metal fabricators and fitters are paid $41,302 – $61,046 annually according to recent surveys by the Illinois Career Information System, which also reports that Illinois’ reinforcing iron and rebar workers make from $76,458 to $109,022.
Of course, the history of the Chicago area explains the number of ironworking opportunities in Cook County and elsewhere in the state. Since the mid-1800s, iron and steel have been major contributors to the local economy. There are a number of reasons for this: among them, the prevalence of iron ore deposits here, as well as Cook County’s geographical advantages (including the proximity to the Mississippi River; the Great Lakes; and the national rail and roadway systems). For details, read “The Encyclopedia of Chicago, Iron and Steel,” written by David Bensman and Mark R. Wilson and published by the Chicago Historical Society | The Newberry Library (2005), page 653.
Types of Ironworking Specialties and Their Deadly Dangers
Any job involving ironwork is risky. However, the dangers facing the Cook County ironworker vary depending upon the particular tasks being undertaken and the surrounding work site. As delineated in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Ironworkers:
1. Structural iron and steel workers
According to BLS, these are construction workers who “…erect, place, and join steel girders, columns, and other pieces to form structural frameworks. They also may assemble precut metal buildings and the cranes and derricks that move materials and equipment around the construction site. Some ironworkers install precast walls or work with wood or composite materials.”
Cook County structural iron and steel workers are often found at sites where large buildings or bridges are being constructed. They face tremendous risks of falling to their deaths since they are frequently on the job at great heights.
Other dangers facing these ironworkers are internal injuries and blunt force trauma that come when dealing with heavy machinery and equipment.
For more, read: Fighting Fatal Falls on the Job: OSHA’s First National Emphasis Program and Blunt Trauma Injuries in Industrial Work Accidents.
2. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers
These are specialists on a construction site who BLS explains “…position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms for purposes of reinforcement. Those who work with reinforcing steel (rebar) are sometimes called rod busters, in reference to rods of rebar.”
Working with rebar (steel bars) is commonplace on construction projects involving roadways, bridges, or buildings of any size. Deadly risks in reinforcing iron and rebar work in Cook County include the dangers facing anyone required to work with heavy machinery and heavy equipment.
For more, read: Machine Safety in the Industrial Workplace: Danger of Catastrophic Machinery Accidents.
3. Structural metal fabricators and fitters (ornamental ironwork)
These ironworkers can be found in a variety of workplaces. BLS describes their work as the “…manufacture [of] metal products in shops that are usually located away from construction sites.” Many can be found employed in factories or manufacturing plants.
As the American Institute for Innovative Apprenticeship explains, these ironworkers are experienced in doing metal fabrication and metal installation of all sorts of things, including metal stairways; catwalks; industrial gates; and fencing. They can install industrial machinery, and things like conveyors or material handling systems. On various industrial sites, including a construction project, they may be called upon to do things like erect scaffolding; cranes; hoists; and derricks.
Dangers for bodily injury here include not only working with heat, but with power tools and hand tools that can cause fatal cuts in a matter of seconds. Work injuries are also possible from falls, falling objects on the jobsite, or having to do something in a confined space.
For more, read: Confined Spaces: Asphyxiation Risks and the Tragedy of Rescuer Deaths; Metalwork Tool Accidents: Hand Tool and Power Tool Dangers on the Job; and Metal Fabricator Accident Risks: Top Dangers in Fabricating Industry.
Ironworker Accidents on the Job in Cook County, Illinois
Families in Chicagoland with ironworkers that bring home the bacon from jobs here in Cook County are blessed with experienced and respected professionals who are critical to our local economy and secure in their livelihoods. However, despite their dedication to their trades and the need for ironworkers in all sorts of industrial environments here in Cook County, the dangers of a fatal work accident remain unacceptably high.
Ironworking is extremely dangerous. From falls, to cuts, to crushing incidents involving heavy machinery or trauma from a confined space incident, the risk of a Cook County ironworker never coming home from a day’s work is all too real.
Added to this are considerations such as the extreme weather conditions of Northern Illinois, as well as risks of exposure to hazardous chemicals or flawed and defective products on the job.
Employers and others with possession, custody, or control of aspects of their worksite will have legal duties of care and safety to keep ironworkers protected from accidental injury. Sadly, all too often Illinois workers are disrespected or discounted in these worksite protections with tragic consequences.
In the aftermath of a severe or fatal Cook County ironworker accident, the worker victim and his or her loved ones may have avenues for justice to pursue against not only the employer responsible for their paycheck but other third parties on the site. This may involve civil causes of action in addition to claims made under Illinois Workers’ Compensation protections.
For more, read: When Tools Are to Blame for Serious Work Accidents: Who’s Responsible? Product Liability and Who Can Be Held Liable for Construction Worker Accidents?
Damages for ironworker injuries in Cook County may be available under federal law in some situations (like railway projects, for instance); however, most will find recompense under the laws of the State of Illinois. See: Work Injuries and On-the-Job Accidents in Indiana and Illinois With Federal Law Protections: FELA, Jones Act, LHWCA, DBA; and Ironworker Accidents on the Job in Indiana and Illinois.
Ironworkers provide an indispensable service to Cook County and they deserve to be kept safe on the job. Sadly, there will be times when failures to protect our ironworkers will cause catastrophic injuries or death in an on-the-job accident. Please be careful out there!
