Ironworker screening questions: connecting, bolting up, rebar, rigging and OSHA steel erection fall rules

Ironworker screening questions should first find which kind of ironworker the candidate is, because the trade splits into very different work: structural erection, reinforcing (rebar), ornamental and miscellaneous metals, and rigging and machinery moving. Then test the work with specifics, and test fall protection and rigging habits in the same call. On steel, the people who talk confidently about heights but cannot describe how they tie off are the ones to screen out.

For crane-side roles, use crane operator screening questions; for structural welders, welder screening questions covers processes and qualifications in depth.

Which ironworker

OSHA steel erection rules to screen against

OSHA's steel erection standard, Subpart R, sets the fall protection rules the candidate should know:

• General rule: employees on a walking or working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet above a lower level must be protected by guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest, positioning device or fall restraint systems (29 CFR 1926.760(a)).
• Connectors: must be protected from fall hazards of more than two stories or 30 feet, whichever is less; between 15 and 30 feet they must have a personal fall arrest, positioning or restraint system and wear the equipment needed to tie off, or be protected another way that meets the general rule (1926.760(b)).
• Controlled decking zones: may be used over 15 and up to 30 feet where metal decking is first installed and forms the leading edge; workers inside must be protected from falls of more than two stories or 30 feet (1926.760(c)).
• Training: a qualified person must train every employee exposed to fall hazards, with special training for multiple lift rigging, connecting and controlled decking zone work (29 CFR 1926.761).

For rebar work, OSHA's concrete standard requires that protruding reinforcing steel employees could fall onto or into be guarded to eliminate the impalement hazard (29 CFR 1926.701(b)). Where workers hook, unhook or guide crane loads in the fall zone, OSHA requires a qualified rigger (29 CFR 1926.1425).

Apprenticeship and credentials

Many ironworkers train through registered apprenticeships run by union training centers or open-shop sponsors. Registered programs are approved by the Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency (Apprenticeship.gov), and employers can verify completion through Verify My Apprenticeship with the person's apprentice number and date of birth. Ask which program, which local or sponsor and when they turned out. Common credentials to ask about include welding qualifications (process, position, the code and the employer or test facility that qualified them), rigger and signal person qualifications, and aerial lift training. Some states and cities require additional cards for work on certain sites; ask the client.

Knockout questions

Structural questions

1. "Talk me through connecting a beam to a column."
   • Strong answer: tied off before the load arrives, guides it with tag lines, does not stand under it, gets at least the required bolts in each connection wrench-tight before the load is released, communicates with the signal person, never rides the load.
   • Red flags: "We'd unhook once one bolt was in to save time."
2. "How do you bolt up a connection?"
   • Strong answer: knows the difference between snug-tight and pretensioned joints, the tightening method the job specifies (turn-of-nut, calibrated wrench, tension-control bolts, direct tension indicators), and the inspection that follows.
   • Red flags: "Tight is tight."
3. "How do you plumb a column?"
   • Strong answer: works with the surveyor or a plumb line or laser, uses cables and turnbuckles or come-alongs, checks before final bolting, follows the erection sequence.
   • Red flags: never plumbed steel, while claiming structural experience.
4. "What is a controlled decking zone, and what are the rules inside one?"
   • Strong answer: explains access limited to trained workers, the leading edge, how decking is secured, and the height limits.
   • Red flags: has never heard of it after years on decking.

Reinforcing questions

• "How do you read a placing drawing and bar list?" Strong: bar marks, sizes, spacing, laps, cover, chairs and supports, and checks against the structural drawing when something looks wrong.
• "Which ties do you use and where?" Strong: snap ties for slabs, saddle or wrap-and-saddle ties for walls and columns where more strength is needed.
• "What do you do about protruding rebar?" Strong: caps or troughs rated to prevent impalement, bends where approved.
• "How do you set a column cage?" Strong: rigging points, tag lines, bracing until it is tied in.

Ornamental and miscellaneous questions

• "How do you lay out and install a steel stair?" Strong: checks floor-to-floor heights against the drawings, sets stringers level and plumb, braces temporarily, welds or bolts per the details, and gets rails in before the stair is used.
• "How do you set embeds and anchor bolts?" Strong: templates, survey control, checks before and after the pour, reports anything out of tolerance.
• "What do you do when a piece does not fit?" Strong: checks the drawings, reports to the foreman, and makes only the field fixes the engineer or detailer approves.

Rigging and signaling

How ironworker experience gets overstated

• Helper or laborer time counted as journey-level. Ask when they completed their apprenticeship.
• Connector claims from bolting-up work. Ask about receiving loads and tying off at the connection.
• Welding certifications that lapsed or belonged to a past employer. Ask when and by whom they were last qualified.
• Rebar experience limited to residential footings, presented as commercial. Ask about placing drawings and column cages.

Scoring

In the submittal, list specialty and years, apprenticeship and completion date, projects by type and height, welding qualifications with code, process and date, rigging and signal qualifications, and the candidate's connecting answer in their own words. Ask whether the candidate can meet the job's physical requirements, with or without accommodation; do not ask about past injuries. For general construction hiring steps, see the interview guide for construction roles, and for workers who will set forms around rebar, carpenter screening questions.