Steamfitter, pipefitter, plumber workers comp injuries happen all at once or from job duties over time. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install, maintain, and repair pipe systems that carry water, dispose of human waste and byproducts of production processes, supply gas to ovens, heat and cool buildings, carry the steam that powers huge turbines.
Steamfitter, pipefitter, plumber perform three distinct and specialized roles, but their duties are similar. For example, they all install pipes and fittings that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. They connect pipes, determine the necessary materials for a job, and perform pressure tests to ensure that a pipe system is airtight and watertight.
Plumbers install and repair water, drainage, and gas pipes in homes, businesses, and factories. They install and repair large water lines, such as those which supply water to buildings, and smaller ones, including lines that supply water to refrigerators. Plumbers also install plumbing fixtures–bathtubs, showers, sinks, and toilets–and appliances such as dishwashers, garbage disposals, and water heaters. They also maintain and replace clogged or leaking pipes and drains. Some plumbers maintain septic systems–the large, underground holding tanks that collect waste from houses not connected to a city or county’s sewer system.
Pipefitters, sometimes referred to as just fitters, install and maintain pipes that carry chemicals, acids, and gases. These pipes are mostly in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings. Fitters often install and repair pipe systems in power plants, as well as heating and cooling systems in large office buildings.
• Gasfitters install pipes that provide natural gas to heating and cooling systems and to stoves. They also install pipes that provide clean oxygen to patients in hospitals.
• Sprinklerfitters install and repair fire sprinkler systems in businesses, factories, and residential buildings.
• Steamfitters install pipe systems that move steam under high pressure, such as at large educational or business campuses and natural gas power plants.
The usually noted difference is pipefitters are normally responsible for jobs that deal with pipes made of special metals made for handling high pressure whereas plumbers generally work with basic piping such as PVC, copper or galvanized steel.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters have a higher percentage of union membership, the largest being the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada. In Milwaukee area its Plumbers Union Local 75, Sprinkler Fitters Local 183 and Steamfitters Local 601.
McCormick Law Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin attorneys get the best results in steamfitter claims when there is documentation of a clear work-related accident or a history of physical job duties involving bending, twisting and turning – which is what fitters and plumbers do for a living.
