Welders, fabricators, fitters, boilermakers and anyone on a factory or workshop floor.
In the workshop
What the foreman, the chargehand and the lad on the next bay will say to you. Listen, read what it means, hear it in a sentence, then try the quick check.
54 words and phrases10 sentence check20 minutes, aboutFree no sign-up
1 Play the word, then the sentence2 Read what it means3 Say it back out loud4 Do the check at the end
54 words and phrases
What you will hear
Tap the play button on any card. The word first, then how it sounds in a sentence.
- 1
the foreman
The person in charge of the floor. Tells you what to do and checks the work.
Ask the foreman before you cut anything, he has the drawings.
- 2
chargehand
The lead worker on a team, between the workers and the foreman.
Mick is the chargehand on nights, he'll show you the ropes.
- 3
show you the ropes
Show you how things are done here.
Stick with Paul for the first week, he'll show you the ropes.
- 4
the drawing
The technical drawing you work from. Also "the print" or "the drawings".
Work off the drawing, not off memory.
- 5
the job
The piece of work you are on, or the whole order.
What job are you on? The gates for the school.
- 6
job card
The sheet or screen that says what to make, how many, and when it is due.
Book your hours against the job card.
- 7
book your hours
Record the time you spent on a job.
Book your hours before you go home or the office will be on to you.
- 8
the bay
A section of the workshop floor where one job is done.
Set up in bay two, the crane can reach you there.
- 9
bench
Your work table.
Keep your bench clear, somebody will trip over that.
- 10
tack it
Make small temporary welds to hold the pieces in place.
Tack it up first and we will check it square before you weld it out.
- 11
weld it out
Do the full, final welds.
Once it's square, weld it out and bring it to the paint shop.
- 12
square
At exact right angles. 'Check it's square' means check the angles are true.
Is that frame square? Put the big square on it.
- 13
plumb
Exactly vertical.
That post is not plumb, it is leaning out at the top.
- 14
level
Exactly horizontal.
Get the level on that before you tack it.
- 15
mil
A millimetre. Everything in the workshop is in mils.
It's five mil out, cut it again.
In Ireland and the UK a mil is a millimetre, not a thousandth of an inch.
- 16
out
Wrong by some amount. "Five mil out" means five millimetres too long or too short.
Those holes are out, they will never line up.
- 17
tolerance
How much a measurement is allowed to vary.
The tolerance is plus or minus one mil on this job.
- 18
fit-up
Putting the pieces together in position before welding.
Do the fit-up on the bench and call me before you weld.
- 19
bevel
An angled edge cut on a plate so the weld can get in.
Put a 30 degree bevel on both plates before you weld them.
- 20
root
The first pass of a weld, at the bottom of the joint.
Get a good root in and the rest will follow.
- 21
cap
The last, top pass of a weld.
That cap is a bit high, dress it back.
- 22
dress it
Grind the weld or edge smooth.
Dress those welds before it goes to paint.
- 23
spatter
The small balls of metal that fly off when you weld.
Use anti-spatter spray, the customer wants it clean.
- 24
undercut
A groove melted into the metal beside the weld. A defect.
There is undercut on that side, slow down your travel.
- 25
porosity
Small holes in the weld from gas. A defect.
Porosity all along it, check your gas.
- 26
the gas
The shielding gas for MIG or TIG welding.
Turn off the gas at the bottle when you finish.
- 27
the bottle
The gas cylinder.
The bottle is nearly empty, swap it before you start.
- 28
wire
The MIG welding wire on the reel.
We're out of one mil wire, use point eight.
- 29
rods
Stick welding electrodes.
Keep the rods in the oven or they will pick up damp.
- 30
coded
A welder who has passed a test to a standard for a type of joint.
You will need to be coded for the pipework on that job.
- 31
weld test
A test piece welded to show your skill, usually on your first day.
Do a weld test on the plate there and we will see where you are.
- 32
box section
Square or rectangular hollow steel tube.
Cut four lengths of 50 by 50 box section.
- 33
RSJ
A steel beam shaped like an I or an H.
The RSJ goes on the crane, not on the forklift.
- 34
flat bar
Flat strips of steel.
Fifty by ten flat bar for the railings.
- 35
angle
Steel bent into an L shape, angle iron.
Frame it out in 40 by 40 angle.
- 36
plate
Flat sheet steel, usually thick.
There's ten mil plate in the rack by the door.
- 37
the rack
Where the steel lengths are stored.
Put the offcuts back on the rack, not on the floor.
- 38
offcut
A leftover piece after cutting.
Use an offcut for the test piece.
- 39
the saw
The bandsaw or cold saw for cutting lengths.
Clamp it properly in the saw.
- 40
the grinder
The angle grinder.
Guard on the grinder, every time.
- 41
the gun
The MIG welding torch.
Clean the tip on your gun, the wire is sticking.
- 42
the hood
The welding helmet.
Hood down before you strike an arc, lads are getting flashed.
- 43
flashed
Arc eye: the painful eye injury from looking at a welding arc.
I got flashed yesterday, my eyes are in bits.
- 44
in bits
Broken, exhausted or very sore.
My back is in bits after that lift.
- 45
the crane
The overhead crane in the workshop.
Never walk under the crane with a load on it.
- 46
slings
The straps or chains used to lift with the crane.
Check the slings for cuts before you lift.
- 47
PPE
Personal protective equipment: boots, glasses, gloves, ear defenders.
Full PPE on the floor, no exceptions.
- 48
safe pass
The card you need to work on building sites in Ireland.
You will need a Safe Pass before you go out to site.
- 49
out on site
Working at the customer's location instead of in the workshop.
You're out on site Thursday fitting the handrails.
- 50
snag
A small fault to fix at the end of a job. "Snagging" is fixing them.
There's a few snags on the stairs, go back out and sort them.
- 51
sort it
Fix it, deal with it.
The gate won't close, can you sort it?
- 52
give it a lash
Have a go, try it.
You've never done TIG? Give it a lash, I'll watch.
- 53
fair play
Well done, good job.
Fair play, that is a lovely weld.
- 54
the canteen
The room where you eat. "Tea break" is at ten, "dinner" is often the midday meal.
Tea break is at ten, dinner at half-twelve.
Quick check
10 sentences. What did they mean?
Play each one and pick the answer. You can replay as often as you like. Your score shows at the end, and you can keep it against your name if you want to.
What next
Ready to work, not just to practise?
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What you are owed in Ireland and in the UK, in plain language, with the number of the body that enforces it. It applies whether you came through us or not.