Your work. Your records.
Pipe Trades Workplace Records Guide
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters work across different systems, materials and project stages. An employment concern should identify the work you actually performed and the entity directing it. Explain the sequence from layout or shutdown preparation through installation and testing, using general system descriptions rather than sensitive customer details.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Scope and changes
List the assigned installation or repair stage, revised instructions and the person who approved them.
Interruption record
Note unavailable materials, system access or required preparation and what you were directed to do meanwhile.
Employment documents
Keep the relevant time entry, pay statement and your own written correction or employment response together.
Start with the work you actually do
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.Source task 23469 · updated 08/2022
- Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.Source task 23478 · updated 08/2022
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.Source task 23466 · updated 08/2022
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.Source task 23474 · updated 08/2022
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.Source task 23459 · updated 08/2022
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $22.63 | $28.21 | $31.12 | $58,670 |
| Alaska | $35.40 | $45.15 | $49.44 | $93,920 |
| Arizona | $23.84 | $29.84 | $38.27 | $62,070 |
| Arkansas | $18.82 | $23.39 | $29.12 | $48,660 |
| Connecticut | $27.68 | $37.16 | $45.40 | $77,280 |
| Delaware | $24.93 | $31.11 | $37.42 | $64,720 |
| Florida | $22.70 | $25.44 | $30.20 | $52,910 |
| Georgia | $21.70 | $27.50 | $33.00 | $57,200 |
| Hawaii | $29.60 | $37.53 | $47.09 | $78,060 |
| Idaho | $22.21 | $25.18 | $33.48 | $52,380 |
| Indiana | $27.89 | $36.69 | $46.52 | $76,320 |
| Iowa | $24.95 | $30.72 | $41.02 | $63,890 |
| Kansas | $23.67 | $31.36 | $40.80 | $65,220 |
| Kentucky | $24.04 | $30.84 | $40.79 | $64,160 |
| Louisiana | $24.40 | $30.62 | $35.99 | $63,680 |
| Maine | $29.47 | $30.77 | $36.41 | $64,000 |
| Michigan | $27.93 | $38.56 | $45.86 | $80,190 |
| Minnesota | $29.40 | $45.39 | $52.29 | $94,410 |
| Mississippi | $19.72 | $26.67 | $30.31 | $55,480 |
| Missouri | $24.35 | $32.11 | $48.19 | $66,790 |
| Montana | $29.32 | $38.44 | $45.37 | $79,960 |
| Nebraska | $23.21 | $29.31 | $39.38 | $60,970 |
| New Hampshire | $25.29 | $32.12 | $37.06 | $66,810 |
| New Mexico | $21.72 | $29.54 | $37.60 | $61,440 |
| New York | $28.83 | $37.26 | $48.67 | $77,490 |
| North Carolina | $22.38 | $27.44 | $30.43 | $57,080 |
| North Dakota | $23.92 | $30.56 | $36.95 | $63,560 |
| Ohio | $24.06 | $30.45 | $40.51 | $63,330 |
| Oklahoma | $21.78 | $27.87 | $35.69 | $57,970 |
| Pennsylvania | $27.83 | $32.73 | $44.15 | $68,080 |
| Rhode Island | $28.24 | $36.77 | $51.61 | $76,470 |
| South Dakota | $22.18 | $24.82 | $29.83 | $51,620 |
| Tennessee | $22.72 | $28.17 | $35.32 | $58,600 |
| Texas | $22.78 | $28.77 | $35.63 | $59,840 |
| Utah | $23.62 | $29.76 | $37.23 | $61,900 |
| Vermont | $26.99 | $29.89 | $39.54 | $62,170 |
| Virginia | $23.72 | $29.07 | $34.51 | $60,470 |
| West Virginia | $21.16 | $27.39 | $35.44 | $56,980 |
| Wisconsin | $29.53 | $39.04 | $49.79 | $81,210 |
| Wyoming | $23.25 | $30.01 | $35.00 | $62,410 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Identify the system and assignment
Describe whether the work concerned water, steam, drainage or another system, and whether you were installing, altering or repairing it. Note the supervisor instruction and any later change in materials or route. Separate your employer's direction from a customer's request or another contractor's instruction. Do not infer responsibility from physical presence on the site.
Document access and preparation delays
Record the work window, system access, material availability and any need to wait for another crew. If you raised a condition or equipment concern, note what you observed, the recipient and the response. Distinguish the time you spent on assigned preparation from the period a system was unavailable. Keep remembered durations explicitly approximate.
Preserve records without removing plans
Use your own schedule, pay records, training documents and permitted assignment messages. Do not retain private building layouts, control diagrams, security credentials or customer records. Identify the work order, inspection or project record that may clarify an event without reproducing its restricted contents. Avoid accessing a customer system or worksite solely to build a personal file.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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