Your work. Your records.
Welding Machine Operator Workplace Records
Automated welding, soldering and brazing work connects programmed or machine-controlled operations with setup and inspection. An employment concern should distinguish your operating role from design or programming decisions. Describe the process generally and record the instruction you received before connecting a product issue to workplace feedback.
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
Setup sequence
List instruction, setup verification and approved adjustment stages for the disputed run.
Inspection report
Describe the result you observed and the response without altering operational records.
Own work period
Connect your personal time entry with monitoring, checks and cleanup duties.
Start with the work you actually do
Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4122.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.Source task 10274 · updated 08/2024
- Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices.Source task 10271 · updated 08/2024
- Record operational information on specified production reports.Source task 10272 · updated 08/2024
- Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.Source task 10270 · updated 08/2024
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (SOC 51-4122). 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 | $17.13 | $19.25 | $22.33 | $40,050 |
| Alaska | $30.00 | $30.14 | $31.07 | $62,700 |
| Arizona | $24.53 | $33.72 | $37.20 | $70,150 |
| Arkansas | $19.63 | $22.54 | $24.00 | $46,880 |
| Connecticut | $21.56 | $23.03 | $29.86 | $47,900 |
| Florida | $19.22 | $19.92 | $22.70 | $41,420 |
| Georgia | $18.49 | $22.04 | $25.24 | $45,850 |
| Idaho | $21.42 | $24.45 | $30.60 | $50,850 |
| Indiana | $18.61 | $21.14 | $23.09 | $43,960 |
| Iowa | $23.54 | $24.88 | $27.93 | $51,740 |
| Kansas | $18.96 | $22.46 | $29.58 | $46,710 |
| Kentucky | $22.30 | $24.39 | $28.76 | $50,740 |
| Louisiana | $21.52 | $23.43 | $38.06 | $48,740 |
| Maine | $22.43 | $23.28 | $25.40 | $48,410 |
| Michigan | $17.89 | $20.45 | $22.81 | $42,530 |
| Minnesota | $23.34 | $27.67 | $29.49 | $57,560 |
| Mississippi | $16.51 | $17.98 | $22.00 | $37,390 |
| Missouri | $23.24 | $27.02 | $28.90 | $56,210 |
| Montana | $14.32 | $17.15 | $17.15 | $35,670 |
| Nebraska | $24.82 | $27.54 | $30.04 | $57,280 |
| New Hampshire | $20.34 | $22.84 | $24.78 | $47,500 |
| New York | $22.34 | $25.04 | $30.65 | $52,080 |
| North Carolina | $19.41 | $22.87 | $30.15 | $47,580 |
| Ohio | $20.20 | $23.17 | $28.63 | $48,190 |
| Oklahoma | $18.28 | $19.42 | $23.26 | $40,400 |
| Pennsylvania | $20.29 | $22.85 | $26.30 | $47,530 |
| Rhode Island | $22.44 | $24.06 | $29.57 | $50,040 |
| South Dakota | $24.32 | $25.25 | $27.12 | $52,520 |
| Tennessee | $19.49 | $22.68 | $24.66 | $47,180 |
| Texas | $20.79 | $24.67 | $28.65 | $51,310 |
| Utah | $16.79 | $19.52 | $22.65 | $40,600 |
| Virginia | $20.60 | $23.64 | $26.78 | $49,160 |
| West Virginia | $19.62 | $22.34 | $22.72 | $46,460 |
| Wisconsin | $23.17 | $27.71 | $30.45 | $57,640 |
“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 setup and adjustment authority
Record the work-order version, machine assignment and role approving control changes. Note whether you established the setup or inherited it. Distinguish your inspection result from a later defect report, and identify any question you raised before continuing the run.
Explain monitoring and recorded output
List inspection, adjustments, documentation and cleanup relevant to your own time or target. Note malfunctions and interruptions you reported. Do not reconstruct missing production quantities as recorded facts or assume machine operating time represents every task you personally performed.
Keep technical records and safeguards intact
Do not copy proprietary settings, customer drawings or controlled production reports into personal storage. Identify record types and dates for review. Never restart a machine or bypass a holding device to recreate an event; keep your own training and employment communications instead.
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.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
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