So, I was scrolling through some job boards the other day, just looking at what’s out there, you know? And I stumbled upon this thing called “underwater welding.” I was like, what? People actually do that? It sounded crazy, so I had to know more. I mean, welding underwater? It’s like something out of a movie, right?
First thing I did was hit up the usual spots – Google, some forums, the whole nine yards. I wanted to find out just how many folks are actually doing this wild job worldwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, was a good start. Turns out, they had some numbers on “commercial divers,” which is the category these underwater welders fall under. As of 2022, there were about 3,860 of them in the U.S. That’s not a huge number, but it’s something.
Diving Deeper into the Data
But here’s the thing – that number is just for the U.S. What about the rest of the world? I couldn’t find any solid global figures, which was a bummer. I guess it’s not the kind of job that’s tracked super closely worldwide. It’s pretty niche, you know?
And get this – I also found out that this job is no joke. It’s dangerous. Like, really dangerous. Some studies I came across mentioned that the average age of these underwater welders is only around 35-40. And the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had some data showing that around 13 commercial divers die each year doing this kind of work. That’s way too many.
So, What Did I Learn?
- It’s a Small World: There aren’t a ton of underwater welders out there, at least not in the U.S., based on the BLS data.
- It’s Risky Business: This job is seriously dangerous. Those numbers about the average age and the fatalities? That’s heavy stuff.
- It’s a Mystery: Finding out how many underwater welders there are globally is tough. I guess it’s just not something that’s tracked well everywhere.
I started out just curious about a weird job I saw online. And yeah, I got some numbers, learned a bit about what these folks do. But honestly, what really stuck with me is how risky this job is. It made me realize how much these people put on the line. It’s more than just a job; it’s a whole different level of risk.
I’ll probably keep digging around when I have time. It’s interesting stuff. But for now, that’s what I’ve got on underwater welders.
