Ironworkers, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) are employed to “…install structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support buildings, bridges, and roads” in a work environment that is “…physically demanding and dangerous work, often at great heights. Workers must wear safety equipment to reduce the risk of falls or other injuries.” Read, United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Ironworkers,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Department of Labor, August 28, 2025.
The BLS data summarizes annual median pay for ironworkers across the country to be $61,940, or around $30/hour. Notably, ironworkers in the Chicago area reportedly have some of the highest paydays in the nation, with an average hourly rate of $55.81 and yearly salaries (40 hour weeks) at $111,620.00 for S & R workers.
For safety agencies, like Illinois’ renowned National Safety Council as well as advocates for worker victims and their loved ones, the realities facing ironworkers on the job in the Chicagoland area are of particular concern.
Some very complicated and hazardous construction projects are active in our part of the country, where ironworkers face a very great risk of serious bodily harm or even fatal injuries on the job.
Consider the following examples of huge construction projects currently employing ironworkers in Chicagoland:
1. Project Rebuild Illinois
A historic state-wide infrastructure program, named “Rebuild Illinois,” is underway in the State of Illinois that many argue is unprecedented in scope, with billions invested and years forecast until its completion. Funding is provided by federal funds as well as Illinois fuel taxes and other things, like vehicle registration fees. For details, “Gov. Pritzker Announces Largest Infrastructure Program in State History,” published by the Office of Governor JB Pritzker on October 1, 2025.
The Rebuild Illinois projects include interstate and arterial bridge replacements or rehabilitations. Locals are probably well aware of construction involving Kennedy Expressway / I-90/94 work; the Edens/I-94 bridge replacement; as well as all sorts of Chicagoland bridge rehabilitation or preservation efforts.
Currently, a number of these Rebuild Illinois projects in Chicago and Cook County include various bridge projects that will require all sorts of ironwork. Think erection; rehab; welding; rigging; and deck work involved with things like structural steel repairs; structural steel replacement; bearing and expansion joint work; metal deck repairs or replacement; rigging; welding; cutting; and rebar work. See, FY 2025 Rebuild Illinois Highway Improvement Program: Cook County, published by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
2. 400 Lake Shore
One of the biggest construction efforts in Chicagoland is the 400 Lake Shore project. Developer Related Midwest oversees its construction, heralded to be the 13th tallest building in the Windy City, where “…rising at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, 400 Lake Shore will reshape the skyline with two residential towers, creating a visual gateway to the city.” It is described as a “luxury development, built by LR Contracting Company and BOWA Construction.”
Obviously, ironworkers are needed here. Structural ironworkers, for instance, will be bolting or welding; aligning beams. Riggers and signalmen will be rigging steel and facade panels. Welders and cutters will be very busy, as will reinforcing ironworkers busy with rebar in deck work, foundations, etc.
3. Bally’s Chicago
Currently, construction is progressing on the Bally’s Casino and its connected 34-story hotel tower along the Chicago River, at the former site of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center. Crane permits were issued last week. Steel erection is underway on the casino itself. The goal for the developers is a December 2026 opening. See, “Interior Buildouts, Crane Jumps Pending For Bally’s Casino And Hotel Construction Rises,” written by Daniel Schell and published by Chicago YIMBY on November 16, 2025.
Ironwork here will involve things like structural ironworkers working at great heights, doing things like setting steel and installing prefabricated structural and mechanical modules. Riggers will be involved with things like equipment lifts (prefab sections, etc.). Welders will be busy, of course. And there will be lots of deckers on the job with metal decking, working at heights as well.
Private and Public Duties of Care and Safety for Ironworkers on the Job in Chicago
For anyone employed in any type of ironwork in the State of Illinois, there are well-known protections mandated by law and regulation as well as industrial standards to keep ironworkers safe from harm in a work accident. Things like making sure every ironworker has the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) can make the difference between life and death in an instant.
The dangers facing ironworkers are not mysterious. Employers and workers alike are aware of the dangers in these types of jobs.
Sadly, all too often ironworkers will suffer severe bodily harm or even fatal injuries in an on-the-job accident which later investigation will show to have been entirely preventable. Breaches in duties of safety and care by contractors; suppliers; product manufacturers; and other third parties can kill or cause life-altering, permanent harm.
For Chicago ironworkers hurt on the job, there are legal remedies available to them – and to their loved ones – to help after a work accident. These remedies will be very different, however, for those employed on a government-funded site as compared to a construction project paid for by private developers.
In our next article, we will consider the primary hazards and risks faced today by Chicago ironworkers and their potential physical injuries and harm, especially in the current big construction projects here in the Cook County area.
We will also discuss the various monetary damages and benefits available to Chicago ironworkers hurt on the job, and how Chicago workers hurt in ironwork can pursue avenues to justice in the aftermath of a serious ironworking injury.
For more, read:
- The Dangers of Heat Exposure for Ironworkers in Cook County, Illinois
- Ironworkers: Great Dangers of On-the-Job Injury in Cook County, Illinois
- Ironworkers in Indiana and Illinois: High Risk of Serious or Fatal Injuries on the Job
- Warning to Chicago Workers: Safety Regulations and OSHA Violations
- Work Accident Injury Claims in Illinois and Indiana: Things to Know About Monetary Damages.
Chicago ironworkers are a group of professionals vital to our economy and indispensable to the city’s future, deserving of respect for their contributions. It is not an exaggeration to recognize that Chicago’s future depends upon their expertise. And, it is infuriating to consider how often ironworking is left unprotected and ironworkers are put at risk, potentially suffering painful and permanent bodily injuries. Please be careful out there!
