72321 Insulators

What this occupation covers

Insulators apply insulation materials to plumbing, air-handling, heating, cooling and refrigeration systems, piping equipment and pressure vessels, and walls, floors and ceilings of buildings and other structures, to prevent or reduce the passage of heat, cold, sound or fire. They are employed by construction companies and insulation contractors, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Read and interpret drawings and specifications to determine insulation requirements and select type of insulation required
• Measure and cut insulating material to required dimensions using hand and power tools
• Apply and secure insulation using spraying, blowing, pasting, strapping, taping and other application and installation methods
• Fit insulation around obstructions and between studs and joists
• Install vapour barriers
• Apply waterproofing cement over insulating materials to finish surfaces
• Remove asbestos or urea-formaldehyde insulation from buildings when required.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72014 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers

Excluded from this code

• Insulation supervisor (See 72014 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

apprentice insulator · asbestos insulator · boat and ship insulator · boiler and pipe insulator · boiler insulator · building insulator · cork insulation installer · fibreglass insulation installer · fire protection insulator · firestopping insulator · foamed insulation applicator · heat and frost insulator · insulation applicator · insulation installer · insulation mechanic · insulator · insulator apprentice · journeyman/woman insulator · pipe insulator · plastic insulation applicator · refrigeration and air conditioning equipment insulator · residential insulation installer · sound insulator · soundproof material installer

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over four years of work experience in the trade and some high school, college or industry courses in insulating is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
• Trade certification for insulators (heat and frost) is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified insulators (heat and frost) upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.