Construction and Demolition Labourers
Perform a variety of routine tasks associated with preparing, erecting and repairing structures and facilities, excavating earth and clearing and levelling sites, demolishing and dismantling buildings and structures, and removing and disposing of asbestos.
A hot Thursday on the renovation
You are a builder's labourer on a house renovation, working with a small crew of tradies, mostly carrying, cleaning and helping out. It is 9:30am and already hot. A garden shed is coming down at the back, concrete arrives after lunch, and the foreman is in and out. A few decisions today will be about speaking up, even when you're the newest on site.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
The back wall of this old shed is made of those flat grey sheets. They're brittle and dusty. The foreman said to just smash them up and put them in the skip. We could have it done in half an hour. Shall we start?
Start smashing the sheets and fill the skip, since the foreman asked for it and the clock is ticking
A cloud of dust drifts across the yard. Old sheets like that may contain asbestos, and now it has been disturbed. The site is shut down for testing, and everyone nearby has to be told.
Stop, keep clear, tell the foreman the sheets might contain asbestos and wait for his word
The foreman rings a licensed assessor, who tests a sample and confirms it. The removal is done by a licensed team. You lose a morning, but nobody breathes anything they shouldn't.
Wet the sheets down with a hose first to keep the dust down, then break them up carefully
Wetting them cuts down the dust, but breaking up suspect sheets is exactly what should not be done before testing. You did the right thing for the wrong reason.
I feel a bit dizzy and my head's pounding. It's just the heat, I reckon. I don't want to stop, because the foreman will think I'm slacking, and we've got that wheelbarrow of sand to finish. I'm fine. Honestly.
Take him to the shade, get him water and tell the foreman, even if he protests
Jarrah rests in the shade, drinks water and is checked by the foreman. He's embarrassed, then grateful. The foreman changes the roster so heavy work happens earlier in the day.
Tell him to keep going, since he says he's fine and the sand has to go in before lunch
Ten minutes later Jarrah sits down heavily and goes pale. The foreman calls for help. Heat illness can get worse quickly, and 'fine' is not always what it means.
Take over his barrow and tell him to stay in the shade for a minute without telling anyone
Jarrah feels better after a rest, but nobody who could have changed the roster knows about it. Next week, someone else gets the same dizzy spell.
The concrete truck is early. The formwork for the slab hasn't been checked by the supervisor, but it looks all right to me. We can't leave a truck waiting. Can you help me get started with the first run?
Help her start the pour, because the truck is waiting and the formwork looks fine
Halfway through the pour, a section of the formwork bows outward and leaks. The slab is uneven, and concrete is wasted while the crew scrambles to fix it.
Help with the first run, and ask the supervisor to look over the formwork when he arrives
The first load goes into forms nobody has checked. The supervisor tightens a brace afterwards, but a small bulge has already set into the edge of the slab.
Tell Dorothy you'll help once the supervisor has signed off, and go and find him
The supervisor comes, checks and tightens a brace. The slab goes down flat and strong. Helping and checking are not opposites.
How it went
The shed sheets were left alone, Jarrah got through the heat, and the slab went down properly. Labouring is physical and sometimes repetitive, but a good labourer has sharp eyes and the courage to speak up. Would you enjoy being the person who helps a site run safely from the ground up?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The wall that held more than it looked
A fictional case set in a residential building site where an old house is being renovated and a new extension is going up.
The situation
Kobe was a demolition labourer on a house renovation in Palmer Street. His job that morning was to knock out a short internal wall with a sledgehammer, to open up the kitchen. The plan said the wall was non-structural, and the foreman had left to pick up supplies. As Kobe lifted the sledgehammer, he noticed a long fresh crack in the ceiling above the wall, and a timber beam sitting right on top of it. The work was only meant to take ten minutes.
What they did
Kobe put the hammer down and stepped back. He rang the foreman, described the crack and the beam, and sent him a photograph. The foreman told him not to touch the wall, came back and called the engineer. While they waited, Kobe moved tools and stock away from the area and kept the others out. The engineer confirmed that the wall was carrying part of the ceiling.
How it turned out
The engineer drew up a plan to support the ceiling before any wall came out. The job took an extra week, and the owner was unhappy with the delay. The foreman told the crew at the next toolbox talk what Kobe had done and why, and no one on site mentioned the delay again.
What would you do?
- How would you feel about stopping a job that the plan said was safe?
- Why might a plan be wrong about what is inside a wall?
- What could the crew do to make it easier for the newest person to speak up?