Construction Rigger
What the work is
Assembles and installs rigging gear such as cables, ropes, pulleys and winches, to lift, lower, move and position equipment, structural steel and other heavy objects.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Determines the necessary type and size of rigging gear, and inspects and prepares the appropriate rigging gear for the task
- Attaches rigging gear to equipment, structural steel or other heavy objects
- Builds and dismantles cranes and hoists
- Uses mechanical load shifting equipment and associated tools, such as winches, hoists and other lifting equipment, to lift, lower, move, position and secure objects
- Maintains and repairs rigging gear
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a steel-framed commercial building going up in a fictional port city, with a rigging crew working beside a mobile crane. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A steel beam is flown into place and the bolts line up on the first try
- The crew finishes a tricky lift without a single raised voice, just clear signals and calm radios
- A tidy rigging store at the end of the day, with every sling checked, tagged and hung in its place
Hard days
- Working at height on a windy morning, with a load swinging slightly in the gusts
- A load that nobody can weigh, and a crane operator waiting for your word
- A foreman who wants a lift done now, and a piece of gear that does not look right
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 821231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.