Paving and Surfacing Labourer
What the work is
Performs routine tasks associated with laying bituminous and other paving materials on roads, runways, parking areas and other surfaces to be paved.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Sweeps paving bases prior to laying asphalt and other surfaces
- Sprinkles and brushes hot and cold-mix asphalt over surfaces to be paved and repaired to bond asphalt toppings to bases
- Operates tank-truck distributors and hoses to spray tar and road oils and emulsions on graded surfaces prior to paving
- Trips tailgate levers to discharge hot-mix asphalt into paving machines, and spreads stone chips, gravel and cold-mix asphalt onto road surfaces
- Removes water and debris from potholes or damaged areas, and trims damaged surfaces before repair
- Shovels asphalt mix into areas inaccessible to paving machines and compacts mix using rakes and hand tampers
- Erects and dismantles barriers
- Loads and unloads equipment and cleans work sites
- May direct traffic
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a road crew resurfacing a suburban street overnight, with hot asphalt and live traffic nearby. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Rolling over a fresh road that was a patchwork of potholes this morning
- A crew that moves in time: truck, machine and rakes all in step
- Traffic flowing smoothly over your work by the morning peak
Hard days
- Working beside hot asphalt in summer with cars passing close by
- A night shift that drags on because rain has stopped the whole job
- Impatient drivers who ignore the signs and cones you set out
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 821531, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.