Concreters and concrete pump operators in a construction and building site need a concreters licence work in New South Wales. The NSW Fair Trading regulates trade licensing for all occupations, including concreting. All building contractors and general concreters must be licensed before carrying out any commercial work. What this means is that if you undertake work valued $1,000 or more, you need to be a registered concreter.

Getting a licence is a great step to advance your career. It allows you to work in different residential and commercial building projects and construction sites. You can undertake a lot more work when you are a registered concreter. Your employers can rest assured that you have the technical skills and practical knowledge for the job.

The NSW Fair Trading states that general concreters need a licence. If your work includes the following, you should get registered:

• Concrete laying or placement
• Falsework / formwork erection
• Resurfacing concrete
• Exposed aggregate work
• Concrete stencilling
• Concrete retaining walls
• Concrete repairs
• Exposed aggregate work
• Pebblecreting or similar projects
• Excavation in preparation for general concreting (which doesn’t require a licenced excavator or builder)

There are some exceptions. You can undertake the following work without a concreters licence in NSW:

• Building concrete retaining walls will require structural landscaping approval.
• Excavations that threaten the structural integrity of the said structure or a nearby structure.