Mechanical fitters · Continuous plant · Sydney and NSW
Mechanical fitters for 24/7 plants in Sydney
A plant that never stops does not run on the number of fitters you have on day shift. Size the roster honestly, see what nights and weekends cost under the award, then brief fitters who are trade-tested and inducted before they reach your gate.
- Roster sizing
- Award shift rates
- Night-shift brief checklist
A sizing tool, not a roster.
Coverage is hours, not heads
One position that has to be filled 24 hours a day, seven days a week is 168 hours a week. A fitter on a full-time roster covers around 38 to 42 paid hours of that, and is away for annual leave, personal leave and training. So one 24/7 position takes more than four people, not one. Two fitters on every shift takes around ten.
That is arithmetic, not a statistic, and it moves with your roster. The calculator below uses your numbers. The leave allowance is a placeholder: the National Employment Standards give most full-time employees four weeks of annual leave (five for some shiftworkers) and ten days of paid personal leave a year,1 so an allowance of 10 to 15 per cent is a reasonable starting point.
If your crew is smaller than the number the calculator shows, the gap is already being filled somehow: overtime, deferred maintenance or a labour hire fitter. Better to size it on purpose.
Calculator
24/7 fitter cover calculator
Enter how many fitters you want on at once, the hours and days you must cover and the crew you have today. The calculator shows how many people the roster needs.
Assumptions
| Assumption | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours per person | 42 hours a week, the average for a 4-on-4-off roster on 12-hour shifts | You can change it above |
| Allowance for leave, sickness and training | 12%. Placeholder | You can change it above |
| Annual and personal leave | Four weeks of annual leave (five for some shiftworkers) and ten days of paid personal leave a year under the National Employment Standards | 1 Fixed |
What the numbers leave out
- The calculator sizes head count. A real roster also has to respect award or agreement hours, rest between shifts and fatigue management.
- It treats every person as a fitter who can cover any task. A real crew has a mix of tickets and specialities, so you may need more people than the sum.
- It does not include supervisors, trade assistants or contractors.
At a glance
How each shift is paid under the Manufacturing Award
Shown as a percentage of the base rate for a C10 tradesperson, full-time employee, from 1 July 2026. Casual employees add 25%. Your site agreement may pay more, and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide has the current hourly rates.
Minimums under one award. Enterprise agreements often pay more. This is not a quote.
Checklist
Briefing a night-shift fitter: what to put in the request
The more of this you give us, the closer the first fitter will be to the right one. Print it and fill it in with your night supervisor.
How it works
How we fill a roster gap
Tell us the roster and the gap. We tell you what we can fill.
Send the roster and the gap
Shift pattern, hours, dates, tickets by task and the site. Request mechanical fitters or call 02 7813 4761.
We confirm what we can fill
Honestly, and with dates. If we cannot fill a night shift on the dates you need, we say so.
Profiles in your inbox
Verified qualifications, tickets and experience for every fitter we put forward.
Inducted before they arrive
Every worker is safety-inducted by Smart Industrial before they step on your site, then does yours.
Timesheets approved, weekly invoices
Weekly invoices, auto-generated from your approved timesheets.
We check in
We check in on how the fitter is going after placement, not only at invoice time.
Flawless experience from start to finish! Understanding, efficient and 10/10 customer service. Would recommend to anyone and everyone.
Questions
24/7 plant and fitter questions
How many fitters do I need to cover a 24/7 plant?
Use the calculator. As a guide, one position that must be filled around the clock is 168 hours a week. A fitter on a typical full-time roster covers about 38 to 42 paid hours and is away for leave, sickness and training, so one position takes roughly four to five people. Two fitters on every shift is about nine or ten.
Can labour hire fitters cover night shifts and weekends?
Yes. Tell us the roster and we will tell you honestly what we can fill. Night, weekend and public holiday work attracts award or agreement loadings. We build them into the quote and show the build-up on request.
What do night-shift fitters cost?
Under the Manufacturing Award, a C10 tradesperson is paid 115% for afternoon and night shifts and 130% for permanent night shift, with higher rates on weekends and public holidays, from 1 July 2026.2 Your site agreement may pay more. The boilermaker rates guide shows how an award rate becomes a cost floor.
Do your fitters work unsupervised on nights?
That is your call. Tell us the supervision available and whether the fitter is first responder, planned maintenance or both. We match the person to the brief and test the skills before they start. A fitter who can fault-find alone is a different hire from one who follows a work order.
What tickets do fitters need on a continuous plant?
Typically confined space, working at heights and isolation or lock-out training, plus high risk work licences for forklifts, EWPs, dogging or cranes where the job needs them. Your site induction and permits sit on top. We verify and record licences and tickets before a worker starts.
Is the calculator a roster?
No. It sizes head count. A real roster also has to respect award or agreement hours, rest between shifts and fatigue management. Use it to start the conversation, then build the roster with your supervisors.
Can I move a good fitter to permanent?
Yes. Temp-to-perm is normal for us, and the terms are agreed up front, so there is no awkward conversation later. If you would rather run a search for a permanent fitter, see our permanent recruitment page.
Sources and notes
- Fair Work Ombudsman: National Employment Standards. Four weeks of paid annual leave (five for some shiftworkers) and ten days of paid personal or carer's leave a year for full-time employees. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Pay Guide, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award [MA000010]. Effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; published 29 July 2026. Accessed 3 October 2026.
Ready when you are
Tell us the roster and the gap.
We will tell you what we can fill, and when.