Shutdown labour · Sydney · November to February
Shutdown season crews for Sydney sites
The end-of-year shutdown is won or lost in the planning weeks. Score how ready you are, work out your lock-by dates and see which NSW public holidays change your labour bill. Then talk to a crew that is trade-tested and inducted before day one.
- Two-minute readiness score
- Lock-by date planner
- NSW public holiday dates
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Why the planning weeks decide the shutdown
A shutdown has a fixed window and a fixed list of work. What it never has is slack. If the crew is not locked, the tickets are not mapped and the inductions are not booked, the first days of the window go on problems the plan should have solved weeks earlier.
We use a simple rule of thumb with maintenance managers. Lock the trade mix about six weeks out. Book tickets and inductions about four weeks out. Agree rosters and fatigue limits about three weeks out. Name the timesheet approvers about two weeks out. It is our planning guide, not a regulation. Your site's own lead times come first.
Inside six weeks is not the end of the world. Your options narrow and the trade-offs get dearer, but a crew can still be built. Use the score and the planner below to see where you stand, then fix the lowest answers first.
At a glance
NSW public holidays that fall inside the season
Public holiday work is paid at a premium under most awards and agreements. Check these dates against your window before you set the budget.
Minimums under one award. Casual rates differ, and your site agreement or enterprise agreement may pay more. This is not a quote.
Self-check
Shutdown readiness score
Ten questions. Answer for the shutdown you are planning now. Be honest: 'partly' is a fine answer and so is 'not yet'.
- The shutdown dates and the scope of work are confirmed in writing. Not 'around the 14th'. Start, finish and the work list.
- You know the trade mix by shift. How many fitters, boilermakers, pipe fitters, welders, electricians, riggers and trade assistants, on days and on nights.
- Every task is mapped to the tickets and licences it needs. Confined space, working at heights, high risk work licences. You know who holds what.
- Site inductions are booked for the whole crew. On days the induction room can actually handle them.
- Rosters and fatigue limits are agreed. Hours per shift, days in a row and rest between shifts.
- Permits, isolations and safe work method statements each have a named owner. Per work front, not per shutdown.
- You have a plan for no-shows and late scope. Spare capacity, a standby list or a second source you can call.
- Timesheet approvers are named and know the cut-off. Who approves, by when, and how they approve on the day.
- The budget allows for overtime, night shifts and the public holidays in your window. Check the dates above.
- There is one named contact on your side and one on your labour provider's side. Both with mobile numbers, both answering during the shutdown.
- 0 to 7 points: Red: do the basics this week
- Several of the things that sink a shutdown are still open. Pick the three lowest answers and fix those first: scope in writing, the trade mix by shift and the ticket map. If your window is under six weeks away, call us today and tell us the dates. We will tell you honestly what we can fill.
- 8 to 13 points: Amber: a few gaps to close
- You have the bones of a plan. The gaps are usually tickets, inductions and the no-show plan. Book inductions first, because induction capacity runs out. Then agree rosters and fatigue limits in writing.
- 14 to 17 points: Green with edges: nearly there
- A good position. Revisit the questions you answered 'partly'. A named contact on each side and a spare-capacity plan are the two things that save the first weekend.
- 18 and above points: Locked: ready to brief
- You can brief a labour provider with real numbers. Send us the trade mix, the tickets and the dates and we will confirm what we can supply.
This score is a conversation starter built from our planning experience. It is not an audit of your site, your safety system or your compliance.
Calculator
Lock-by planner
Enter your start date as weeks from today and the shape of the roster. The planner shows where each planning milestone sits against our rule of thumb.
Assumptions
| Assumption | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lock the trade mix | 6 weeks before the start (our rule of thumb) | Fixed |
| Book tickets and inductions | 4 weeks before the start (our rule of thumb) | Fixed |
| Agree rosters and fatigue limits | 3 weeks before the start (our rule of thumb) | Fixed |
| Name the timesheet approvers | 2 weeks before the start (our rule of thumb) | Fixed |
What the numbers leave out
- The planner does not know your site's induction capacity, permit system or contractor lead times. Those can be longer.
- Crew-hours and head count are sizing figures, not a roster. A real roster has to respect award or agreement hours and rest between shifts.
How it works
How we crew a shutdown
Seven steps, boring on purpose. You always know what happens next.
Brief us
Dates, trade mix by shift, tickets, site and shift pattern. Use the request form or call 02 7813 4761.
Terms sorted
Rates and terms agreed in writing before anyone starts.
Profiles in your inbox
Verified qualifications, tickets and experience for everyone we put forward.
Crew mobilised
You approve the people. Every worker is safety-inducted by Smart Industrial before they step on your site, then does yours.
Timesheets approved
Workers record their hours on your site. Your supervisor approves them.
Weekly invoice
Weekly invoices, auto-generated from your approved timesheets.
We check in
We check in with you during the shutdown, not only at the end.
Smart Industrial, what a fantastic service these guys offer. Very professional and very adaptable which suits our business requirements as our procedures can often change at the last minute. Very professional organisation and a quality team to deal with, no other service comes close to these guys 10/10.
Questions
Shutdown labour questions
How far ahead should I book shutdown labour?
As soon as you have a firm scope. Our rule of thumb is to lock the trade mix about six weeks before the start, book tickets and inductions about four weeks out and agree rosters about three weeks out. It is a planning guide, not a regulation, and your site's lead times come first. If you are inside six weeks, send us the dates and we will tell you honestly what we can fill.
Which trades does a shutdown usually need?
Most scopes call on mechanical fitters, boilermakers, pipe fitters and welders, electricians, riggers and dogmen, crane operators and trade assistants. The mix by shift matters more than the head count. Give us the work list and the shifts and we will match the crew. If you are unsure of the mix, describe the work and we will help you size it.
What tickets do shutdown crews usually need?
It depends on the tasks. Confined space entry, working at heights and high risk work licences such as dogging, rigging, EWP and crane classes come up most often, and many sites add their own inductions and permits. Map tickets to tasks early, because that map decides who you can use on which work front. We verify and record licences and tickets before a worker starts.
Do public holidays really change the cost?
Yes. Under the Manufacturing Award, ordinary hours worked on a public holiday are paid at 250% of the base rate for a full-time employee, including at the C10 tradesperson level.2 Weekend and overtime rates also apply, and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide sets out the current rates. Your site agreement may pay more. Five NSW public holiday dates fall between 25 December and 26 January this season.1
Can you supply a whole crew, inducted together?
We supply whole crews as well as single trades. Tell us the numbers, trades and dates and we will confirm what we can mobilise. Every worker is safety-inducted by Smart Industrial before they step on your site, with their visa (VEVO) check, National Police Check and pre-employment medical completed in-house. Your site induction then sits on top.
What if the scope grows mid-shutdown?
It happens. Tell us as early as you can, with the trade, the tickets and the shift. We will tell you what we can add and by when, and we will say so plainly if we cannot.
Do you supply regional shutdown crews?
We supply Sydney-wide and across NSW. Our team has provided ongoing support during maintenance shutdowns at Cadia Valley Operations. For regional work we agree travel, accommodation and rosters with you before anyone mobilises.
Sources and notes
- NSW Government: NSW public holidays. Dates for 2026 and 2027, including the additional holiday on Monday 28 December 2026. 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. Public holiday rate of 250% of the base rate for full-time employees working ordinary hours. Accessed 3 October 2026.
Ready when you are
Tell us the dates, the trades and the tickets.
We will tell you honestly what we can fill, and when.