Concreting has two compliance flags most tradies miss: formwork and falsework are high-risk construction work needing a SWMS, and operating a concrete placing boom needs a high-risk work licence. Add the footing-and-slab inspection and the brutal material-price and tax surprises, and here is the year-one reality.
Licences, cards and tickets
- White Card (CPCCWHS1001) to enter any site.
- High Risk Work Licence — PB class if you personally operate a concrete placing boom (a truck or trailer-mounted articulating boom that slews and luffs) — not line pumps or chute placement. Training and assessment with an RTO, 18+, with the licence application lodged within ~60 days of competency.
- Formwork and falsework are high-risk construction work — so a SWMS is legally required (see SWMS & High-Risk Construction Work), and a formwork contractor is expected to hold the relevant state registration (e.g. a NSW formwork contractor licence or qualified supervisor) and insurances.
- Building-work thresholds apply for direct-to-public work (e.g. NSW over $5,000); subbing to a licensed builder means they carry the primary licence but will demand your White Card, competence, insurances and HRW where relevant.
Starter kit and hire
Own day one: hand-finishing tools (trowels, edgers, groovers, bull float, screeds, kneeboards — $600-1,200), layout and QA gear (laser level, stringline, squares — $900-1,500), plus PPE including respiratory protection for cutting and grinding (silica — see Silica & Engineered Stone). Hire or subcontract: ride-on power floats and trowel machines, boom and line pumps (specialist pumpers), excavators and compaction for sub-base prep, and large engineered formwork systems (the builder usually provides and specifies). The rule: own what fits in the ute and small trailer; hire anything needing its own registration, an HRW licence or special maintenance. See Tooling Up.$400-1,000), an entry concrete vibrator ($800-1,500), a demo/cut-off saw (
Rates and work sources
Indicative 2025-26: residential plain slabs and driveways ~$50-75/m², reinforced ~$80-135/m²; an installed slab (materials + labour + margin) ~$100-150/m²; ready-mix supply ~$240-340/m³ standard (up to ~$450 high-MPa or decorative); labour-only to a builder ~$400-650+/day per person, or clearing ~$60-80/hr after materials direct to a homeowner. Work comes from residential slabs and driveways, small commercial (warehouse slabs, footpaths — subbie to builders or civil), and formwork packages under a licensed builder with an engineer's design.
The money traps — material volatility and tax
Two surprises bite hard:
- Never quote concrete at yesterday's rate. Ready-mix runs ~$240-340/m³ (up to ~$450 high-spec), and suppliers time-limit quotes — quote at last quarter's price and a rise before pour day comes straight out of your margin. Confirm the current plant $/m³ and delivery, and put an expiry date and a price-variation clause in the quote; build a small contingency into your rate for rises and wastage.
- The tax-and-super shock — no PAYG withholding, so the first tax bill and year-2 instalments can land together. Sweep at least 25-30% of every invoice to a separate account, register for GST promptly and do quarterly BAS (concreting revenue spikes fast on a builder's list). Self-fund super (see The Money Reality). Seasonality also bites — heat limits pour windows, and the northern wet season wipes slab schedules (see Seasonal Slowdowns & Cashflow).
The first inspection (footing and slab)
Before the pour, a certifier or council inspector checks: footing trenches (depth, width, bearing vs the engineer's drawings); reinforcement (bar and mesh size, spacing, laps, cover, chair density, tying); formwork (line, level, bracing, joint tightness against blow-outs); and services penetrations and termite barriers. If they are unhappy, you rectify (add chairs, correct laps, re-compact soft spots) and re-inspect, or the pour is rejected — and a failed inspection delays the builder's progress claim and sours the relationship fast. Schedule inspections early, be on site, and have the drawings and SWMS ready.
Common mistakes
- Wrong mix (MPa/slump/exposure class), under-reinforcing, or poor sub-base compaction → cracking and rejected pours.
- Operating a boom pump without the PB licence, or contracting direct above the state threshold unlicensed.
- A generic SWMS that does not reflect the actual site hazards.
- Quoting concrete at an old rate with no variation clause.
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