How to roster construction staff
Create compliant rosters for construction workers under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), including RDO management, shift work arrangements, and FIFO rostering.
Written by
Georgia Morgan
Free construction payroll cost calculator
Calculate true staff costs including RDO accruals, penalty rates, shift loadings, super, and travel allowances for accurate project budget planning.
General information only – not legal advice
This guide provides general information about construction rostering under Australian awards. Many construction workers are covered by enterprise agreements with additional provisions. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
Construction staff rostering in Australia
Rostering construction staff in Australia requires balancing project timelines, site safety requirements, and strict award compliance under the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020. This guide builds on general roster types with construction-specific requirements. Unlike fixed-location businesses, construction workforce management involves multiple sites, varying trade requirements, weather dependencies, and complex penalty rates including the mandatory RDO system.
Construction employers must manage skilled trades (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, riggers), general labourers, and specialized roles (crane operators, concreters, scaffolders) across different project phases. Each role requires specific qualifications - white cards, high-risk work licences, and trade certifications - that must be current before rostering workers to sites.
Industry reality: Construction businesses face persistent labour shortages, project delays from weather and materials, and the need to balance labour costs against tight project margins. Poor rostering leads to RDO disputes, fatigue-related safety incidents, budget blowouts, and underpayment claims.
This guide provides a comprehensive approach to creating compliant construction rosters that meet award requirements, support site safety, manage RDO accruals, and control project labour costs. Learn more about construction rostering software.
Understanding the RDO system
The Building and Construction Award mandates a Rostered Day Off (RDO) system. Workers accrue time towards a paid day off by working 8-hour days.
| Period | Hours Worked | Daily Accrual | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1-19 | 8 hours/day | 0.4 hours/day | Building to 7.6 hours |
| Day 20 | RDO taken | -7.6 hours | Zero balance |
| Banked RDOs | By agreement | Max 5 RDOs | Taken on agreed date |
Critical: RDO accruals must be tracked daily and taken regularly. Failure to schedule RDOs leads to significant liability, disputes, and potential underpayment claims. Use rostering software with built-in RDO tracking.
6 steps to compliant construction rostering
Follow these steps to create compliant and effective construction rosters under the Building Award.
Understand the RDO system
Set up the mandatory Rostered Day Off (RDO) system required under the Building and Construction Award.
Key points:
- Employees work 8 ordinary hours per day
- 0.4 hours accrued each day toward RDO
- After 19 days of work, 7.6 hours banked for 20th day (RDO)
- Maximum 5 banked RDOs at any time
Structure ordinary hours correctly
Plan shifts within the 38-hour weekly limit averaged over roster cycles.
Key points:
- 38 ordinary hours per week (may be averaged over 2-4 weeks)
- Maximum 8 consecutive hours per shift
- 30 minutes crib time included in each shift
- Standard start times typically 6am-7am
Plan for shift work requirements
Apply proper notice periods and loadings when scheduling shift work.
Key points:
- Minimum 48 hours notice for shift work requirement
- Less than 48 hours notice = overtime rates apply
- Afternoon shift: starts after 4pm, finishes by midnight
- Night shift: starts after 11pm, finishes by 8am
Apply correct shift loadings
Calculate shift penalties based on the type of shift and days worked.
Key points:
- Morning/early afternoon shifts: 125% of ordinary rate
- Afternoon, night, early morning shifts: 150% of ordinary rate
- Shiftwork on Saturday: 150% of ordinary rate
- Additional 15% loading for afternoon/night shifts
Consider FIFO and remote site arrangements
For fly-in fly-out workers, plan rosters that balance work periods with time off.
Key points:
- Common FIFO rosters: 7 on/7 off, 14 on/7 off, 8 on/6 off
- Account for travel days in roster planning
- Consider fatigue management for long swings
- Ensure accommodation and facilities meet standards
Manage inclement weather and site closures
Build flexibility into rosters to handle weather-related work stoppages.
Key points:
- Inclement weather provisions in award allow work stoppage
- Employees entitled to ordinary pay for stoppages
- Plan make-up days when weather permits
- Consider indoor work alternatives for affected staff
Construction shift loadings 2026
Current penalty rates and shift loadings under the Building and Construction Award.
| Shift Type | Loading | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Morning shift (5am start) | 125% | Monday to Friday continuous |
| Early afternoon shift | 125% | Monday to Friday continuous |
| Afternoon shift | 150% | Plus 15% shift loading |
| Night shift | 150% | Plus 15% shift loading |
| Early morning shift | 150% | Plus 15% shift loading |
| Saturday shift work | 150% | For continuous shiftworkers |
| Saturday overtime | 150% first 2hrs, 200% after | Non-shift workers |
| Sunday (all hours) | 200% | All construction workers |
Rates effective from 1 July 2025. Construction rates increased 3.5% from previous year. Use our penalty rate calculator for accurate shift cost planning.
Common FIFO roster patterns
Fly-in fly-out roster patterns for remote construction sites and mining projects.
7/7
7 days on, 7 days off
Shorter projects, local FIFO
14/7
14 days on, 7 days off
Remote sites, longer projects
8/6
8 days on, 6 days off
Mining and resources
21/7
21 days on, 7 days off
Remote and overseas projects
4/3
4 days on, 3 days off
Close to home sites
FIFO fatigue management
FIFO rosters must consider fatigue management principles. Long swings (21/7, 28/7) increase fatigue-related incident risk. Monitor consecutive days worked, total hours, and provide adequate time-off ratios. Safe Work Australia recommends limiting swings to 14 days or less where possible.
Safety considerations for construction rostering
Construction sites have unique safety requirements that must be factored into rostering decisions.
Critical safety factors for construction rostering:
Common construction rostering mistakes
Avoid these costly errors that lead to compliance issues, safety risks, and underpayment claims.
Not managing RDO accruals properly
Consequence: Employees owed significant time off, cash-out disputes
Solution: Track daily accruals and schedule RDOs regularly with rostering software
Insufficient notice for shift work
Consequence: Must pay overtime rates instead of shift rates
Solution: Always provide minimum 48 hours notice for shift work
Exceeding consecutive hour limits
Consequence: Fatigue risks, safety incidents, award breaches
Solution: Cap shifts at 8 hours ordinary, include proper crib time
Ignoring inclement weather provisions
Consequence: Unpaid stoppages leading to disputes
Solution: Follow award process and pay employees for wet weather stoppages
Not tracking white cards and HRW licences
Consequence: Site compliance breaches, potential fines, safety risks
Solution: Use HR software to track certifications with expiry reminders
Poor site-to-site labour allocation
Consequence: Overstaffing some sites while others are short, budget overruns
Solution: Use multi-site rostering to balance crews across projects
Advanced construction rostering strategies
Strategies for complex construction rostering scenarios and multi-site workforce optimization.
Multi-site construction rostering
Construction businesses with multiple concurrent projects need visibility across all sites and the ability to deploy skilled trades flexibly while maintaining compliance at each location.
- Project-based rostering: Track labour hours by job code or project for accurate job costing and margin protection
- Site-specific compliance: Track white cards, site inductions, and HRW licences separately for each construction location
- Travel allowances: Calculate distance-based travel allowances automatically based on site location under the award
Learn more: How to manage multi-site rosters
Skills-based trade allocation
Match qualified tradespeople to project phases based on skills, licences, and experience. Different construction phases require specific trade coverage and supervision ratios.
Example trade requirements by project phase:
- Site establishment: Labourers, plant operators, safety officers
- Concrete pour: Concreters, dogmen, crane operators
- Frame & structure: Carpenters, steel fixers, riggers, scaffolders
- Services & fitout: Electricians, plumbers, HVAC, painters
Tip: Use rostering software with skills tagging to ensure qualified workers are assigned to appropriate tasks and receive roster warnings for missing certifications.
Weather contingency planning
Weather delays are inevitable in construction. Build flexibility into rosters to handle rain delays, extreme heat stoppages, and rescheduled work without excessive overtime costs.
- Indoor work alternatives: Maintain a list of indoor tasks (workshop, planning, training) for wet weather redeployment
- On-call arrangements: Keep casual labour pool available for make-up days when weather clears
- Communication systems: Use instant notifications to inform crew of site closures and schedule changes quickly
Free construction rostering calculators
Essential calculators to help you manage construction staff costs, RDO accruals, compliance, and project labour budgets.
Payroll cost calculator
FEATUREDCalculate total construction staff costs including super, penalty rates, RDO accruals, shift loadings, and allowances for accurate project budget planning.
Shift cost calculator
Estimate individual shift costs including penalties, overtime, travel allowances, and site-specific loadings.
Labour cost percentage
Track labour costs as percentage of project value to maintain construction profitability and protect margins.
Penalty rate calculator
Calculate weekend, public holiday, and shift work penalty costs for accurate construction payroll.
Break compliance checker
Ensure crib breaks comply with Building Award requirements for construction workers.
Roster cost forecast
Project labour costs for upcoming construction phases and identify budget risks early.
View all 16 free rostering and payroll calculators including award misclassification, underpayment risk, and backpay exposure estimators.
Construction rostering software
How specialized rostering software simplifies construction workforce management, RDO tracking, and award compliance.
Automatic RDO tracking & award compliance
Built-in Building Award interpretation tracks RDO accruals daily (0.4 hours per day), alerts when approaching 5 banked RDOs, and automatically calculates shift loadings, penalties, and crib breaks.
White card & HRW licence tracking
Track white cards, high-risk work licences, trade qualifications, and first aid certifications with expiry reminders. Roster warnings prevent assigning workers to sites without current credentials.
Multi-site project rostering
Manage crews across multiple construction sites from one platform. Track labour hours by project code for accurate job costing. See which sites are over/under staffed at a glance.
Live project labour cost tracking
See real-time wage costs including all penalty rates, RDO accruals, shift loadings, and travel allowances as you build rosters. Compare actual vs project budget by job code before publishing.
Trusted by Australian construction businesses
RosterElf helps construction companies, builders, and trade contractors manage complex multi-site rosters with built-in Building Award compliance. Join 30,000+ Australian businesses rostering smarter.
Frequently asked questions
- Under the Building and Construction Award, employees work 8 ordinary hours per day and accrue 0.4 hours each day towards a Rostered Day Off (RDO). After 19 days of work (accruing 7.6 hours), the 20th day is taken as an RDO. RDOs can be banked by agreement, but no more than 5 RDOs can be accumulated at any time. The date for taking banked RDOs must be recorded and agreed between employer and employee.
- RDOs are generally meant to be taken as time off, not cashed out. However, some enterprise agreements may allow for RDO cash-outs in specific circumstances. Check your applicable enterprise agreement or consult with Fair Work for your specific situation. Banked RDOs should be taken on agreed dates rather than accumulated indefinitely.
Right to disconnect (New from August 2025)
From 26 August 2025, employees of small business employers have the right to disconnect - meaning they can refuse to monitor, read, or respond to contact from their employer outside of working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable. This applies to all construction workers and should be considered when planning after-hours contact or on-call arrangements.
Regulatory sources & compliance
This guide is aligned with official Australian construction workplace regulations and safety standards.
Streamline construction rostering
RosterElf helps construction businesses manage site-based crews, track white cards and HRW licences, and support your compliance efforts with the Building Award. Built for Australian small businesses.
Related guides & resources
Learn more about construction rostering and workforce compliance.
How to create a roster
Learn roster creation basics using Excel, Sheets, or software.
Award rates hub
Current pay rates and penalty calculations.
Rostering software
Automate scheduling and compliance.
Multi-site roster guide
Manage rosters across multiple construction sites.
Common roles in construction
Download free job description templates for your construction team
Simplify your rostering today
Join thousands of Australian construction businesses using RosterElf to create compliant rosters, track RDO accruals, and manage multi-site projects. Built for Australian small businesses.