Gas maintenance worker job description

Most roles require a relevant gas, mechanical trade or gas operations certificate, current site tickets (such as confined space, gas test atmospheres or working at heights), a valid driver’s licence, and working rights in Australia. A first aid certificate and prior gas or utilities experience are often preferred but not essential.

Mandatory requirements usually include the relevant trade or operations qualification, confined-space and gas-test tickets appropriate to the work, a driver’s licence, and working rights. Preferred items typically include first aid, working at heights, excavation or trenching competencies, and previous utilities experience. Match the mandatory tickets to your actual scope of work so you don’t over-qualify the role.

If the role involves entering pits, chambers or other confined spaces — which is common in distribution and plant maintenance — a current confined-space entry and gas-test-atmospheres ticket is generally required. Confirm the specific tickets your sites and safety management system demand, and list them as mandatory in the job description.

You can hire less-experienced candidates for lower classification levels and develop them through tickets and on-the-job training, but gas work is safety-critical, so all workers must hold the mandatory safety tickets and work under proper supervision and permit procedures. Focus on aptitude, safety attitude and willingness to gain the required qualifications.

This depends on your operation. Casual workers offer flexibility for variable workloads but attract a 25% casual loading under MA000061. Permanent full-time or part-time staff provide consistency for on-call rosters and better retention. Many operators use a mix of permanent core crews and casuals for peak or project work.

Under the Gas Industry Award (MA000061), Saturday work is paid at 150%, Sunday at 200% and public holidays at 250%. Afternoon shift attracts 115% and night shift 130%, while overtime is generally 150% for the first hours and 200% thereafter. Use award interpretation software to calculate rates accurately.

Workers rostered for on-call or availability duty under the Gas Industry Award typically receive an availability duty allowance of around $290.97 per week for FY2026/27, on top of any call-out payments and penalties for hours actually worked. Confirm the current allowance and apply it correctly through your payroll or award interpretation setup.

Key elements include: position title and classification level, employment type (casual, part-time or full-time), hourly rate, applicable award (MA000061), on-call and availability arrangements, reporting structure, main duties, work location, and required tickets and qualifications. Use our digital employment contracts to simplify this process.

Plan availability duty on a fair, rotating basis so no one carries an unsustainable on-call load, and make sure the availability allowance and any call-out penalties flow through to pay. Rostering software helps you schedule on-call rotations, record call-outs and keep field crews visible in one place. See our guide on how to roster gas staff.

Provide rosters as far ahead as your award or enterprise agreement requires, and give staff clear notice of shift and on-call changes. Using rostering software helps ensure compliance and gives crews visibility of upcoming shifts and availability duty.

Track hours worked, call-outs and rest breaks so workers get adequate recovery between shifts, and set clear policies on maximum consecutive on-call periods. Time and attendance and rostering tools make it easier to monitor hours and manage fatigue across field and depot teams.

Model shift costs before you publish the roster so penalties, overtime and availability allowances don’t blow the budget. Try our shift cost calculator and overtime & penalty rate calculator, then use rostering software to keep actual costs on target.