Excavator Operator (20-Ton, Bulk Earthworks) – Immediate Start

Real machine hours on real projects, with the pipeline and trenching company working in and around Durban Central. You don't need to be the loudest person in the room, just the one others can count on.

You'll be based at a pipeline and trenching company in Durban Central. Living nearby, or on a taxi route to it, really helps. The first two weeks are spent shadowing someone experienced.

• Compact layers with the roller until density tests pass
• Backfill and compact around pipes in layers
• Do the pre-start checklist on your machine before the first bucket
• Dig trenches for pipes and cables to the depth and grade set by the surveyor
• Record machine hours and fuel on the daily plant sheet
• Watch for underground services and follow the banksman's signals
• Load tipper trucks without spillage or overloading

• Good depth perception and no history of machine accidents
• Willing to work on projects outside your home town
• Medical certificate of fitness for operating mobile plant
• Can read grade pegs and understand cut and fill

• Certificates on more than one machine type
• Basic plant maintenance or mechanical knowledge
• GPS machine control experience on excavators or graders

• Overtime paid on all hours past 45 a week
• Travel home paid at the end of each site shift cycle
• Camp accommodation or a living-out allowance on remote sites

• Put your operator certificate numbers on the CV. Site safety files need them before you start.
• List each machine with its size, for example "20-ton excavator, 4 years". Plant managers match you to the machine they need.