Plant Operator Hire Melbourne | Bluestone Labour Group

An operator who is competent on a 5 tonne excavator is not automatically competent on a 20 tonne machine, and the difference shows up in the first hour. Bluestone places plant operators with Melbourne civil contractors, earthworks crews and subdivision builders, and we match the operator to the actual machine and the actual task rather than to a job title.

Earthmoving plant in Victoria does not sit under a High Risk Work Licence the way a forklift or a crane does. Competency is demonstrated through units of competency and verification of competency assessments, which means the standard varies a lot between workers. We check what the operator has actually run, how recently, and on what size machine.

What we supply

Machines we place operators for

Tell us the machine and the work. We will tell you honestly whether we have someone who has run it.

Excavators

From 1.7 tonne mini excavators for service trenching through to 20 tonne plus machines on bulk earthworks. Operators matched to machine size and to whether the work is batter trimming, trenching or bulk push.

Rollers and compaction

Smooth drum, padfoot and multi tyre rollers for subgrade, pavement layers and asphalt. Operators who understand pass counts and moisture, not just how to drive it.

Loaders and skid steers

Wheel loaders, skid steers and bobcats for stockpile work, site clean up, and feeding crushers and screens.

Telehandlers

Licensed telehandler operators for material handling on civil and building sites.

Dozers and graders

Operators for spreading, trimming and grade work, including experience on machine guidance where the job runs it.

Water carts and site trucks

Support plant operators for dust suppression, haulage and general site running.

Excavator operator working on a Melbourne civil construction site

Compliance

Competency verified before placement

Because earthmoving competency is not a single licence, we verify it properly rather than accepting a ticket photo.

Verification of Competency

Current VOC for the specific machine class

Units of Competency

Relevant RII units sighted where held

High Risk Work Licence

Where the plant requires one, such as telehandlers

Construction Induction (White Card)

Verified on the national register

Machine History

What they have run, how recently, at what size

Right to Work and Police Check

Checked before any placement

Why Bluestone

Why this matters on your site

An operator matched to the machine size, not just to the machine type.
Honest answers. If we do not have someone who has run that plant, we say so rather than sending a body.
Operators used to Tier 2 and Tier 3 civil sites and the pre start and prestart paperwork that comes with them.
Cover for planned leave and unplanned absences so plant does not sit idle on hire.

Bluestone Labour Group holds Victorian Labour Hire Licence VICLHL11535. In Victoria it is a legal requirement for a host employer to use a licensed labour hire provider, and the obligation sits with you as well as with us.

Coverage

Where we place plant operators

Plant operator demand in Melbourne concentrates where land is being turned over. The growth corridors are the busiest, and that is where most of our operators work.

In the north that means Craigieburn, Mickleham, Wollert and Epping. In the west it is Tarneit, Truganina, Melton and Rockbank, where industrial estates and residential subdivisions are running side by side. In the south east it is Clyde, Officer, Pakenham and Cranbourne. We also place operators into quarry, landfill and recycling operations across the metropolitan fringe, and into infrastructure works on the arterial network.

For work outside the metropolitan area, including Geelong, Ballarat and the Latrobe Valley, longer bookings make far more sense than day rates. Tell us the duration and we will price the travel into the arrangement up front rather than discovering it later.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Not for most earthmoving plant. Excavators, rollers, loaders and dozers are covered by demonstrated competency rather than a High Risk Work Licence. Some plant does require a licence, telehandlers and forklifts among them, and cranes and dogging always do. We check which applies to the machine you are putting the operator on.

We ask what they have run, at what size, how recently and on what type of work, and we verify their competency documentation. Machine size is the detail most often glossed over, and it is the one that causes the problem.

We supply the operator. We are a labour hire provider, not a plant hire company. If you are hiring the machine dry from a plant hire firm, we place the person who runs it.

24 to 48 hours covers most requests. For a specific machine class on a specific date, more notice gives you a better operator rather than the only operator available.

Other roles

We also supply

See all labour hire services

Plant Operator Hire in Melbourne