How to survive your first week on site

Get your white card sorted before day one

You legally cannot do construction work in Australia without a general construction induction card, known as a white card. It comes from completing the unit CPCWHS1001 through a registered training organisation, and a card from any state is recognised nationally. Turn up without one and you can be sent home at the gate.

Delivery rules differ by state: Victoria requires the course face to face (online certificates are not valid there), while some other states accept approved online training. The course fee is set by the RTO, so shop around. You get a temporary statement of training on the day and the card itself in the mail later, so keep that paper on you.

A white card is not a site induction. The white card is general safety training you do once. A site-specific induction covers that particular site's hazards, rules, amenities and emergency procedures, and you do a new one every time you start on a new site.

Resi vs commercial vs industrial: know which world you are walking into

First weeks look completely different depending on the type of site, and knowing what to expect stops you looking lost.

• •Commercial (big builders, CBD jobs): expect a formal site induction before you lift a finger, daily sign-on, reading and signing SWMS (safe work method statements), pre-start or toolbox talks each morning, permits for certain tasks, and strict minimum PPE like long sleeves and gloves no matter the weather. Crews can be 100 plus, so learn who your direct supervisor is fast
• •Residential: it might be just you, the boss and a couple of tradies. There may be no induction room, but the boss still has a legal duty to walk you through the site's hazards, and you still need your white card. Standards are set by the crew's habits, so watch the best tradie there and copy them
• •Industrial (plants, refineries, shutdowns, mine sites): the heaviest paperwork of all. Expect pre-employment medicals, drug and alcohol testing, extra site tickets, permit-to-work systems and escorted access until you are verified. Nothing happens fast on day one and that is normal
• •Whatever the site, if nobody offers you any induction at all, that is a warning sign, and it is fair to ask for one

The practical breakdown

Get there 10 to 15 minutes before start time. Sites move fast in the morning and being late in week one sets a tone that is hard to shake.

Bring whatever PPE you already own on day one (boots, hi-vis, glasses), plus a notebook and pen in your pocket, not your phone. Your employer must supply the PPE the job requires, but having your own basics means you are never the one holding things up.

• •Learn names on day one: your supervisor, the leading hand, and anyone you will work near
• •Ask where the amenities are: toilet, lunch room, water, first aid kit, fire extinguishers
• •Keep your work area tidy and sweep up without being asked
• •Watch how the tradies handle tools and materials before you touch anything yourself
• •Bring your own lunch and water, and do not assume there is a shop nearby

What apprentices should know

You are an employee from day one, not free labour. That means correct pay under your award or enterprise agreement, proper breaks, super on your earnings, a real induction, training on the site's hazards, and supervision that matches your experience. These apply whether you are 16 or 26.

Know who actually employs you. If you signed up through a group training organisation (GTO), the GTO is your legal employer and the builder you work for is a host employer. Your GTO field officer, not the host, is who you call about pay, training or problems, and they should check in on you in the early weeks. Hosts can also rotate, so a rough first placement is not your whole apprenticeship. If you are employed directly, your boss holds all those responsibilities and your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider is your outside contact.

Your training contract has a probationary period set by your state, roughly 1 to 3 months in NSW depending on the trade, 3 months in Victoria, and about 90 days in Queensland. During probation either side can pull out in writing. After probation the contract cannot just be torn up on the spot: cancelling or transferring it goes through your state training authority (for example Training Services NSW), and if you do not agree, there is a formal process before anything is final.

Money: your first payslip, gear and tools

Check your first payslip properly. It must arrive within one working day of being paid and must show your hourly rate, hours worked, any allowances as separate line items, deductions, and the super amount and fund. Award rates for a first-year are modest, but many commercial sites run enterprise agreements paying well above award, with extras like a site allowance, a daily fares and travel allowance, and RDOs. If you are on an EBA site, those extras should appear as their own lines. Missing allowances are the most common underpayment in construction: ask politely first, and if it is not fixed, ring the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.

On gear: under WHS law the business must provide the PPE the job requires at no cost to you, unless your GTO or labour hire employer already supplied it. Many construction awards also pay a weekly tool allowance if you supply your own hand tools, so check yours.

• •WA: the CTF Apprentice Tool Allowance reimburses construction apprentices up to $1,000 for tools and safety gear at commencement and another $1,000 at completion (for those starting between July 2024 and June 2029)
• •QLD ran a Free Tools for First Years rebate of up to $1,000; schemes like this open and close, so check your state training authority for what is current
• •Keep every receipt: tools costing $300 or less that you paid for yourself (and were not reimbursed for) are an immediate tax deduction, dearer tools are depreciated, and protective gear you bought yourself is deductible too

Common mistakes

The biggest one is standing around waiting to be told exactly what to do, every single time. Look for jobs that need doing (sweeping, restocking materials, packing tools away) instead of waiting to be chased up.

• •Pretending you understand an instruction when you do not
• •Wandering off site or out of sight without telling anyone
• •Touching machinery, power tools or ladders you have not been shown how to use
• •Turning up without your white card, the right PPE or proper footwear
• •Signing a SWMS or induction form without actually reading it, because your signature says you understood it
• •Being on your phone when you should be watching and learning

What to ask your supervisor

• •Where do I put my bag, and where is the closest toilet and first aid kit?
• •What are today's main hazards on this part of the site?
• •Who do I report to if you are not around?
• •Is there anything you specifically do not want me touching yet?
• •What time is smoko and lunch, and how long do I get?
• •If I am with a GTO: when is my field officer's first visit, and how do I contact them?

When to stop and ask for help

If you are ever unsure whether something is safe, stop and ask. You have a genuine right to cease unsafe work if you have a reasonable concern about a serious risk to your health or safety, as long as you tell your supervisor straight away and stay available for other suitable work. Tradies would rather answer an obvious question than watch you get hurt or do a job twice.

Hazing is not part of the trade. Being the new kid means copping some stirring, but so-called initiations, dangerous pranks, being sent to do degrading jobs as a joke, or constant put-downs are workplace bullying under WHS law, and regulators treat them as a real risk to young workers. You do not have to cop it to fit in.

If something is wrong, escalate in this order: your supervisor or boss, your GTO field officer (if you are with a GTO), then your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider or state apprenticeship authority. Victorian apprentices can ring the Apprenticeship Support Officer hotline on 1300 311 820. Queensland lists WorkSafe on 1300 362 128 and the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. MATES in Construction (1300 642 111) is there for construction workers doing it tough. A bad first week does not end your apprenticeship, and nobody can cancel your training contract on the spot once probation has passed.