Typical duties
- Carry out planned servicing on machines and conveyors
- Diagnose mechanical faults and repair them
- Replace bearings, belts, seals and gearboxes
- Isolate and lock out equipment before work
- Fabricate or modify simple parts
- Align shafts, pumps and drives
- Record repairs and parts used
- Advise production on recurring faults
Skills, licences & tickets
- Certificate III in Engineering (Mechanical Trade)
- Lockout and isolation procedures
- Hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical fault finding
- Hand and power tool skills
- Basic welding is a bonus
- Forklift or elevated work platform licence where required
A maintenance fitter inspects, services and repairs mechanical equipment so production can keep running. This maintenance fitter job description covers the daily tasks, the trade training behind the role and the safety rules that come with it.
Every factory, food plant and warehouse with conveyors, pumps and presses depends on fitters. When something stops, the fitter finds the cause, fixes it and records what was done.
What does a maintenance fitter do?
Planned work follows a schedule: lubrication, inspections, belt and bearing changes and alignment checks. Breakdown work is urgent. The fitter diagnoses the fault, makes the repair and tests the equipment before handing it back to production.
Good fitters also look for patterns. If a bearing keeps failing, they ask why, and they report the cause so the problem is fixed rather than repeated.
Working safely around machines
Before any repair, the fitter isolates energy sources, applies a personal lock and tests that the machine cannot start. The Safe Work Australia guidance on plant risks sets out the principles that safe isolation is built on.
Skills and tickets employers look for
Employers look for a Certificate III in Engineering (Mechanical Trade) or an equivalent trade background, strong fault finding and a clean safety record. Hydraulic and pneumatic knowledge is valuable in food and packaging plants. Forklift, elevated work platform and confined space tickets add to your options.
Pay, hours and employment types
Fitters are offered contract and permanent roles, with some sites needing on-call or shift cover for breakdowns. Pay is commonly set under the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award or an enterprise agreement, and rises with trade classification, overtime and site allowances.
How to become a maintenance fitter
Most fitters complete a mechanical trade apprenticeship. Experienced fitters can move into leading hand, planner, supervisor or specialist roles such as hydraulics or reliability.
Related Resources
- Qualified trades resume template and guide
- Trades and services recruitment in Melbourne
- Manufacturing and production labour hire in Melbourne
- Licence and ticket tracker
- Manufacturing award summary from Fair Work Ombudsman
- Managing the risks of plant from Safe Work Australia
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a fitter and a fitter and turner?
A fitter usually assembles, services and repairs machinery. A fitter and turner also machines parts on lathes and mills. In practice many maintenance roles use both skills.
Do I need an apprenticeship to be a maintenance fitter?
Most employers ask for a mechanical trade qualification, which normally comes through an apprenticeship.
Is maintenance fitter work shift work?
It can be. Some sites run maintenance on day shift only, while others need fitters on rotating shifts or on call for breakdowns.
What tickets help a maintenance fitter?
Forklift, elevated work platform, confined space and working at heights tickets are common, depending on the site.
Fix the Cause, Not Just the Fault
Fitters who record repairs and report patterns become the people production relies on. If you hold a mechanical trade, see current maintenance and trade openings or submit your CV.
