Steel Construction New Zealand
  • Profile Icon
  • Search Icon

Steel Erector

The job of steel erector can be very fulfilling and rewarding. There is great satisfaction in looking at a building that people use every day and knowing that you played a vital role in putting it up.

Practical - on a day to day basis, a steel erector has to know about:

  • erecting steel structures
  • erecting non-notifiable scaffolding
  • calculating & slinging regular loads
  • working with cranes
  • hand signals and two-way radio communications with crane operators
  • setting up and using winches for load placement
  • fall arrest systems
  • maintaining rigging plant and equipment
  • maintaining rigging hand and power tools
  • workplace first aid.

Theory - a certain amount of study is essential so that the steel erector understands:

  • loading goods & services vehicles
  • working with cranes
  • plan reading
  • trade drawings and calculations
  • taking levels on steel construction sites and leveling steel structures
  • basic mathematical calculations
  • how to use Pythagoras’s Theorem and trigonometry
  • problem-solving involving right-angled triangles
  • planning, preparing and completion of basic rigging work
  • welding steel structures using a manual metal arc
  • general purpose welding using a gas metal arc
  • interpreting rigging industry health and safety legislation
  • managing first aid and providing resuscitation in the workplace
  • protecting health & safety in the workplace
  • communicating in the workplace.

If this kind of career interests you, you will need to be physically fit and enjoy working in a team. Having a head for heights helps, though that can sometimes be learned. Probably the most important criterion is your strong desire to succeed.

“A steel erector needs to have a strong work ethic and to be in good shape. When I’m heading home at the end of the day, my rearview mirror shows me what I have accomplished. It’s growing out of the ground! If you like that and enjoy working with people who are genuine, this is the job for you.”


Dean Pouwhare
Operations Manager, D&H Steel Construction