Access Equipment Jobs: Mechanical Technician

We’ve brought you the rundown on occupations that utilise access equipment before, like bricklayers and rail workers, and today we’re highlighting yet another. Mechanical technicians install and maintain a variety of equipment that is essential to keeping our homes and offices comfortable. Here’s what you need to know about working in this field.

Field overview

A quick search on Australia’s job outlook will yield over 20 results for ‘mechanical technician’, as there are indeed several fields that require similar skills and training. However, the biggest area of specialisation is definitely air conditioning.

Since 2003, employment of air conditioning mechanical technicians has risen strongly, and the projections through 2018 show a continued positive trend. As of November 2013, there were 29,300 mechanical technician jobs throughout Australia, making it an in-demand job in nearly every region. Not only are there an abundance of jobs in this field, over 95% of them are full-time.

While exact credentials vary from company to company, most mechanical technicians have received Certificate III/IV. A lot of training takes place on the job, though, as equipment in this field is highly specialised and dependent on the manufacturer, and there are many different manufacturers.

Day in the life

Mechanical technicians work on every aspect of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, including assembling, installing, maintaining, and repairing a variety of units and systems. Many technicians are specialised in either commercial or home systems. Depending on the task at hand, mechanical technicians rely on a variety of tools, including drills and welding equipment. Building mechanical systems are incredibly complex and involve compressors, motors, gauges, and lines to run water or gas. Clearly, this career requires a high level of expertise in order to safely and correctly navigate its many challenges.

Due to the sophistication of these systems, repair is actually more difficult than installation. When something goes wrong, it takes quite a bit of investigative work to find and then fix the problem. That’s why a big part of a mechanical technician’s job involves regular maintenance; it’s much easier to keep something running smoothly than to fix it once it breaks.

Access equipment and mechanical technicians

Unsurprisingly, a lot of the work mechanical technicians do requires access equipment like scissor lifts or boom lifts. In commercial and industrial buildings, ventilation and air conditioning units are usually installed overhead or on the roof. Periodic checks and system diagnostics are important to keeping things working properly, and that means you’ll need to be able to work at height for many jobs.

Another time mechanical technicians need a scissor lift hire is for replacing defective and ageing components. Regular gas or fluid checks to prevent leaks are important. Scissor lifts can also be helpful for lifting mechanical equipment on and off of roofs and ceiling mounts.

Check out the wide range of access equipment Force carries; we know we have just what mechanical technicians need!