Featured items

There are no featured items on this page

Civil Engineer - Working conditions

Mataaro Metarahi

Working Conditions

Civil engineers work in offices and on building sites. They may work on-site in all weather conditions. Civil engineers may travel overseas to work or to attend conferences and seminars.

A civil engineer inspecting a landfill construction site

Graeme Tonks talks to a supervisor on a construction site

Equipment

Equipment civil engineers may use includes:

reference materials
computer and computer-aided design (CAD) software
plans and construction drawings
scale rulers
safety equipment
protective clothing including wet-weather gear and gumboots
surveying, measuring and testing equipment
cameras.

A plan of a proposed structure

Hours

Civil engineers usually work regular hours, but may need to work evenings and weekends. They may also need to be on call.

Contact with people

Civil engineers work independently and as part of a team. They interact with clients and other professionals, and may be required to supervise groups of workers.

"It's quite a collaborative job. We appreciate people who want to contribute and we help each other when we can – sharing information, plans or ideas."

Tiffany Palmer - Civil Engineer

Previous page - How to get into the job

Next page - Pay and progression

Updated September 2009

Return to page navigation menu