Crikey is he still alive. I work around ammonia refrigeration and it burns when there is a pin head leak.

TRev

 

Lucky it wasn't anhydronious ammonia ........ no second chances there ......

 

What have been your experiences that have really brought out the dangers of your job as a reality to you?

I used to work in engineering at the abbatoirs here and there was a spill of this a few years ago at the receiver tank just outside a loading dock, due to the stupidity of instructions given to fitters by the engineer (of all people). More stupid was that the two fitters carried out the instructions knowing the risks (decanting AA is just plain stupid and potentially deadly!!!). The high pressure hose between the receiver tank and cylinder blew from back pressure.
As the appointed OHS officer for the maint dept at the time our investigation revealed there was a misdiagnoses of the refrigeration problem in the first place (happened on arvo shift, engineer not present) which led to the incident. Luckily no one was hurt and the fitters did well to shut down what they could and get the area and loading bay and boning room evacuated before any one got hurt. Company copped a fine for negligence.

 

Retired banker this end........

I never was actually hurt at work, but I can tell you from experience that the barrels of a sawn-off side-by-side 12 gauge look like 2 empty baked bean tins when they're shoved in your face with a fair bit of loud swearing being dished out by the arzehole that's got his finger on the trigger!!!!

 

Plus you said you work at a Nickel refinery ... I'de be more worried by sulphor dioxide ....... that stuff is nasty

 

Not wrong there , I'm so glad i'm away from all the crap i used to work with , was in Zinc/lead processing

 

I run a small P/A equpment hire buisiness, pretty much every job envolves running temporary cables including 240V power leads etc, this makes me perticlary aware of cables i see that other people run or use.

Over the years i have been amazed at the stupidity of people that ignore tripping hazzards and fail to acknowledge the fact that 240V mains power can kill in a instant.




The best example was at a popular fast food chain (wont mention names) we had a childs birthday party in the outdoor play area, as part of the party they supplied a small stereo/music box for music and games etc.

I was amazed to see they were quite happy run the 240V power cable through the opening of a large auto-closing aluminium door (hinge pivot type), and every time a kid ran through, the door would squash/trap the cable with quite some pressure, it was already damaging the outer insulation of the cable, even after only a short time.


When i brought this to the attention of the staff, they told me that is how they have always ran the power cable at such party's and never had a issue, i replied, sure, but the first issue you will know about, is going to be someones dead kid stuck to the door ! :shock: (i then proceeded to rectify the problem)

 

On the oil rig in the North Sea and due to poor hand signals resulted in a young guy getting pulled up into the mouse hole. He had to be pushed out with some casing. That really sucks

In simple words: the guy was man riding on harness on 1/4" wire cable and was working - hanging below a hole in the floor. He asked to be lifted slightly up but poor hand signals ended up with him be pulled into the hole from above. hence the word the mouse hole.

I do not think a week goes past were some one around the world on oilrig is not decapitated, crippled or dies due to injuries from falls or been hit from above. Yet the standards of safety are some of the best in the world, its just a dangerous job to do.

 

A few years ago now contractors were cutting an expansion joint in a block wall about 20m away from our workshop, using a quick cut saw. The bloke using the saw got his safety vest snaged in the blade somehow, his vest got pulled into the blade. It ripped into his chest & up into his neck, died on the way to hospital.

 

Not so much a danger to us, we have 100 ton rated structural members and 1 thick steel plate protecting us, but a real issue for the general public. Trains and road vehicles generally do not mix well. Yet the number of people who are willing to risk everything by running a level crossing in front of us is astounding.
About a week ago, pulling out of a mine, only travelling about 10kph, a bloke in a ute drove up to a level crossing, this one only guarded by a stop sign. It was about 20 metres in front of us. We hit he horn, he waved at us, and proceeded through the level crossing without stopping. Him, about 2 tons of thin metal. Us, approx 7700 tons of steel and coal - 1695 metres long.
I've been lucky. I havent hit one yet. But they dont make a pretty sight once we finish with them.
A mate did hit one, but it was an excavator on a low loader. The low loader crossed the crossing empty no worries- just. Once loaded with the excavator, it didnt clear the crossing- just. He was stuck on the crossing, and hadnt yet made the phone call to control yet. Mate comes around the corner, and crests the brow about 400 metres from the crossing, sees the low loader, hits the horn, waits for the low loader to move, it doesnt, hits the horn again, hits the emergency brake, ducks down, hits low loader just behind prime mover turntable at approx 30kph. Breaks low loader/semi combo at the turntable. Fortunately, the excavator was loaded with bucket facing forward. Train speed when low loader first sighted, approx 50kph. Damage, written off semi, low loader, and excavator. Train- some minor panel damage, broken glass, and that was about it. Train didnt derail. Train was driven from the scene. Drivers shaken up, but not hurt.

In a road vehicle/train interaction, the train WILL ALWAYS WIN.

 

Not so much a danger to us, we have 100 ton rated structural members and 1 thick steel plate protecting us, but a real issue for the general public. Trains and road vehicles generally do not mix well. Yet the number of people who are willing to risk everything by running a level crossing in front of us is astounding.
About a week ago, pulling out of a mine, only travelling about 10kph, a bloke in a ute drove up to a level crossing, this one only guarded by a stop sign. It was about 20 metres in front of us. We hit he horn, he waved at us, and proceeded through the level crossing without stopping. Him, about 2 tons of thin metal. Us, approx 7700 tons of steel and coal - 1695 metres long.
I've been lucky. I havent hit one yet. But they dont make a pretty sight once we finish with them.
A mate did hit one, but it was an excavator on a low loader. The low loader crossed the crossing empty no worries- just. Once loaded with the excavator, it didnt clear the crossing- just. He was stuck on the crossing, and hadnt yet made the phone call to control yet. Mate comes around the corner, and crests the brow about 400 metres from the crossing, sees the low loader, hits the horn, waits for the low loader to move, it doesnt, hits the horn again, hits the emergency brake, ducks down, hits low loader just behind prime mover turntable at approx 30kph. Breaks low loader/semi combo at the turntable. Fortunately, the excavator was loaded with bucket facing forward. Train speed when low loader first sighted, approx 50kph. Damage, written off semi, low loader, and excavator. Train- some minor panel damage, broken glass, and that was about it. Train didnt derail. Train was driven from the scene. Drivers shaken up, but not hurt.

In a road vehicle/train interaction, the train WILL ALWAYS WIN.

Isnt it farkin amazin how the media networks always say "a train hit a truck/vehicle/child today" rather than a "truck hit a train today".

Makes me sooooo angry, like a train has a bloody steering wheel!

 

Bundy I'm a train driver as well and it never ceases to amaze me the peeps that play "lets beat the train". I truly dont think they comprehend the result of 14000T of iron ore on their vehicle and ALSO the effect it can have on us drivers. WE CANT STOP ON A DIME and we cant swerve to miss you muppets!

 

Bundy I'm a train driver as well and it never ceases to amaze me the peeps that play "lets beat the train". I truly dont think they comprehend the result of 14000T of iron ore on their vehicle and ALSO the effect it can have on us drivers. WE CANT STOP ON A DIME and we cant swerve to miss you muppets!

A few days ago, a moron bus driver tried this very thing. 51 passengers died, if I recall correctly. I do not know whether the driver was one of them.

 

Ah the reason that some US railroads run their locomotives long hood forward, Norfolk Southern is one of them. That was done to increase crew survival rates at grade crossings. No matter what it is always going to be train 1 - car 0

 

A needle stick from a Hep C patient aint much fun. Its like looking down the barrel of that loaded shotgun for 6 months, wondering if it will go off.

 

I know what your going/went though , This is farked for everybody involved , as our son got *****ed when he was 10 years old by a discarded needle in a known drug users area , luckily he/we got the all clear

 

What have been your experiences that have really brought out the dangers of your job as a reality to you?

Sticking my hand in a 30tonne slitter/press :ahah:

 

demolition as a job,
Knocked down part of the old moe hospital every thing was meant to be turned off and isolated, expect for fire mains.

Knocked a wall down and found a power box behind, which i picked up with the machine only to find out it was still live. That lit my day up.

many many more dangerous things happen but people don't need to know about them .

 

A nurse accidently jabbed himself after giving me a needle. I said this is your lucky day, I dont take drugs, have any exotic disease or smoke & drink alcohol. I do not know if he believed me. Any way he asked if I would be willing to sign a consent to have my blood tested (for everything I guess). I said not a problem. He then told me they could not test without the permission. I could not believe it, I think it should be compulsary to have blood tests in these cases, poor bloke would have been crapping himself, I hope I put his mind at ease. That was a couple of years ago.

 

having a car almost fall off a hoist at work certainly makes you wonder how good they are.
luckily it sort of caught itself on the arms and didnt fall right to the ground as 2 blokes were working under it.

 

Spending many hours enforced by a Petty Officer swimming in a diesel tank cleaning it with a dust pan and a bucket, any wonder meself and my half dozen collegues now have perpetual dermatitis Mr RAN?

 

working in the Canadian Rockies inspecting Rail road, you have a spotter teams in either direction a kilometer down the way in both directions and they a train through!

me and two other guys had to jump of the tracks slid down the bank and through the top ice of a frozen slew(ditch full of water)....

thats the only time i have taken a group hug from partially clothed men...

 

not gonna mention any names but contracted to work on powerlines 33 000v, the gov entity switched off the wrong feeder but all the paper work was right.

Not a nice experience to go and work on live 33kv not being prepared to do so. after all these are the feeders that supply suburbs switching off the wrong one didnt leave much trust in my heart anymore. So motto of the story is test and retest

im still here and alive

 

worst for me is slipping on a roof and caught the ridge with my fingertips with one hand. nice drop off the roof to and no one home, way out in the sticks.
known guys who have slipped off an average once a year

the odd thing is because it normally looks dangerous your really careful and there's rarely an accident. the times it gets you is when it doesn't look dangerous. lost count the amount of zaps from 240v mains. (rubber boots and rubber mats means i'm still alive).

 

Getting off a pilot vessel that's going up and down about 3m onto a rope ladder and then climbing up the side of a bulk carrier to find that there were just a few Phillipino seamen standing on the end of the rope to secure it was a little hairy...

Or getting bitten rather firmly on the inside of the leg by a dog just a few cm away from my nuts and old fella shook me up a bit too.

Or being bitten by a shrew that subsequently died and being told that it might have had rabies and I need to go and start having rabies shots. That wasnt fun.

Mutineering Russian aircrews...not fun either...

Over enthusiastic US Marines with guns...

Portugese Marines with 50 cal's and Hummers...

Getting stoned in riots...

Finding an open tin of ethyline dibromide alongside the workstation you've been working at. Then going off to hospital for chest x-rays and blood tests to see how badly I was poisoned.


Falling asleep in the car in the drive way or at traffic lights after long shifts and long periods of shift work.

Psychopathic managers...

I'm sure there's more. I should write a book !

 

Falling asleep in the car in the drive way or at traffic lights after long shifts and long periods of shift work.

X 2 , Also not remembering how you got home after long shifts is a bit scary sometimes

 

Maybe not the right thread to be asking, but:
How do you become a Train Operator?
Has kind of interested me since i was a kid but never really put too much thought into it.
I dont live in Melbourne or a metro area either, which probably isnt going to help.



BTW, I have a an uncle that was a train driver in the 80's, Bendigo to Melbourne line.
Went with him once when i was around 5, thought it was awesome to be up the front and pull the air horns at the crossings!
He ended up "retiring" after the 3rd suicide - you can only take so much, especially when they just stand there and look you in the eyes, knowing that you cant do a thing about whats going to happen.

 

Maybe not the right thread to be asking, but:
How do you become a Train Operator?
Has kind of interested me since i was a kid but never really put too much thought into it.
I dont live in Melbourne or a metro area either, which probably isnt going to help.



Where do you live? Pacific National is the "big boy" in the vic area.

Myself I started as a shunter/examiner/pilot, did that for 2 years then they made me an Operational Supervisor (Run the depot day to day), nearly got stuck in that job ... p*ssed and moaned until they gave me a traineeship on the loco's.

The life isn't for everyone though. No set time. Rosters are written for train running timetables not lifestyle. Its quite usual to be off work for only 10 hours then back again. So for arguments sake you work 2am till 2pm driving an ore train, you could be back at 12 midnight (that night) to start another shift.

On the bright side our particular depot has a minimum 6 day break written into the roster every month, so at least you will get a decent break once every 4 weeks.

I work for ARG which is a subsiduary of Queensland Rail.


Edit: On a side note the money is excellent though. "Hungry Jacks" can earn upwards of 180k/ year easy.

 

We had a bloke trip on a Gatic Cover (manhole cover for sewer) and he went head first into the manhole on a Sewer Pump station, BUT his boot got caught on the top rung of the ladder into the manhole and saved him.
He would have fallen into 10,000L+ of sewer and possibly straight into a sewer pump. It would have been a fatality for sure.

 

He would have been in "deep ****"!


Sorry!

 

we refer to "hungry jacks" as the overtime kings You know the kinda blokes that you call at 03:17 and they show up dressed for work at 03:30 .... its as if they sleep in their work uniform lol

 

we refer to "hungry jacks" as the overtime kings You know the kinda blokes that you call at 03:17 and they show up dressed for work at 03:30 .... its as if they sleep in their work uniform lol

Haha, that is amazing.. Do you get to do the run back home after the 10 hours, or after your shifts are you left out in the middle of nowhere?

 

GUTourer, we call them Hungry C..ts at our depot. Some of them are bloody rediculous, They live to work, not the other way round. Always available, to do any job going, never leave town just in case they get a phone call. Yes, there is money there- top money at our depot for the last financial year for an ordinary driver was reputed to be around the $170K mark. I have a family I care for. Since I knocked off at around 0200 hrs on Friday morning, I have had 4 phone calls offering me cash jobs, all of which I have declined. During the last call, I did indicate I would take a job this afternoon or evening, but they have to give me 4hrs notice, so I can drive out there, otherwise it will be a 2230hrs start tomorrow night.
There was one bloke at our depot, now retired, who used to spend his days off hanging around the depot, with a fresh uniform in the car, just in case a job came up. What a joke.

 

Fella might not have had wife/kids, life can get really boring for some people sometimes..

Depends on your upbringing I guess.

 

Longest we do is 36 hours away from home..... but you get paid to drive their an back (different trains) and when you are on "tuckerbox" (book off) you get paid HAHA home away from home allowance

HAHA is tax free still miss my kids like crazy though ... oh .. and the wifey chicky