38 replies to this topic

[Wet Dreams]

Hi All,

Well after an eventful nightshift with my job i thought i'd put it out there and see who else has a high risk job.
Im a HD Earthmover Tyre Fitter- In other words i change tyres on dumptrucks for a living. The job is full of risks due to using such large components, to get an idea picture a person standing next to the tyre and only being half as tall as it. The tyres alone weigh in at over 3 tonnes and are inflated to 110-115psi.

But lastnight was a real eye opener for me and not a normal night. I was at a park-up bay with a fellow worker about to check the tyre pressures on a few trucks while they were stopped for dinner. As we turned around and started walking towards a truck all hell broke loose..one of the tyres burst completely unexpected. Consequently the blast was defening and sent debris flying. My self and fellow worker were only 8meters away when it went off, and had we been any closer it would have been disatrous.

The scariest part is knowing we were heading to that exact truck to check, and if we were there 10seconds earlier it would have been disaster. Scared the crap out of us both and are just greatful to get away injury free as the results could have been fatal.



So who else has a high risk job? Ever had any serious incidents?

Edited by Wet Dreams, 15 March 2011 - 06:57 AM.

[tha_krust]

i have what is considered high risk job..although people wouldnt tell you that because the think of T.A's as expendable.(.i work construction for UNITED group resources..)even though i'm the one watching their asses and keeping them safe...and usually the one chucked in first (proverbial goldfish). worked BHP sites and now on Sino\CITIC site, am waiting for something to happen because it surely will.... please god let my JHA and take 5 save us from being killed
had an incident last year that i was involved in where the steel structure we were on went live and we all nearly got fried.

hope you raised a hazob card or something

oh yeah , this year when a cyclone came through, everyone else on site was evacuated..including the client (who are supposed to be last off)..not us, we got stuck in camp in non cyclone proof shelter...you would think these companies would learn from the FMG incident...the site I'm on now is absolutely ridiculous ..over the top for inductions and saftey talks , but no one (safety) to enforce it.. i could go on but i'm on r&r and dont want to have to think about it til later

keiran you dont want to become a rigger it means having half you brain removed

Edited by tha_krust, 20 March 2011 - 06:08 PM.

[maxy]

I am a shotfirer.
Was working on mine site but now i am in civil and team. Next contract we have coming up is blasting for ne rails in the pilbara.
My job is high risk if you ask some one cause of explosives, but i think it has to be one of the safer jobs on site.

Edited by maxy, 18 March 2011 - 12:22 PM.

[Fox]

I work in an aquarium shop......
Water & electricity..... They don't mix....

[keenas]

I work with Radiation and Radioactive materials, play with acid every now and then. Been doing this for the last 20 years. Wont know for a few years if it has had real effects on me....

[BIG-PETE]

I work with Radiation and Radioactive materials, play with acid every now and then. Been doing this for the last 20 years. Wont know for a few years if it has had real effects on me....

if thats you in ya avatar your already in trouble

[Kieran]

Bahaha keenas is alright I saw him just the other week No 3rd arm or anything... Yet

[keenas]

Nothing wrong with the 3rd arm, I have it tucked away for only special people to see

[Dr_Pat]

Just have to say, GREAT call keenas. lol.

[sleepycod]

i drive roadtrains for a living.......easy as job people say....just sit on ya ass n drive........but had an incident a FEW years back just avoided a head on with another road train.....i moved to the left to avoid the first train to come around the corner in my lane......missed him......got cleaned up by his mate who was following him to close...........took 2 weeks to pull the seat cover out of my @#$%......not fun.........another time pulling 3 trailers up to darwin.....some lovely old grey nomads just pulled out of the 24 hour camping site....didnt even look.....nearly had 120 tonne go thru the back of there caravan......wonders y he got mouth full of abuse and airhorns and fingers ....was lucky not to have said truck n trailers thru his new 4wd........nah my jobs not hard.......or dangerous as long as no one is on the road at the same time lol

[Kieran]

I remember that video mate, not pleasant stuff.

[sleepycod]

that wasnt me keiran.....mine was just outta new norcia......woke me up neway lol

[Kieran]

These are high risk jobs, but are they worth it? If so, how can we get into such an occupation?

[sleepycod]

hahahahahahahahahahah stay away from transport.....ya get no thanx....ya get abused.......and even tho everybody in australia relies on trucks and drivrs to get just about every thing in your house..were treated like shit......i do it because i like the driving part

[keenas]

I agree Greg. Ive spent lots of time on the roads up north, and the only time I enjoyed travelling was at night when it was only trucks on the road. I know you need to look out for Cows and roo's but over time they are less a problem than some of the other idiots who use the road...

[gibbs]

I meet a lot of different truckies on site and they are all pretty cool blokes. Most of them sit down for a half hour for a ear chew and talk heaps of sh!t, geuss they get a bit lonely and hang for a chat. 1 driver that works for Blair Beth i see almost weekly hit a herd of camels about a month ago. His truck needs a complete rebuild, reckons his cab got torn to bits and the engine is rooted. They carried it back to Adelaide even though its based in Melbourne

[smellsfishy]

i work at eagle boys, the dishes is a high risk because some times i heat the water a little to much.. potentially life threatening.
haha sorry..

[werdna]

I now work in an office, the most dangerous thing about my job is driving there

However, I used to be a rigger and then a crane driver.
I decided it was time to leave rigging and get into cranes when I broke 3 bones in one hand while doing tilt panels. 6 months before that I fell 2.5m onto a concrete slab, I wasnt wearing a harness because it was such a low height.
Driving cranes you tend to go out to do fix ups from other peoples dangerous jobs.
Thats when I started to reflect on how stupid I was, at the time I didnt see anything wrong with walking out steel beams and purlins 6m+ off the ground, walking on 150mm wide beams without a harness.

Kieran if you want to get into a dangerous job with ok pay, do your riggers ticket. Takes 1-2 weeks, then you gotta find someone willing to give you a go. Thats the hardest part.
Then you gotta try to find the safe employers that are willing to shell out on a boom/scissor lift instead of giving you a ladder and turning the other way.

Some of the photos I received while driving cranes...

This guy got into driving cranes because he decided he was getting too old, he had to escape via the emergency hatch on the roof. Last time I spoke to him he still refuses to even sit in a crane seat, let alone start operating again.


We had to stand this back up.




Common panel accident...


Why you dont use house bricks for outrigger packing if you run out of timber


Oh... the irony


So thats what a slew brake is for...


Andrew
edit: Added pics

Edited by werdna, 19 March 2011 - 05:28 PM.

[smellsfishy]

i always thought cranes looked unstable, because of there small stand and then a big long rod with lots of weight on it could easily pull the bottom bit over.

[terboz123]

Spaky by trade....guess that saids it all.

we get trained with with working with electricity, so safe working practises are a must. All through my apprenticeships i worked with low voltages from 12VDC to 415V AC.

Now i work for a company named CTEC, we build and construct power stations around the world. We also do the O&M contract side of things, after construction for the client.

Now working on power stations is a bit of a step up voltage wise, we have up to 132 KV in our switch yard, and from our turbines we have 11KV going into the main transformers in the switch yard.

so one mistake in our H.V switch yard there will be no hosppital bills,there just wont be anything left.

people dont really understand with out some knowledge of electricity, that its not always the Voltage that kills you, but more the current passing through the volts. 0.02 of an amp can kills some one with heart problems if its get the right pulse going through the heart!!

heres a fact: On avg something like 2 or 4 people in australia on a yearly basis kill them selves by putting a 9 Volt battery on there tongue!! yup im sure weve all done that as kids

brett