Safety

[Already Gone]

.... looking to get into safety and away from working for a living.

Not sarcastic?  Okay, if you say so.

My last month as an RP, I read the entire NYT Bestseller List while on the clock and still outworked 75% of the other techs on my shift. (which was too easy to do)

Haven't read more than a news article at work in the 7 years since. 
I think that most of those RP's have already found a way to avoid working for a living.  the rest are carrying them.

The recipe is simple:  Take some responsibility for the work you do and the results thereof, have a commitment to your work, and stop looking at short-term opportunities when long-term growth is right in front of you.  If you can honestly say that you are one of the first people they call when they need the job done right, then PM me and I'll give you the same invitation.

[Already Gone]

I would almost prefer to work with the kids from wondertech university.  They haven't yet learned the lazy bad habits that we learned.

RP's are underpaid, undervalued and underpopulated.  BUT, they respond to that by giving as little as possible in return - sort of matching the effort to the reward because the reward won't match the effort.

It took an epiphany for me to stop being like the people who trained me.  Those folks were great techs, but were getting screwed like the techs are still getting screwed.  They developed a "stick it to the man" attitude because of it.

Unfortunately, that only perpetuated the cycle.  Management wouldn't break the cycle by rewarding top performers, and the techs wouldn't break the cycle by performing at their highest level.

Then, I met some techs who just did their best despite the fact that they were paid the same as the rest.  They were happier in their jobs - even if under compensated.  I have done my best to hire those people.  The real difference between being an RP and a Safety Specialist is that there are more than one hazard to deal with, and only one person per shift to deal with them all.

I don't need heroes - just people who want to do their job as well as they can.

[JeremyCantrell]

I'll tell you this, I spent a few days crawling around on the floor building scaffold on the snubber's at Quad Cities, and was on the crew that built scaffolding to repair the polar crane at Clinton.
I lived in the condenser at Byron for two outages.
I built scaffold for hydro lasing in the torus at Clinton.
I lost a new pair of Red Wing boots at Dresden to being crapped up and not cleanable. (that tech didn't think the sticky pads worked well).

I hope this gives me some insight into the mindset of workers to allow me to connect.

I'm a true believer in behavior based safety.
As a Safety Professional...if you cannot convince them to keep those Safety glasses on after you walk away, your done before you start.

Radiation workers as a whole have a 1000X better attitude towards safety than most Wind Power employees.
That's where all the Cowboys moved to!

With that said, I only ask for a return of the respect I show in any given situation.

People worry entirely to much about how much the other "person" is or isn't working.
If we all go home at night knowing we did our best, nobody is lacking.

I won't go into good/bad Rad Techs..I don't remember enough names vs. nicknames on here

[hrdwrkndgs]

  "The real difference between being an RP and a Safety Specialist is that there are more than one hazard to deal with, and only one person per shift to deal with them all"

  I really have to agree with that....  Over the years I've had the pleasure to work with some really great HP and decon techs and I believe both are under paid and under valued.  I've also worked with some and let's just say they had a pulse...  The same goes for all work groups including safety.  Still have a hard time with the way they preach safety, safety, safety and only bring in one safety specialist for 300 plus workers.  I know safety is everybody's job but it just doesn't add up to me.  (Just my opinion)

[Sun Dog]

I'm a true believer in behavior based safety.

BBS is awesome in the sterile world of the classroom or in the rhetoric of those who profit most from it (DuPont) or in the minds of those who drink their kool-aid.  But, BBS is one B too many when you are dealing with a migrant work force that is not acclimated to the culture of the long-term staff.  Ramp up to ramp down (0 - 650 - 0 employees) in less than 6-weeks leaves BBS out of the equation for a supplemental outage work force.

Of course, I may be right.

Edit:  mostlyharmless bailed too early...this is just warming up.

[OldHP]

BBS is awesome in the sterile world of the classroom or in the rhetoric of those who profit most from it (DuPont) or in the minds of those who drink their kool-aid. 

I'll agree if the up-front training does not contain the right material to "tame the cowboys".  However, when the situation is presented "from the get go" most folks understand and will respond.  I've found that folks that once were cowboys will come to you and report or ask for assistance once they realize that it their well-being that you are concerned about.

Then again, there are those that are looking for STD!

[Sun Dog]

I'll agree if the up-front training does not contain the right material to "tame the cowboys".  However, when the situation is presented "from the get go" most folks understand and will respond.  I've found that folks that once were cowboys will come to you and report or ask for assistance once they realize that it their well-being that you are concerned about.

Then again, there are those that are looking for STD!

Perhaps.  In Shangri-La we would be given ample time and a huge budget and stand a chance at convincing 650 migrant workers that the program is in their best interest, and not just financially.

The reality is, in the outage world of commercial power, we hire several hundred people a few days before we expect them to be turning a wrench, herd them through a day or two of in-processing and CBT, upgrade a few to MM because they can read and write or are kin to the BA (with an extra buck or two an hour for their troubles), and turn them loose in the plant.  A few weeks later we lay two checks in their hand and ask them to come back in 18-months.  Some will.  Many will not.  

A significant challege is the lack of consistency between the programs, procedures, and government standards among the various sites, utilities, contractors, vendors, cities and states.  The risk is typically the same, the approach to dealing with the risk can be vastly different.  Heck, even at the same site the program may be significantly different just next month when the flavor changes.

If anyone has figured out how to successfully instill a sense of ownership and commitment to an Industrial Safety Program to a diverse group of employees that are on-site for 4 to 6 weeks every 18-months they better patent it today.

[hrdwrkndgs]

Have talked to Bartlett several times about safety positions but they don't seem to have a lot in that field.  Anyone have any info on who specializes in placing safety personnel.  Any info would be greatly appreciated...

[Already Gone]

Jackpot!
I happen to place Safety Professionals for my daily bread.
PM me and I'll give you an email address to send your resume.

Oh, BTW, I really would offer Sun Dog the same courtesy.  Actually, I already have.  His "sarcasm" on this thread turns out to be reverse sarcasm.  Just thought I'd clear that up.
Anybody else looking for some work in the near future?

This is the last time I am going to extend this offer.  Not because I want to cut off opportunities, but I'm getting dangerously close to crossing the line from networking into the unpaid advertising realm.  If I could talk my boss into letting me pay to post jobs here, I would do it.  But for now, I'm only asking for people who are interested to contact me.  Details will be discussed off the board. 

[hrdwrkndgs]

PM Sent  I think?
Thanks

[JeremyCantrell]

Already Gone scared everyone off trying to give them jobs

Well...a successful TVA outage up until the day I left.
I never touched a dosimeter....had a single 1st aid as the only blip on a nearly perfect screen.

Ahhh...Life on the turbine deck.

If any of you RP were at WBN..I sympathize, that side of the house had a tough outage.
218 hrs behind is never fun.
Lucky for them Chaos=Cash.

[curtis]

I made the jump from RP to Industrial Hygiene and Safety. Talk about a major learning curve in IH. The job looks easy on the surface, but you have to learn all the chemicals and what could break down to after years in storage. If the work is done right on the front end of a job it looks easy for the Safety or IH Rep, but it takes a lot of effort on the front end. And God forbid if even the unimaginable that you planned for happens, the paperwork trail and meetings are endless. I love the job I do now but there are days when I miss the days of just picking up my meters and going to work without having to deal with upper management all the time that find you as the necessary evil required by contract and law.