NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => Outages => Topic started by: JassenB on Jul 26, 2004, 04:56
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I've decided to try hitting the outage trail this fall. I got into Catawba as a deconner.
Any advice/tips/tricks/hints for what to bring, how to travel, and how to live so I can maximize the per diem that stays in the bank?
Thanks!
-Jassen
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Ok all you old timers don't miss your chance to give someone some advice. Lets help Jassen out and give him some pointers, ok?
Although I am just a nukewife, I have been traveling for almost 30 years with the nuclear business. If you live within a days drive, leave it unless you really need it.
Driving is the prefered travel, and as far as living arrangements you may want to check out the poll section, I believe there are some answers there. Some people use campers, others rent apartments or stay in hotels. I will check with my husband and give you some names. You may also want to check out the lodging info for Catawba.
Check with your site coord to see if anyone needs a room mate.
Good luck. My son just started his first job issuing resp. at CY this summer, its good to see the next generation come along.
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Don't roll into town with $0.00 in your pocket!
Don't eat out of Dumpsters!
Make sure, whoever takes you under their wing, is wearing deodorent!
Don't drink, play pool, or play cards with techs who go by two initials!
$8.00/hr at Mc Donalds near the house, is better than $8.00/hr and $80.00 a day on the road!
Be loyal..................to your next job!
You are a commodity, use them and loose them! Always remember this one!
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Don't drink, play pool, or play cards with techs who go by two initials!
That advice is priceless.
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i'll second that one!
And don't fall for, "come here kid, we'll teach ya how to play!"
you'll be out your diem in no time!
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GO BACK HOME AND GO TO SCHOOL.
LEAVE THE DECON TO THE LOCALS.
I WAS ON THE ROAD FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS AND I WOULD TRADE THOSE DAYS FOR AN EDUCATION
IF I HAD BEEN SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER
ANYWAY WITH 25 YEARS NUCLEAR EXPERIENCE
1.PACK YOUR LUNCH,(spent a fortune eating out all the timefind a refridgerator)
2. STAY OUT OF BARS,( again a fortune spent DWI's dont go over well in this business)
3.LEAVE THE LOCAL GIRLS ALONE( i wish i had done this more than twice)
4. LIVE ON YOUR PERDIEM ( see above)
5.SEND YOUR CHECK HOME
6.LISTEN CLOSELY TO THE EXPERIENCED( learned alot of stuff fast)
7.DON'T ALWAYS VOLUNTEER ( (28 REM lifetime)
8.ALWAYS BE BUSY(makes time fly on those 12's)
9. FIRST ONE TO WORK /LAST ONE TO LEAVE
10.SAVE YOUR MONEY OUTAGES ARE GETTING SHORTER AND SHORTER
11. HANG WITH THE HP'S ASK QUESTIONS BE A PAIN IN THE ASS
12.READ THE STUFF HERE TAKE THE PRACTICE TESTS
13.BECOME A JUNIOR AS SOON AS YOU CAN DOCUMENT YOUR HOURS DOING HP WORK GET REFERENCES FOR YOUR NEXT JOB
14.SAY YES SIR AND NO SIR TO YOUR SUPERVISORS (show respectto your elders they the ones picking and choosing DUKE has 9 plants)
15.FOLLOW ALL PREVIOUS POSTS AND ALL THE OTHERS TO FOLLOW
16. DONT MARRY THE RECRUITER, DONT MARRY THE RECRUITER or anyone else in the home office!!!!!!! Those who know me aint it so!!! lmao!!! after all those 13 years)
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Don't lend money
Do not drink the night before your first job and breath test
Do not do drugs, if you do them now quit today and get clean.
If the folks you work with are lazy, do not let it affect your work ethic.
Minimize talking about other people.
Never say, " I don't care when I get laid off" You'll be first.
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Don't try to drive all night to get there, and walk in looking like a zombie.
Don't loan money, just think whoever is asking is making the same as you or more.
Watch out for the honey hunters, once they find out you work nuclear, they see DOLLAR signs, and most have a significant other, somewhere.
Make sure you CAN pass the Drug screen.
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Doctormoo (and others!) have given you some excellent advice.
My advice would be to work your butt off and learn everything you can. It does get noticed, if not always by house people, at least by RP techs covering you. RP Techs respect hard working deconners over riff-raff deconners, and some will even put in a good word for you for future jobs.
Take your video game system with you. It is a good entertainment alternative to the bar scene.
Try to room with people you know. I know this isn't always possible, but it is preferrable to room with someone you know you can trust, rather than complete strangers.
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hey jassen I'll be at catawba as well, lets room!
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Wow, thanks for all the advice. I wasn't expecting such a large response; I really appreciate it.
A few of the things will be easy for me, since I don't drink, gamble, and I tend to be a hard worker. And I'm already married, so I won't be messing with the local girls or the recruiters. :)
hey jassen I'll be at catawba as well, lets room!
Thanks for the offer, but I've found an RV campground to crash at that has laundry and shower facilities not to far from the plant, and the nightly rate is incredible. I'll actually be living in/out of my car. It's been a couple years since I've been a car liver, but if you do it right it's not *that* bad. :) Yes, I'm a cheapskate, but the main reason I'm going is for the per diem (and the fact that there are no rad/nuc jobs in Colorado).
Thanks again, everyone!
-Jassen
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yes there are nuke jobs in colorado.......rocky flats is out there I do believe
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yes there are nuke jobs in colorado.......rocky flats is out there I do believe
Yeah, but they *all* require Senior status, which I don't have.
I have a B.S., current HAZWOPER, and junior time on the books, but that doesn't cut it for *any* of the companies I've tried getting in with at the Flats.
Thus, the road.
Take care!
-Jassen
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I'll actually be living in/out of my car. It's been a couple years since I've been a car liver, but if you do it right it's not *that* bad. :)
Don't let that get around the plant when you get there...there was a tech not many years ago who was notorious for "living out of his car". He was also into dumpster diving & eating out of trash cans & ...... Anyway, he was just doing it as a big game (in MY humble opinion), but nearly the entire industry labeled him as a 'dirt-bag'. I have run up against a LOT of nuclear people who already have their prejudices in place if you let them know you are living out of a car (or tent...something I tried one outage), so my advice is...DON'T MENTION IT!
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Respect your fellow tech's and workers. Don't be an a** kisser, let your work speak for itself. (Although you WILL see some a** kissers that move along smoothly through the business, but they have to get off their a** and work sometime! BS can only get you so far, you'll see!)
Good luck!
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Don't let that get around the plant when you get there...there was a tech not many years ago who was notorious for "living out of his car". He was also into dumpster diving & eating out of trash cans & ...... Anyway, he was just doing it as a big game (in MY humble opinion), but nearly the entire industry labeled him as a 'dirt-bag'. I have run up against a LOT of nuclear people who already have their prejudices in place if you let them know you are living out of a car (or tent...something I tried one outage), so my advice is...DON'T MENTION IT!
If you are talking about the same person I am thinking of(he's someone you never forget!), you failed to tell him about 1 odd detail......that he's a millionaire! Isn't that a kick in the pants!
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Amen, on the Arse Kissers! They are easier to pick out now, then ever! But, if you do choose to pursue that end of the business, ( Arse Kisser ), remember it's for life! It does work well for some, but the some, don't work well!
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If you are talking about the same person I am thinking of(he's someone you never forget!), you failed to tell him about 1 odd detail......that he's a millionaire! Isn't that a kick in the pants!
THAT is the funny thing about the whole story! (...but 'they' still think he's a dirtbag...) :/
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First outage advice huh?, Its been a long time since my first outage (don't ask) but I was given some advice that worked very well for me and was quite to the point. " Come to work every day you're susposed to on time and make a reasonable effort to do your job in a pleasent manner, straight and not holding." (this was before FFD) Techs that failed to follow that advice did not last all that long in the business. (They became Managers!)
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They are true about this story, don't tell anyone about living in your car!! The person they are taking about is here in Plum Brook Station, Sandusky Oh. and Not sure but I think is still living like that, but he owns a bunch of rentals and apartments in Chicago. He is past the Millionaire stage and heading for the muti-millionaire stage. They are all right though, don't kiss A**, work hard and keep your head up and as soon as you can get into a Jr. job, take it. I worked as a Deconner for 15 years and decided that was enough of the grunt work and made the move. Now I'm a 3.1 Sr. HP and Instrument Tech for Bartlett and Love It. Take care of you money and don't spend more than you bring in!!
K.B.
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""""A few of the things will be easy for me, since I don't drink, gamble, and I tend to be a hard worker. And I'm already married, so I won't be messing with the local girls or the recruiters. :) """
OK - In response to this quote.....I did my first outage last October and I was 20 years old ....Anyway, you said "And I'm already married, so I won't be messing with the local girls or the recruiters" NOW THE THING IS....I have this philosophy that NO ONE in the Nuke industry is married. Ok, some people are, and actually ACT like it, but I met sooooooo many people (most of them guys). Most of them either failed to MENTION that they were married, flat out denied it, or just didn't GIVE A DAMN!
I know this sounds bad, but it seems to be the way it is. People on the road get lonely. I know you're a guy and all, so ya might have it easier, but ya never know!
Good thing you're planning to stay away from the bar scene, it gets kinda crazy. I turned 21 during the outage at Dresden (yeahhhhh baby...lol).
I did 5 outages in 6 months. I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into. Guys everywhere, drinking, partying, car accidents, hotels, ah, the memories I have!
A few more things.......
Bring food with you (it's damn expensive to eat while you work long shifts)
ALWAYS have a prop (just be carrying SOMETHING, it makes you LOOK busy...haha)
If you're married, admit to it, and announce it often (lol)
If you do drink, make sure you have the correct number of "sober hours" before work
Stay outta high dose areas...
Be friendly, but not tooooo friendly
Don't act like you're better than anyone else (happens all the time)
Don't step on Deconner's Mops!
Ask questions if you're unsure, most people will be happy to help newbies
Learn as much as you can, ask questions, observe, talk to people.
I better quit while I'm ahead......
Jenna
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Good Luck, be prepared for people who expect you to know what you are doing, find a buddy. Be prepared for craziness. Follow the rules and try to smile.
1. Do not develop any relationships with anyone while you are on the road. They all lie. They will lie about anything. They are out there for the same reason you are to make a buck. There are alot of humping hollys around.
2. Be on time to work and do not hang out in the break room. Supervisors seem to know who is always sitting around and you will be the first to leave.
3. Avoid confrontational events with anyone
4. Keep your mouth shut about your personal life. Talk about the weather, the area
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hmmm, i havent been on the website in a while, nor have I travelled in the nuke plant world in a while, been doing the environmental and fusrap world. anyhow... back in the late 80s, early 90s, things could get quite crazy (although I had one hell of a time and actually miss the nuke world and the many good friends i had made)
some advice from me:
1. just go in and do your job and be nice while going about doing it
2. learn all you can
3. definitely stay out of the bars, and, stay away from parties thrown at apts, etc... trust me there... i threw many of them, they could get out of hand
4. dont be afraid to volunteer for new tasks, etc.. it is the only way you will learn the ins and outs...
5. have fun and treat people with respect
6. i wouldnt recommend living out of your car... you need to be comfortable and fresh when you go into work
good luck
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There are alot of humping hollys around.
What the heck is s humping holly?
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Mike,
Humping Holly may be a reference to a certain party in Willmington Vt. just prior to the start of Vermont Yankee's recirc replacement outage. I remember something about a train in one of the spare bed rooms. Enough said about that one!
Fermione
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WIPE and FOLD.... WIPE and FOLD......Learn how to decon properly and you will become an instant asset (A good deconner is very hard to come by now days).
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save every cent you can... avoid the RAT syndrome (fancy women and big watches) start a 401 k
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Don't step on Deconner's Mops!
This advice is as priceless and timeless and to the point as it gets!
Mike
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save every cent you can... avoid the RAT syndrome (fancy women and big watches) start a 401 k
or big women and fancy watches.... ;)
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I would like to add that always listen to techs about jobs coming up. SInce you worked at Duke ,you should know that they dont pay the best, but there are alot of outages between the three sites, a good way to stay busy and pick up time. I started as a deconner for Mcquire for 3 and a half years before I went on the road. I know most of the techs in the Duke system. My sister is a house tech a Mcquire. Deconners at Duke take their job serious. Unlike the previous advice, try and get into the higher contamination jobs(Cavity, pressure washing and sump clean outs.) This is the worst of the worst but if you prevail and do well the lead techs like to see that and this may get you other jobs on the road. Name is everything. A good name gets around which leads to higher paying jobs. Dont loose your self respect and maintain your dose ALARA. After about a year or two and about three or four cavity decon's, head to Jr hp land. This, in the long run will make you the most money. I was a deconner for 10 years before I became an HP and now a house tech. I wish I would have switched earlier. As for housing, group up if you can. car pool when possible. Above all dont be afraid to ask questions and learn. Once you experienced some of the more difficult jobs then its all the same. Hope this helps.
Vinnie
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or big women and fancy watches.... ;)
or men and stores that may have watches in them
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Listen and Learn..and dont forget to drink extra water and gatorade..the heat can really suprise you..
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Best advice: Hit the lottery and you won't have to go to an outage.....ever
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itza sad whirled nucleer or udderwiz when alla advise ista stay outa da bars, 'n dahnt partee, 'n dahnt mess wit da wimmen, 'n dahnt goe awt two eet..... sheessh! watts a parson two due dees daze? yinz take alla that advice, 'n yu'd probably make moor monee as a preechar!
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Best advice: Hit the lottery and you won't have to go to an outage.....ever
or become daves best friend when he hits it ;)
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Don't swim in the pool! ;D
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become generally familiar with the relative risk of occupational radiation exposure...establish a working knowledge of plant systems, what they do, where they are located, when they are used and what their relative radiological hazard levels are...learn, and anticipate, the sequence of steps involved in a refueling and maintenance outage at a commercial light water power reactor...be able to answer the questions-how many plants are there in the country-where are they located-how often do they have to be refueled-what happens to the radioactive waste-how old are these plants-how safe are they- and most importantly - how do these plants work...
this may well turn into a career of many years and a source of pride...understanding will be of great value...
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1) Move fast, stay low
2) Don't drink anything you find in the RA/RCA
3) Suck up to the RPM and the Site CoOrdinator
4) Suck up to the Union
5) Suck up to the House Supervisors
6) Suck up to the Recruiters
7) Don't take ANY advice you get in NukeWorker.com
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7) Don't take ANY advice you get in NukeWorker.com
WTF?
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OK, so maybe some of that was tounge-in-cheek. Sorry, Mike.
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Always ask for the really hot nasty jobs! When it goes to crap you can always look at them and say "what did you except?" If it goes good, you'll be a Hero. But prepare yourself to be tech "A".
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1) Move fast, stay low
2) Don't drink anything you find in the RA/RCA
3) Suck up to the RPM and the Site CoOrdinator
4) Suck up to the Union
5) Suck up to the House Supervisors
6) Suck up to the Recruiters
7) Don't take ANY advice you get in NukeWorker.com
This is by far the worst advice I have seen posted on this site. Dont suck anything, ever. Let your work speak for itself. Show up every day early. Dont screw around. Do your job and learn as much as you can. Suck ups only go so far, and they get no respect from their co-workers.
Smoke another one illegalsmile
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WTF?
Professional--remember the kids.
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Professional--remember the kids.
And if the kids know what WTF means...thay ain't kids :P
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No kidding to all the recent posts..........I had not seen this one.....................
Good advice.......as a Jr Tech...learn you job........ask questions.......work with Sr Techs .......ask questions............don't hide in the trailer............MOST OF ALL..........SAVE YOUR MONEY...............it may be a lot to you at first........but it is not enough in the end............72 or 84 hrs - try to pay your home town bills on 40 plus the road - maybe a little per diem to pay the road but save the rest............unemployment is around the corner .........as a Jr Tech and even a Sr .......you don't know how soon..............but your JR time is sooner than mine......................
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No kidding to all the recent posts..........I had not seen this one.....................
Good advice.......as a Jr Tech...learn you job........ask questions.......work with Sr Techs .......ask questions............don't hide in the trailer............MOST OF ALL..........SAVE YOUR MONEY...............it may be a lot to you at first........but it is not enough in the end............72 or 84 hrs - try to pay your home town bills on 40 plus the road - maybe a little per diem to pay the road but save the rest............unemployment is around the corner .........as a Jr Tech and even a Sr .......you don't know how soon..............but your JR time is sooner than mine......................
Great advice, your day will come.
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Old timer told me
- On the first day work like hell
-in between doesn't matter
- On the last day work like hell
Eval- he was working coming and going he must be alright!!
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Don't suck up it doesn't pay in the end. Do your job, do whats asked for, ask questions, but don't become annoying, following instructions from your supervision. ALWAYS be on time for work, stay until the end of the day and the end of the outage, stay away from the bar scene, and watch your tone with everybody. Act like a professional and don't be stupid. Don't be afraid of any job that you are asked to do, but use common sense.
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Attidude, Attidude, Attidude,
there were a few times when having a good attitude saved my job when i made a mistake. If you are a d*** then supervisors will have no problem getting rid of you at the first sign of trouble.
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Don't suck up it doesn't pay in the end. Do your job, do whats asked for, ask questions, but don't become annoying, following instructions from your supervision. ALWAYS be on time for work, stay until the end of the day and the end of the outage, stay away from the bar scene, and watch your tone with everybody. Act like a professional and don't be stupid. Don't be afraid of any job that you are asked to do, but use common sense.
I agree with all of that, EXCEPT the bar scene.
I have made more friends and done more networking at bars and golf courses and bowling alleys than anywhere else in this industry. Meeting people and shaking hands with strangers in these places has gone a long way.
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I agree with all of that, EXCEPT the bar scene.
I have made more friends and done more networking at bars and golf courses and bowling alleys than anywhere else in this industry. Meeting people and shaking hands with strangers in these places has gone a long way.
Holy Cr**! I'm agreeing with Dave Warren!!!
Something I had to learn late in my career, I always thought my resume should speak for itself. But when it starts to look the same as everybody else's then networking will get you more jobs in the long run.
right now, just starting out, its not a huge factor, mostly you'll be just filling a "body slot". But remember, the relationships you cultivate today can and will affect you in the future.
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Holy Cr**! I'm agreeing with Dave Warren!!!
remember, the relationships you cultivate today can and will affect you in the future.
I couldn't agree with you more ! no one is saying to kiss up to the shift leads, project managers etc. but beyond haing a great work ethic. if you are attentive to you job, couteous to fellow workers, willing to help others and listen to whats going on you will be successfull !! also when it comes to PM's, crew leads be friendly etc and that alone can impact your future for the positive ! make friendships that will last for years to come.
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Get used to it, Smart People.
When you are 4 cubicles away from me, I will rub off on you.
Either that or walk down there and beat your %^@#!$%!!!
He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.
If you never give yourself that opportunity to go to that party or play in that golf scramble or join that bowling league, you never give yourself that chance to meet that person you wished you would have 15 years down the road.
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When I mentioned the bar scene I guess it was taken literally. What I meant was don't let yourself get so involved with the drinking aspects that you forget when you should leave to be able to get to work on time, safely do your job, and demonstrate that you are a professional. Dave you are right networking is very important in our business but it also involves how you network.
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yinz wanna lern networking, go sell used cars. ya wanna due outages, git each job dun, keep dune da job write, gitcher sleep (knot in yer car!), 'n repete.
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...Yea, what Dave Warren said...I agree.....red
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1) Move fast, stay low
2) Don't drink anything you find in the RA/RCA
3) Suck up to the RPM and the Site CoOrdinator
4) Suck up to the Union
5) Suck up to the House Supervisors
6) Suck up to the Recruiters
7) Don't take ANY advice you get in NukeWorker.com
Is that the way you do it?
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While most of the site consider Operations hopelessly lost primadonnas, I can say that in almost 30 years of experience, we want to hear about stuff that doesn't look right or stuff that doesn't seem to be performing properly. We are very grateful for observations of plant operation that is anomalous. We want anyone to feel free to ask us if there seems to be a problem. We are inquisitive by nature and if one operator seems to blow you off ask the next one and I can pretty much guarantee that both of them won't both blow you off. If you want recognition we will give it, if not we won't tell anyone about who said something. The most important thing is that we want the most junior person to let us know if they see something that isn't right. And I am sure that I am in for blasting from some who got hammered for reporting but in the end I would prefer that everyone feel free to talk to us.