I am heading to Winnipeg this week for training. For once, I'm attending the training, not delivering it. I haven't done any external professional development since starting with my employer just over one year ago, so I'm excited IN SPITE OF the fact that this training is in Winnipeg.
Now Winnipeg is a notable city for many reasons, including: the Blue Bombers (its Canadian Football League team), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (a renowned ballet), the Jets (its former National Hockey League team, which despite moving to Phoenix in 1996, still has more fans than many small market NHL teams), and future home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. All good things!
Winnipeg is even better known for its cold winters and for being mosquito-filled in the summers. And I'm going to this city in the middle of January.
Now, granted, I'm still excited about the training. But Tuesday's high is -26C (-15F) and its low is -34C (-29F).
Brr...
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Home Early
As I mentioned, I came home early. The reality is I got sick. I caught it from a coworker. Grr.
We were in far Northern Ontario as part of a clean-up operation. There are a number of cold war era satellite stations to guard us from the Russians all over our country. They used some chemicals that were thought to be okay then, but are now known to be bad. There were PCBs predominantly - in the transformer oils, in the capacitor fluids, and even in paint. There was also lead and mercury in the paint, asbestos in the insulation, and other things. We're there to oversee the environmental, health & safety of the clean-up, basically.
Currently, we're doing baseline monitoring. To determine the current levels of dust, PCBs, and other things, before work even starts. It was my coworker, a Ministry official, and some local First Nations: a housekeeper, a "monitor" (who reports our activities to the local First Nations group and looks out for the health & safety of the First Nations employees), the custodian (for lack of a better word - he kept the generator running and maintained a supply of firewood for our woodstove), and a bear monitor. Yes, we must employ a bear monitor. The First Nations employees lived in a barracks next door to us. My coworker, the Ministry official, and I lived in a 3 bedroom cabin without running water. At least there was an outhouse. And an oven.
It was ... interesting. Really! We didn't know what to expect, so I anticipated a mould-filled cabin with no outhouse. The cabin was clean. The outhouse was clean. The only downside is that it took 5 days for the Ministry official to figure out how to connect the fridge. He assumed it wasn't working, but once he read the manual (on day 5), he realized he just had to flip some switch to get it to work. In the meantime, we could NOT store our food outside, so we had it in coolers. Some of it went bad, but we also had lots of dehydrated foods (Side Kicks) and canned foods (soups), too.
In case you didn't know, putting food outside would attract bears. And these aren't just any bears - they're polar bears.
We were in far Northern Ontario as part of a clean-up operation. There are a number of cold war era satellite stations to guard us from the Russians all over our country. They used some chemicals that were thought to be okay then, but are now known to be bad. There were PCBs predominantly - in the transformer oils, in the capacitor fluids, and even in paint. There was also lead and mercury in the paint, asbestos in the insulation, and other things. We're there to oversee the environmental, health & safety of the clean-up, basically.
Currently, we're doing baseline monitoring. To determine the current levels of dust, PCBs, and other things, before work even starts. It was my coworker, a Ministry official, and some local First Nations: a housekeeper, a "monitor" (who reports our activities to the local First Nations group and looks out for the health & safety of the First Nations employees), the custodian (for lack of a better word - he kept the generator running and maintained a supply of firewood for our woodstove), and a bear monitor. Yes, we must employ a bear monitor. The First Nations employees lived in a barracks next door to us. My coworker, the Ministry official, and I lived in a 3 bedroom cabin without running water. At least there was an outhouse. And an oven.
It was ... interesting. Really! We didn't know what to expect, so I anticipated a mould-filled cabin with no outhouse. The cabin was clean. The outhouse was clean. The only downside is that it took 5 days for the Ministry official to figure out how to connect the fridge. He assumed it wasn't working, but once he read the manual (on day 5), he realized he just had to flip some switch to get it to work. In the meantime, we could NOT store our food outside, so we had it in coolers. Some of it went bad, but we also had lots of dehydrated foods (Side Kicks) and canned foods (soups), too.
In case you didn't know, putting food outside would attract bears. And these aren't just any bears - they're polar bears.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Long underwear?
I've been swamped at work. Just so stressed. I work for a consulting company, and about a month ago we won our largest contract so far. It's $5 million over 2.5 years. Well, we're only operational for certain months - October and November this year, and six months next year and the year after. I'm getting part of the occupational aspect under way, and I'll be there for the first 3 weeks. At first, I won't have internet access. When internet is hooked up, it'll only be in our office. I'll be living a facility between a dorm and camp - something like 4 beds to a room, but we won't have total occupancy. Also, I'll be the only girl for a while, then there will be 2 girls, and just before I leave, 3 girls. I'm not looking forward to losing internet. I'm not sure what to think of aspects of it. The site is remote - so remote that the nearest town isn't on google maps or mapquest! The catering facility may not cater to vegetarianism. I am not vegetarian, but for the purposes of this camp, I'm ovo-lacto-vegetarian. I eat seafood and fish, but they won't be serving those options. Just beef and pork, with occasional chicken.
I go up next Tuesday or Wednesday - details are still being sorted out. If I can get my act together between now and then, in addition to shopping for work clothes (coveralls and heavy duty jeans and long underwear and wool socks) and finding all my PPE (yay hard hats) and packing for 3 1/2 weeks, including camping for 1 week, I might try to do some posting ahead of time.
But I won't make promises!
I go up next Tuesday or Wednesday - details are still being sorted out. If I can get my act together between now and then, in addition to shopping for work clothes (coveralls and heavy duty jeans and long underwear and wool socks) and finding all my PPE (yay hard hats) and packing for 3 1/2 weeks, including camping for 1 week, I might try to do some posting ahead of time.
But I won't make promises!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Becoming a Professional
I am about to officially find out that I passed the Registered Occupational Hygienist exam, which is the most difficult professional designation for a specialized subset of occupational health and safety called occupational hygiene, which is what I do. It's recognized by the international governing body as the equivalent of Certified Industrial Hygienist accreditation in the US.
That's great, right?
Except at my employer, it means I "lose" overtime. That doesn't make sense, so let me explain.
Right now, if I work more than the "standard hours" (42.0 hours, I think), I get to "bank" the extra time to use as paid time off. If I don't take the time off, I'm paid for the extra time (straight time, not at over-time pay) at the end of the year.
All "professionals" (those with professional designations) at my employer do not get overtime. Professionals often still work more than the "standard hours", but they get no recognition of it. I realize many people don't get paid for working more hours than they're paid for, but it's just disappointing to have the extra paid time, then lose it.
And I don't even get a raise!
Why'd I stress myself out over writing this test again?
That's great, right?
Except at my employer, it means I "lose" overtime. That doesn't make sense, so let me explain.
Right now, if I work more than the "standard hours" (42.0 hours, I think), I get to "bank" the extra time to use as paid time off. If I don't take the time off, I'm paid for the extra time (straight time, not at over-time pay) at the end of the year.
All "professionals" (those with professional designations) at my employer do not get overtime. Professionals often still work more than the "standard hours", but they get no recognition of it. I realize many people don't get paid for working more hours than they're paid for, but it's just disappointing to have the extra paid time, then lose it.
And I don't even get a raise!
Why'd I stress myself out over writing this test again?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Miners Died Today
We have the technology to make mining safe. In fact, we have the technology to make every industry safe: we can ensure there are no mining fatalities or occupational diseases; we can even make it safe for nurses to lift patients without throwing out their backs. And do we?
Many people, myself included, are quick to judge "third world" countries' health and safety track records. China and India, with two of the largest populations, are free-for-alls with regards to many things, including human rights and occupational health and safety. But while we're quick to judge, we must remember we're not perfect.
Case in point: while a large mining accident this past week in China has (surprisingly) recovered over 100 workers, I suspect there will be many deaths once everything is settled. However, today's mining accident in West Virginia reminds me that we (being the "developed" world) ignore these very technologies we've developed for safety.
What is the reason of this most recent mining accident? Who knows, and the mining company is rightfully focussed on life saving efforts of the survivors. However, we know that mining can be done safely, so there was an error somewhere - whether an engineering issue or cultural (from not accounting for geographic issues to not enforcing safety regulations).
By the way, in Ontario (my province of Canada), mining is significantly safer than working in a hospital. I suspect that statistic is the same throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Surprised? Well, we don't "perceive" hospitals as dangerous, so we don't always adequately address the safety hazards (such as lifting patients, mixing cleaning chemicals, being attacked by dementia patients or even emotional family members can all cause significant injuries to workers).
Remember, everywhere in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and most other developed nations, you have the right to refuse unsafe work, the right to know about the safety hazards you're working with/around, and the right to training on these hazards. Don't be afraid to exercise your rights. If you're unsure, google your appropriate authority (such as provincial ministries in Canada, OSHA in the U.S., HSE in the U.K., etc.)
Please take a moment to remember those who died needlessly for their job.
Many people, myself included, are quick to judge "third world" countries' health and safety track records. China and India, with two of the largest populations, are free-for-alls with regards to many things, including human rights and occupational health and safety. But while we're quick to judge, we must remember we're not perfect.
Case in point: while a large mining accident this past week in China has (surprisingly) recovered over 100 workers, I suspect there will be many deaths once everything is settled. However, today's mining accident in West Virginia reminds me that we (being the "developed" world) ignore these very technologies we've developed for safety.
What is the reason of this most recent mining accident? Who knows, and the mining company is rightfully focussed on life saving efforts of the survivors. However, we know that mining can be done safely, so there was an error somewhere - whether an engineering issue or cultural (from not accounting for geographic issues to not enforcing safety regulations).
By the way, in Ontario (my province of Canada), mining is significantly safer than working in a hospital. I suspect that statistic is the same throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Surprised? Well, we don't "perceive" hospitals as dangerous, so we don't always adequately address the safety hazards (such as lifting patients, mixing cleaning chemicals, being attacked by dementia patients or even emotional family members can all cause significant injuries to workers).
Remember, everywhere in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and most other developed nations, you have the right to refuse unsafe work, the right to know about the safety hazards you're working with/around, and the right to training on these hazards. Don't be afraid to exercise your rights. If you're unsure, google your appropriate authority (such as provincial ministries in Canada, OSHA in the U.S., HSE in the U.K., etc.)
Please take a moment to remember those who died needlessly for their job.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Whew ...
Of course, you're aware of the disaster that occurred in Haiti. I'm watching "Hope for Haiti" and earlier I watched "Canada for Haiti" (um, the same format as the American/International show). You are no doubt upset by what's happening, too. I just wanted to pause and acknowledge this tragedy.
I've now read everything in my reader. Our wireless is down, so using the internet is inconvenient: in the corner of the basement. Plus, now that I'm working and commuting half-an-hour each way (as opposed to ... about 5 minutes at my last job), I've been exhausted at night. So here's a quick update:
-Work is good. Still lots to learn.
-Princess is good. She's such a cute little cuddler when I get home. (She wasn't used to me being away from her for hours until I started working again!)
-Wade is good. He's working shift work for the next 4 weeks, which sucks, but at least he'll go back to normal days when this run is over.
That's all I got for now. I'm going to have a nice, relaxing bath then go to bed. Tomorrow I'm volunteering with St. John Ambulance for about 5 hours. (I started volunteering with them back in October. The commitment is: 2 hours of training 2-3 times a month (training is every Wednesday, so you just pick the Wednesdays you can make) plus one "shift" a month (you pick the shift, ranging from 4 to 9 hours, mostly on week-ends).
I've now read everything in my reader. Our wireless is down, so using the internet is inconvenient: in the corner of the basement. Plus, now that I'm working and commuting half-an-hour each way (as opposed to ... about 5 minutes at my last job), I've been exhausted at night. So here's a quick update:
-Work is good. Still lots to learn.
-Princess is good. She's such a cute little cuddler when I get home. (She wasn't used to me being away from her for hours until I started working again!)
-Wade is good. He's working shift work for the next 4 weeks, which sucks, but at least he'll go back to normal days when this run is over.
That's all I got for now. I'm going to have a nice, relaxing bath then go to bed. Tomorrow I'm volunteering with St. John Ambulance for about 5 hours. (I started volunteering with them back in October. The commitment is: 2 hours of training 2-3 times a month (training is every Wednesday, so you just pick the Wednesdays you can make) plus one "shift" a month (you pick the shift, ranging from 4 to 9 hours, mostly on week-ends).
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