SPQ13 Phil

Week 3 of school

On Wednesday I went to Canada to get my 2 year visa. What is different about this one is previous years we only got work permits that were only good for 6 months. With the new visas we will be able to work year round so we wont be so slammed going into the season. Other that that is was a typical week in the shop. I did a few bigger jobs, one of which was pulling out a rear bolster or stinger of a 7420.

In class today we talked about lockout/tagging out equipment and making sure it is not functional until it was fully fixed. It reminded my of something that happened in our shop. We had a bench grinder that was missing some guards and so it was tagged out but left there till the guards could be replaced. However one of the other mechanics still used it so the plug was cut off the power cord. So as a joke the same mechanic just stuck the wires in the power outlet to run the grinder. The grinder then promptly disappeared from the shop. While the grinder was just tagged out because of missing guards it is a good example that simply tagging something out is not always enough to keep it from being used.

I have another story that falls in with what Jeff was talking about when there is a hydraulic failure and the operator makes things worse by still running the equipment. Last season I went on a call to a picker that the operator was complaining that the front wheel was locked up. When I arrived you could see big ruts down the rows and the operator proudly announced that even though the wheel wouldn't roll he could just drag it along with the other wheels. Sure enough the front wheel drive motor had grenaded and with all the driving he did it sent the metal to the other two drive motors. All three had to be replaced and they run about (if I remember right) $2,000 a piece.

Learning reflection this week: A good reminder to always be safe around hydraulic systems. Always take your time to make sure you do things safely.

40 hours this week (between work and school)           
Quarter total: 123 hours