Saturday, November 24, 2012

Another move

      Its been just over four months now since my last transfer when I moved to J.E. Richards, it seems as if time is just flying by. As written before, I spent about three months of my time in D.C. working at a large tenant build-out. Since then, in the last month I was moved to another job site in Gaithersburg MD, which is a completely different setting and type of work. From a large job with over eighty some people when I first arrived, down to a small crew of six or seven. The biggest difference is being in a place where floors were bare and being built, to now navigating through what seems to be endless lab spaces.
      I have found it has been a very welcome change in most aspects. Most of all probably being the location, I don't think anyone would complain about being able to wake up an hour later and get home sometimes an hour and a half earlier. What I believe to be the biggest change though has been it the regards to the pace of work and safety on the job site. How I explain  it to most people is that you have to fill out paperwork just to do the paperwork. This is my first time to experience or even see this kind of work. Where every detail of each specific job has to been described before the work begins in what they call job hazard analysis (JHA's for short) and also daily before work begins complete a ; safety task analysis (STA's). These documents along with sign in and sign out sheets in each area of work has led to there being over a hour of time just filing out paperwork some days.I have found that it can really drive you crazy but it does  make you very aware of your task and any hazards that may exist.
       Probably one of the best programs they follow is one we learn much about in school. When it comes to safety one of the most important for electricians is the lock out/tag out procedures. Up to now I learned a lot about the program in school and on the job,but until now have never really followed the rules to such an extent.I usually would just find one person applying a lock to a circuit being worked on, here though, every person working on or around the circuit applies a lock and fills out their own paperwork documenting everything about the shutdown which I've learned is the correct way for the program to work.