Well, I am happy to report, mission accomplished. Finally, we have our 10 minute-turned-three week antenna installation completed and working. Strangely enough, the job went very smoothly. The elevated work platform arrived on time, we showed up and barricaded off the area, met up with the guys from Brisbane, signed some paperwork, and got stuck into it. Unfortunately the fellow who had driven 5 hours just to operate the EWP (as he is licensed, and I currently am not) had no clue whatsoever about how to handle this particular machine. I ended up "suggesting" certain levers to push and made him think that it was his idea, and we eventually managed to get the thing where we wanted it. It probably would have been safer to have thrown him overboard and driven the ruddy thing myself really, but he did hold the ticket after all...
The actual job took no more than 10 minutes. When the safety guy from Brisbane showed up we talked him through the job.
"Well, we go up there in the EWP, take that old aerial off, bolt this one on, and then come down again."
"Oh yes, and then what?"
"Uhh... that's it. Job done."
"You're joking. I left Brisbane at 4 in the morning just for that???"
"That's about the strength of it."
"*insert angry sounds here*"
Funnily enough, the original "safety" man who bailed us up was nowhere to be seen, and I later learnt that he had been quietly taken out the back and shot. Not really. But at least he had been taken off the job.
I have another interesting job now, over on an island just off the coast of Gladstone. We have to go out and install a perfectly simple teloscopic mast to the roof of a donga. (Portacom building in NZ speak). We have done several of these in the past with no dramas, but this one is turning into a similar fiasco as the last job. Originally they were all good, then they learned we were intending to use a ladder. Uh, no. Can't do that sorry. Then we submitted alternative plans, and they got it into their heads that the roof wasn't going to hold the weight. So then they wanted engineering diagrams, and they sent it to the building supplier who claimed the building wasn't designed to have masts attached to it... and so on so forth.
It basically comes down to the fact that no body is willing to take responsibility and make the call to actually go ahead, everyone is too busy covering their own arses and passing the buck to someone else. And then they complain that the job hasn't been completed yet. You can't win, I'm telling you. Australia has gone mad with health and safety. If you think NZ OSH is bad... come here and see this. OSH is a walk in the park compared to this stuff. It literally takes longer to do the site inductions and the safety plans and risk assessments than it takes to do the job. We are doing another job for another crowd on the island, we have pretty much a full day of inductions on Monday, and then they still need to see proof of insurance, company statements, drivers licenses and blue cards of all workers, and even CVs to prove you are able to do the work!!! As my boss said, "you are employing my company, not me!"
The blue card is yet another induction you do, which basically says you are allowed to go on construction sites.
On the bright side however, the rest of the week I have managed to get a fair bit done, I have been building up a repeater system for a mine out west which has been pretty interesting. I've just got to undertake final testing and then we should be all good to deploy it.
Work aside, I managed to go and fly a new kite I purchased recently yesterday. It's got a 1.8 meter wingspan and two strings, so you can steer it. After a few spectacular encounters with the earth, I think I've finally got the hang of it. Quite fun to fly, it has significant lift when a gust of wind comes along.
Not much else to report that comes to mind straight away... we have another tech leaving at the end of next week so if anyone knows of any radio techs or installers wanting a job... let me know. Pretty sure we are looking for staff in Rocky and Mackay as well.
Right, I better go and do some grocery shopping, or else I shall be scratching to find dinner tonight.
TTFN!
P.S. What's this I hear about Christchurch getting snow??? That really puts the icing on the quake...
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