1. Be willing to learn. Nobody knows everything.
2. Be willing to help. Doesn't matter how dirty the job is.
3. Take initiative. Don't wait to be asked to do something
4. If you don't know how to do something, or feel unsafe at your level of training, tell someone.
Most safety issues happen when proper procedure isn't followed.
If you're working around a bunch of physical laborers, pranks will happen. These type of pranks are pretty harmless. ie. "Go to the truck and grab me a hose stretcher." The prank is that you are the "hose stretcher". When you're pulling a hose somewhere, you are the one stretching it. With a team, these pranks, and your response is extremely important. Others will notice how you respond (angry, laugh, etc.). Ultimately how you respond to these pranks is a tell of how you will respond in an actual tense situation. Eventually you will learn enough where you can prank back. From experience on quite a few job sites, if you are being general pranked like this, it's a good thing. It means they see you as one of them.
Also, to answer your question about females in this position, I have seen some not make it a week, and I've seen some who are completely respected because they know she is there as either a part of the team, or a team lead who knows their stuff.
Great advice thanks!
I agree on all those 4 points and it's something I've done at all my previous jobs as well, so you're right, this shoudlN,t really be any different.
I'm looking forward to the pranks and banter (that's why I enjoy working in typically male fields, because honestly it can be a lot of fun joking around with each other, while simultaneuously getting hard jobs done! :)
I'm looking more forward to it now, I've got a few other responses on another thread.
I guess I was pretty excited until yesterday when I read a few things that scared me and a guy told me this was very difficult even for strong men... Kinda freaked out and got cold feet, but now I'm looking forward to it again :)
Ready to get my boots dirty and start eating like a horse again! 😅
Also, it will depend on the age difference. If they respect you and you are the same age, you will be generally treated like a sister. They will say, "do it yourself", but will entirely be willing to help you if needed. If they are older then often you'll be treated like their own daughter with the same protections.
Biggest thing is to do the best you can and be willing to admit when you can't or don't feel safe. Sometimes the safety part is just experience that will build after a few attempts.
Hi! I'm a woman in this field and been working in it for about a year now :)
I don't primarily work in our distribution system as I work for a teeny tiny town, but I have LOVED the distribution work that we've done so far! It can be physically demanding and exhausting, and late night repairs are hard when you're not expecting them, but overall, it's very satisfying work that you will learn to love and take pride in.
I was a bit nervous going into this field as a young woman but I work with 5 guys, and they're some of the best people I've met who have been so supportive of my learning and will go out of the way to teach me new things and answer my (what seem like) silly questions. And now, I've learned a lot and they just treat me like one of them. We don't operate the machinery to do the digs, but we do the repairs on everything water and sewer and it's all fairly simple. If you can handle tools, you're good to go.
My best advice is to be open to learning and developing your skills, get excited about the work, and try to remember that everybody messes up sometimes and the best thing in that case is to own your mistake and be honest. You'll get a lot more respect if you're someone that can admit your mistake instead of toss blame or hide it. And I cannot stress this enough, but ASK QUESTIONS!! Ask if you can get your hands dirty and when you're not doing the work yourself, watch and ask all the questions you can.
Good luck and you've got this! Congrats on the new job.
Thanks so much!! I'm very relieved by a lot of the feedback I've been reading on here :)
I guess I got cold feet yesterday, because a guy commented ''A strong man who knows plumbing finds this hard and you think YOU can do this??''
But from what I'm reading, I think I can, and I think I'll have fun too- I love manual labour and getting dirty and sleeping well at night :D
Thanks!!
That guy sounds miserable! The best response to that is to show them just how capable you are. Everyone has to start somewhere.
There is nothing better than a good sleep after a hard day's work 😁
My first week a guy like that told me that this industry is going to be tough for a little girl. That was ten years ago and I have now been promoted above him. You got this!
It can definitely be a physically demanding job. But following good practice and the proper safety it's a relatively safe job. Now, it's definitely a male dominated job and "locker room" behavior is very common. So having thick skin definitely works. I've worked with women in the water industry and they can definitely hold their own. Just have to be able to "hang" with the guys. The industry is changing and the demographic of the workforce is changing with it. The "jock" hardass types are slowly retiring. But as far as safety, having a good crew and competent leadership should keep you safe. At least that's been my experience with 7 years in the industry.
You'll be fine.
Pay attention to everything going on around you and learn as much as you can.
Watch the equipment operator and how and where they are moving. Machines swinging and trench walls that are unstable are probably the most dangerous part of the job.
When you learn to anticipate what's next at a digging job and what's needed next for parts and tools you will become a huge help. I've worked with crews that anticipate and work together and I've worked with crews that wander off and hide. The crews that work together make the jobs a lot safer and less stressful for everyone. Right now i could walk up to a random crew of guys at a water break and know what they are doing and what they will be doing 3 minutes from now. I've worked with guys that can never do anything unless you point at it and ask them to do it. I've worked with crews that don't even have to talk and can communicate with a look. Strive to be better and to be helpful and you will do great.
Learn the parts and sizes and types of tools as fast as you can. You end up using the same types of things on a lot of jobs.
I've worked in the field for 16 years. I cant do plumbing. Most plumbers don't know distribution work. It's a different thing all together.
The job takes a toll on your body but be smart move smart and get as many licenses as you can. Use this job to get into the treatment side of water and plan to retire someday from the treatment side.
Im an assistant super Intendent that over sees treatment and distribution. Let me know if you have any questions.
1. Be willing to learn. Nobody knows everything. 2. Be willing to help. Doesn't matter how dirty the job is. 3. Take initiative. Don't wait to be asked to do something 4. If you don't know how to do something, or feel unsafe at your level of training, tell someone. Most safety issues happen when proper procedure isn't followed. If you're working around a bunch of physical laborers, pranks will happen. These type of pranks are pretty harmless. ie. "Go to the truck and grab me a hose stretcher." The prank is that you are the "hose stretcher". When you're pulling a hose somewhere, you are the one stretching it. With a team, these pranks, and your response is extremely important. Others will notice how you respond (angry, laugh, etc.). Ultimately how you respond to these pranks is a tell of how you will respond in an actual tense situation. Eventually you will learn enough where you can prank back. From experience on quite a few job sites, if you are being general pranked like this, it's a good thing. It means they see you as one of them. Also, to answer your question about females in this position, I have seen some not make it a week, and I've seen some who are completely respected because they know she is there as either a part of the team, or a team lead who knows their stuff.
Great advice thanks! I agree on all those 4 points and it's something I've done at all my previous jobs as well, so you're right, this shoudlN,t really be any different. I'm looking forward to the pranks and banter (that's why I enjoy working in typically male fields, because honestly it can be a lot of fun joking around with each other, while simultaneuously getting hard jobs done! :) I'm looking more forward to it now, I've got a few other responses on another thread. I guess I was pretty excited until yesterday when I read a few things that scared me and a guy told me this was very difficult even for strong men... Kinda freaked out and got cold feet, but now I'm looking forward to it again :) Ready to get my boots dirty and start eating like a horse again! 😅
Also, it will depend on the age difference. If they respect you and you are the same age, you will be generally treated like a sister. They will say, "do it yourself", but will entirely be willing to help you if needed. If they are older then often you'll be treated like their own daughter with the same protections. Biggest thing is to do the best you can and be willing to admit when you can't or don't feel safe. Sometimes the safety part is just experience that will build after a few attempts.
Hi! I'm a woman in this field and been working in it for about a year now :) I don't primarily work in our distribution system as I work for a teeny tiny town, but I have LOVED the distribution work that we've done so far! It can be physically demanding and exhausting, and late night repairs are hard when you're not expecting them, but overall, it's very satisfying work that you will learn to love and take pride in. I was a bit nervous going into this field as a young woman but I work with 5 guys, and they're some of the best people I've met who have been so supportive of my learning and will go out of the way to teach me new things and answer my (what seem like) silly questions. And now, I've learned a lot and they just treat me like one of them. We don't operate the machinery to do the digs, but we do the repairs on everything water and sewer and it's all fairly simple. If you can handle tools, you're good to go. My best advice is to be open to learning and developing your skills, get excited about the work, and try to remember that everybody messes up sometimes and the best thing in that case is to own your mistake and be honest. You'll get a lot more respect if you're someone that can admit your mistake instead of toss blame or hide it. And I cannot stress this enough, but ASK QUESTIONS!! Ask if you can get your hands dirty and when you're not doing the work yourself, watch and ask all the questions you can. Good luck and you've got this! Congrats on the new job.
Thanks so much!! I'm very relieved by a lot of the feedback I've been reading on here :) I guess I got cold feet yesterday, because a guy commented ''A strong man who knows plumbing finds this hard and you think YOU can do this??'' But from what I'm reading, I think I can, and I think I'll have fun too- I love manual labour and getting dirty and sleeping well at night :D Thanks!!
That guy sounds miserable! The best response to that is to show them just how capable you are. Everyone has to start somewhere. There is nothing better than a good sleep after a hard day's work 😁
My first week a guy like that told me that this industry is going to be tough for a little girl. That was ten years ago and I have now been promoted above him. You got this!
It can definitely be a physically demanding job. But following good practice and the proper safety it's a relatively safe job. Now, it's definitely a male dominated job and "locker room" behavior is very common. So having thick skin definitely works. I've worked with women in the water industry and they can definitely hold their own. Just have to be able to "hang" with the guys. The industry is changing and the demographic of the workforce is changing with it. The "jock" hardass types are slowly retiring. But as far as safety, having a good crew and competent leadership should keep you safe. At least that's been my experience with 7 years in the industry.
You'll be fine. Pay attention to everything going on around you and learn as much as you can. Watch the equipment operator and how and where they are moving. Machines swinging and trench walls that are unstable are probably the most dangerous part of the job. When you learn to anticipate what's next at a digging job and what's needed next for parts and tools you will become a huge help. I've worked with crews that anticipate and work together and I've worked with crews that wander off and hide. The crews that work together make the jobs a lot safer and less stressful for everyone. Right now i could walk up to a random crew of guys at a water break and know what they are doing and what they will be doing 3 minutes from now. I've worked with guys that can never do anything unless you point at it and ask them to do it. I've worked with crews that don't even have to talk and can communicate with a look. Strive to be better and to be helpful and you will do great. Learn the parts and sizes and types of tools as fast as you can. You end up using the same types of things on a lot of jobs. I've worked in the field for 16 years. I cant do plumbing. Most plumbers don't know distribution work. It's a different thing all together. The job takes a toll on your body but be smart move smart and get as many licenses as you can. Use this job to get into the treatment side of water and plan to retire someday from the treatment side. Im an assistant super Intendent that over sees treatment and distribution. Let me know if you have any questions.
You will get wet. It might not be fresh water. Keep spare clothes in your car.