Photo by 500photos.com
This is part 2 of my ‘cranes and crane operators’ investigation. For part 1 you want How do you get into a crane? (blog link) or https://hyew.medium.com/how-do-you-get-into-a-crane-b91211bed627 (medium article)
In there I covered how crane operators get into the crane in the first place.
But now you might be wondering, “Ok, so they’re up there in the crane now. But how do they go to the toilet? Do they ever come down during their shift?”
And the answer to both of those questions is: they don’t.
Majority of the time, the crane operator needs to sort their business out before they go up. Because once they’re up there it’s a huge hassle having to go ALL the way down for toileting, food, and other things, and then go ALL the way back up again to work. It takes up a lot of energy and valuable crane time.
So the solution is to drop by the port-a-loo first, bring your lunch and essentials with you to the top, and stay there the whole shift. If you’re a guy, you’ll probably have an empty bottle spare just in case the bladder needs a quick empty. Your internal waterworks ain’t stopping for no-one.
Photo by Max Vakhtbovych
Ladies on the other hand may experience more difficulty. While there are options out there to resolve the portable wee problem for women, typically it’s messy and difficult to dispose of. There’s even been scrutiny in the past of workplaces who haven’t provided their female operators with bathroom breaks. So women in the job will usually abstain from the toilet but have something that works for them in emergencies, just as men do.
So it is difficult. But these hard workers make it work in their own way. In Australia where I live, crane operators are supported by unions, so there will always be a toilet onsite, it’s just the operator is not going to be able to use it mid-shift since it will either be on the ground or on a level that is still several stories lower than the cabin of the crane. You have to be practical. In an extreme emergency, such as that of bad tacos the night before, the operator needs to discuss with their supervisor about not being in the crane for the day. Simple as that.
At least crane cabins are air conditioned. Thank god for 21st century technology.
Here’s a video of a guy talking about his job:
Originally published at http://haveyoueverwondered123.wordpress.com on February 18, 2022.
