I have a new job Scaffolding in London. The routine is very different, we get up very early in the morning for two reasons. We need to set up our structures before people pack the streets and we also take advantage of sun light while it lasts.
We need space to set up the structures so it would be very uncomfortable to have to do it while people are passing the streets. Sunlight is important because we need people to see that we are working to avoid accident. Another reason is that we need sunlight to see what we are doing. Doing it during night would require a lot of illumination that would result in more cost.
Scaffolding in London is generally fun because the buildings are very old and very different between each other. Some buildings are really tall and we need to set up giant structures. This is always a challenge. The views are incredible once you are op top of the structure. London is a beautiful city. The people are very nice and there is always action on the streets. I have many anecdotes to tell. The best ones are when you find yourself in the middle of a movie shooting or a tv programme recording. Then you can go an tell your kids to see you on tv. It is really interesting. I have seen a lot of famous people.
Scaffolding in London seems dangerous but it isn’t if you take all the prevention measures possible. In my company we have a safety advisor that goes around monitoring that we take all the safety procedures accurately. IF we don’t we get a memo from above. I find this very important because we are talking about human lives that we can safe. I have never seen an accident where I work now. The frames that we use are constantly inspected and when there is some damaged they are replaced.
At work there are different levels that you can achieve. I started of an apprentice. It is a fun way to start because there is so much to learn that work really doesn’t feel like work. The people that know more are able to set up complete structures from top to bottom with little help and supervision. The jobs that we perform are varied. We basically need the structures to reach high parts in a building. But the job itself can be repairing, painting, installing lights , etc. This is a good thing because the job doesn’t become repetitive. There is always something new to learn and that allows you be to prepared for more important jobs. You can charge more because you do more things.