Real-Life Communication
You have been working for a logging company for a few years, hooking
chokers. This means that you have been hooking cables around fallen trees
that a skidder driver will then drag to the landing to be sawn into sections
and loaded on to a truck.
Today is your lucky day. You are going to
learn how to operate heavy equipment. "You usually start at the bottom jobs
and then work your way into learning how to operate the heavy equipment,"
says Ron O'Connor. He is a heavy equipment operator.
As you drive
up to the landing, your supervisor coaches you on how to start up the loader,
a machine that piles up logs and loads them on to logging trucks. You will
need to listen carefully as he explains the procedure to you.
"Communication
is important because you have to be able to follow directions," says O'Connor.
"You can't just say you know what you're doing. If you don't
understand, ask questions, because you don't want to make a mistake."
O'Connor
adds that heavy equipment operators who run their own businesses need excellent
reading and writing skills.
This is how the supervisor tells you to
start the loader:
First, you need to check over the equipment. I start
by checking the engine oil. Lift the panel at the back end of the loader,
and check the oil levels with the dipstick. Next you will need to check the
hydraulic fluids. Do this by climbing up to the panel at the side of the engine.
Then fill the engine with diesel.
Do a general inspection of your machine.
Look for any tears in the hydraulic hoses, and check over and underneath for
any lodged branches and pull them out.
Then you are ready to climb
up the ladder and get into the cab. Before you turn the key, it's important
that you hold down the glow plug button for a minute. There needs to be heat
before the diesel fuel will ignite.
Start the engine. Take off the
safety brake by pushing the red knob down. Rev up the engine for at least
a minute to bring up engine pressures. Before you drive off, lift your boom,
which is the arm out front that either has a bucket or a grapple attached
to it.
Put the engine into gear, and you are ready to drive. The loader
is an automatic with three speeds, but remember, you don't want to go
past second gear on the landing.
Whew! You're not sure you understood
all that. Here are some questions that you ask your supervisor:
- What should I be looking for when I do a general inspection of the machine?
- When I climb up in the cab what must I do before I turn the key? Why?
- What gear should I be in while on the landing?
How would he answer your questions?