How long have you been working in the pipeline industry for?
On and off for eight to ten years. I came to Australia in 1995, was here for eight years, then went back to Ireland for a time. I did some pipeline work in Ireland as well before heading back to Australia in 2009.
What has been your favourite project to work on and why?
The recent Sino Iron Ore Mine Project located in Cape Preston, Western Australia. It was really labour-intensive, but it was good fun and went really smoothly. The crews got along well together, which is very important for a successful project.
Can you outline a typical day in the field?
In the morning, we’ll start off with making our smoko for the day before having some breakfast.
After breakfast we then take part in a breathalyser test, which requires us to have a three-zero reading.
Work kicks off at 6:00am with toolbox talks, and everyone has to sign onto the Job Hazard Analysis before moving to their respective jobs.
Our four-man torque crew start the work day by doing a safety assessment of our equipment, which includes pre-starting and preparing it before we start performing the torque sequences.
An important part of the torque sequence task is to carry out thorough inspections of the pipeline flanges and gaskets and ensuring that all the bolts have been properly pre-greased.
After this we then check the pipeline alignment before carrying out the required torque sequence.
The torque sequence is usually set at 30 per cent, 60 per cent and 100 per cent, and once complete we then do a chaser around the flange to ensure that all bolts have been correctly torqued.
When the sequence has been finished we write all relevant data onto the pipe so that the quality crews that follow behind us are able to collect the information for their records.
This continues until the day winds up when we pack away all our gear and make the area safe.
Our crew gets along very well, and we all know the specific roles we have to perform to ensure the job is done properly.
Who do you look up to in the industry and why? Or, who have you found to be a role model and why?
I admire the long-established track record of the older and more experienced workers. Everyone has their family someplace else, but you have to stay focused on the job, and these guys really show how it’s done.
Do you have any anecdotes of activities in the field?
On the Sino project, it was very interesting how the Sturt’s Desert Peas and wildflowers just started to sprout from the barren desert after the rains.
Similarly, the cattle were in very poor condition in the summer months, but in the spring, they started putting on weight – you could really see the transformation.
Do you have any advice for other workers?
I really like the saying: “No problem”. I believe you should always think about the positive way of doing something, not the negative.
