New Job, need advice on jobs.

[Gunney]

Evening folks.

I came here hoping to get some questions answered by those who have held jobs in the waste-management field (glamorous eh? )

I got hired today for a summer job as a Transfer Station labourer on Cape Cod. And whilst the pay is pretty damn good at almost $13hr (compared to previous jobs, bearing in mind I am fresh out of high school!) with an almost guaranteed 40hrs a week, I am not actually sure of a few things, particularly pertaining to outfits since I received no handbook or anything at the interview (got hired by phone):

1) How do you get over the smell of rubbish? I heard camphor works wonders, but it might give the wrong impression if I am constantly putting stuff under my nose lol...

2) They mentioned that I am required to wear boots. Do they have to be Steel Toe? I have some regular toe ones that are pretty broken in...

3) What is recommended for clothing? I know they mentioned long pants, although nothing about sleeves. Would I be best off with a boiler-suit of sorts?

---A more general question---
4) How many hours a week would be considered good? This is probably gonna net me 40hrs (2 days off) half-seven to half-four daily. Now I have a few other jobs that I have been given (1 job with 3 days a week, although I will ask if possible to only work the 2) and then another full time one at Stop and Shop (not actually hired-hired, but told 'call when you get out of school, you seem like a nice enough bloke, so you will have a job if you want it'..) Now heres my delemia: This DPW job is from the beginning of July on... so I need something to fill in until then. I have been advised to take the S&S one and then leave, but that seems a bit 'jack-***-ish'
-----S&S pays $8hr and I could maybe get up to 40hrs on a good week, although seniority kicks in...
-----This mom-n-pop pays about the same, but only 3 days a week for maybe 5hrs a day... at about $8hr to
-----DPW pays almost $13 with probably between 40 and 45hrs a week... (I doubt they will let me hit OT, but its set hours and from my understanding 5 days a week...)

So Obviously DPW is the permanent one, but the question is: Do I take the S&S one until then, and ultimately end up screwing the company (Would this be a big bite on the arse later?) Do I take the m&p, deal with fewer hours, letter pay, and then simply reduce hours later? I am in a delemia! I hate screwing people, but at the same time I need to ensure that I keep some work under me....


Anyway I hate to come off as in it for the wrong reasons... Any advice/answers would be appreciated!

 

[auk1124]

1) How do you get over the smell of rubbish? I heard camphor works wonders, but it might give the wrong impression if I am constantly putting stuff under my nose lol...

2) They mentioned that I am required to wear boots. Do they have to be Steel Toe? I have some regular toe ones that are pretty broken in...

3) What is recommended for clothing? I know they mentioned long pants, although nothing about sleeves. Would I be best off with a boiler-suit of sorts?

1) You'll probably get used to the smell. I grew up on a hog farm. After a while I didn't even smell it. By the end of summer I bet you won't smell the garbage.
2) I'd wear the boots I had and assume they were good enough unless somebody told me different.
3) You'll most likely be working elbow deep in garbage, doing sorting of recyclables or something like that. I'd think long sleeves would be a necessity.

 

[Gunney]

Sorry I left out part of that! Yea I will go with long sleeves of course... I can always roll em up, its hard to roll down short sleeves!

 

[Curly]

I used to unload slightly hazardous waste at landfills in California (legally too); no need for steel toe, however long sleeves are a must, as flies bite! The smell, well all I can say is that a landfill makes swine smell great. When it was really bad I would throw on the full face respirator and let the charcoal canister do its deodorizing! Enjoy the experience and make sure you have fun with it.

 

[njpaddy]

I used to inspect transfer stations and landfills.

1. Smell: Ah, there's nothing like the smell of 2,000 tons of rotting garbage at 7am. You get used to it, except for some loads that may be particularly nasty. Don't bother trying to shove stuff up your nose. It won't work and they'll bust your chops. Chew some gum if it bothers you. I always found the dust more annoying than the smell.
2. Boots: My office provided us boots with steel tips and shanks (for needle punctures), but at transfer stations, I wore my own regular work boots without the steel. It really depends on where they have you working. Wear your boots unless they tell you that steel is required. I don't think any of the TS I inspected required it of their workers. I would keep the boots in a box in the trunk. Put them on when you get there, take them off before you drive home unless you want the smell ground into your car carpets. I also had thick mats on my floor and trunk that I could remove and clean.
3. Clothing: Keep a long sleeve shirt (or two) in the car in case you need it. I always kept extra jeans, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and boots in my car.

Other tips:
- Enjoy it. It's a great experience. Guys at a transfer station are usually a lot of fun to be around. Just avoid taking sides in their battles.
- I don't know how busy your TS is, but it can be a dangerous place to work. Be alert. WATCH YOUR BACK! Don't assume drivers can see you.

 

[Gunney]

I used to inspect transfer stations and landfills.

1. Smell: Ah, there's nothing like the smell of 2,000 tons of rotting garbage at 7am. You get used to it, except for some loads that may be particularly nasty. Don't bother trying to shove stuff up your nose. It won't work and they'll bust your chops. Chew some gum if it bothers you. I always found the dust more annoying than the smell.
2. Boots: My office provided us boots with steel tips and shanks (for needle punctures), but at transfer stations, I wore my own regular work boots without the steel. It really depends on where they have you working. Wear your boots unless they tell you that steel is required. I don't think any of the TS I inspected required it of their workers. I would keep the boots in a box in the trunk. Put them on when you get there, take them off before you drive home unless you want the smell ground into your car carpets. I also had thick mats on my floor and trunk that I could remove and clean.
3. Clothing: Keep a long sleeve shirt (or two) in the car in case you need it. I always kept extra jeans, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and boots in my car.

Other tips:
- Enjoy it. It's a great experience. Guys at a transfer station are usually a lot of fun to be around. Just avoid taking sides in their battles.
- I don't know how busy your TS is, but it can be a dangerous place to work. Be alert. WATCH YOUR BACK! Don't assume drivers can see you.

Alright I will keep that in mind about the shoes. Ummm rubbish juice....

As for the dangers, I certainly see your point. First call with my fire department, I nearly got clipped by a 40 ton aerial... that was a bit of a wake up...

I heard gum is the worst thing possible-- I heard that you end up tasting the rubbish for a month after.... lol

 

[ReAndyMator]

Are we sure 'waste management' isn't a euphemism? You might be better off with a gun, suit (preferably shiny), a ton of shiny necklaces and a dodgy accent.

 

[bamafan64]

I work in a sulfur plant in an oil refinery, so you can get used to bad smells at work. As far as boots, I'd ask, because there is a comfort difference between steel toes and non-steel toes. Hours? Perfect for me would be five twelve hour days, Monday through Friday. Of course, I don't get to work that except when I'm on special projects.

 

[Austin]

Congratulations on securing a job. Good luck.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Take the transfer station job that starts in July. Between now and then start your own window washing business. Hand out flyers, guarantee results and you will be as busy as you want to be. Just hit the streets and go. A sibling did this and was making $20.00 per hour at it. Skip commercial as that is competitive, go straight to residential. Charge by the window both sides. Total guess here but say $1.00 per window per side. Three hours later you walk away with $60.00 and the customer loves the job you did. Total cost to you is a bucket and two squeegees with a sponge. Easy, hours are flexible and it is proven.

 

[john shea]

People in the trash business tell me that trash smells like money to them, people will not stop making trash despite the condition of the economy. The trash collection budget is one of the largest in any city or town. I would wear what the other employees are wearing, steel toes and also clothing that is not likely to snag is a good idea. There is a lot of noise, vehicle traffic, and heavy equipment activity in a transfer station, one needs to keep alert at all times to avoid injury.

DPW jobs can be good, if they are full time permenant positions. Government jobs tend to be stabile, especially when one gets seniority and MA and municiple government retirement after a lifetime of service pays 80% (in MA). MA retirement is especially good for fire and police because they reach full retirement at 55 years rather than 65 years of age. The MA state and municipal police also get a lot of overtime and police detail pay making it possible for them to work more than 40 hours and earn well above their base salary.

 

[PugslyCat]

1) How do you get over the smell of rubbish? You just suck it up and it happens. My dad worked 30 years in packing houses and did just that. I'm not sure that he actually smells anything now.
2) Call back and ask about the steel toed boots or any other safety equipment that you are expected to show up with. If you can get by with your current boots, do so. If you can afford steel toed boots when you need to replace those, consider it. Sometimes places with safety equipment considerations will have a vendor who cuts employees a deal.
3) That's another thing to ask about, or go past the place before you start and see for yourself. No need to spend money buying something if your old jeans and a T-shirt will do.
4) How many hours a week would be considered good? That kind of depends on your goals. Are you trying to save up money for something after this summer job ends or are you just trying to support a summer party habit? If you really need the money you want as many hours at the best paying job you can get.

I would go ahead and take Stop and Shop job. If your goal for the summer is to make as much money in a short time as you can, see if accommodateccomadate you with part time work around your DPW schedule.

One thing to keep in mind is that anything can happen between now and when the DPW job starts. It may not start at all if they have a sudden budget problem or for any number of reasons. I moved halfway across the country once only to get a call the day before I was supposed to start telling me they had changed their mind. We sorted it out, but it could have really left me in a lurch. I would go with the sure deal now and explain to S&S down the road that somebody else that you talked to about a job back in May has come through for you. I've seen guys start really good jobs and leave almost immediately because of better offers that came in from jobs they had applied to at the same time but had a lengthier hiring process.

 

[bamafan64]

I forgot an old trick for when I was on a volunteer fire department as a medic. Vick's Vapor Rub. Smear a little under your nose if you think you're going to be exposed to a particularly bad smell. Lots of medics use it if they're on a scene with a badly decomposing body.

 

[Gunney]

^Yea that is the reason I learned about the menthol under your nose... people have told me about it particularly for the first one.... (the part of the fire service I am not particularly keen on! No business is good business...)

Anyway sorry folks that I haven't responded in a while, got bogged down with end-of-school bull-spit...

It does look like I will just really have to man-up and get used to it..

I looked into the boots thing on-line (I will hopefully get an employee handbook from the DPW explaining more specifically the PPE required) and it appears that safety-boots are universally required. Any suggestions? I mean obviously I want something cheap, I don't necessarily want to spend all my earnings to work there! But at the same time I am particularly attached to my toes (pun completely intended... ) and would like something that will keep all the garbage juices at bay... So any suggestions on safety toe boots that are cheap but durable? I want something that will last me to the end of the season, but that I can not-so-painfully either throw away, or attempt to salvage using lots and lots of sanitiser at the end...
---On a side note about boots, does anyone know how to fix the interior lining of a boot? That meshy-nylon stuff inside the boot has torn on me, so now my heal is constantly rubbing up against the hard shell of the boot... less than comfy, and whilst I have gotten used to it, if I can fix it I want to lol...

 

[shuasdad]

Couple of suggestions. If possible hit up thrift stores/second hand source for clothes that will be ruined by work. There are plenty of cheap clothes in good condition for working in. No sense ruining new clothes at full cost. Skimp on boots if you must, but I'd add some insoles that help make up for it if comfort becomes a problem. You'll be on your feet all day, good boots make a difference.

Other than that, this sounds like a perfect just out of school job. Go and learn how to work hard in the face of difficulty. Be prepared to see others quit and be tempted to do the same. Hang in there. Ride it out. This lesson will be worth more than the money you'll be earning and will serve you well for years to come. Someday you'll be doing something more appealing and a co-worker will be complaining about trivial stuff and you'll laugh knowing what a real tough job was.

Congrats on earning a job through your interview and good luck as you are manning up to tackle it.

 

[ReAndyMator]

There's plenty of used-military boots with steel toes. And probably unsurprisingly, they're really quite comfortable. Perhaps because they're designed to be worn by someone all day, every day, while carrying loads of heavy gear and walking everywhere.

And they're cheap. They even polish up nicely.

 

[Gunney]

There's plenty of used-military boots with steel toes. And probably unsurprisingly, they're really quite comfortable. Perhaps because they're designed to be worn by someone all day, every day, while carrying loads of heavy gear and walking everywhere.

And they're cheap. They even polish up nicely.

That is quite surprising... I have always heard that mil-spec boots are bare-bones, no frills, uncomfortable hunks of leather....

Where would you get them? Army-Navy store?