Get Your Hands Dirty

Today I sat down with Blue-Con Construction’s Equipment Manager, Nathan Blight, to peer into the world of heavy machinery. We spoke of women in construction, safety changes and all things machinery.

How long have you been with Blue-Con?

This April will be 20 years. I started in 1999.

That’s a long time. You’ve been in the industry long enough to see it evolve. What changes have you seen?

Safety has definitely changed. When I first started, it was nothing for someone to be working without any safety clothing. No hard hat, no vest. Now we don’t even think about it; you just do it.  There have been huge changes in equipment safety too. The functionality of the equipment is better – backing up alarms, broken windows are fixed. As a supervisor, I spend about 20% of my day thinking about the way we are doing things and whether it’s being done safely.  I need to see what those under me might not.

Have you ever been hurt?

Only minor scrapes and bruises but I have seen other’s hurt. That’s why safety is so important.

Is this something a woman could/should get into?

A woman would certainly be able to do the work; they would just have to do it differently. There is still a stigma surrounding the construction industry, that it’s a men-only field, but that stigma is breaking down.  Truthfully, women are great multitaskers, better than men, and that would be very helpful in the shop.

What would you say to a young person who is thinking of becoming a heavy equipment mechanic?

Do it! If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, there’s always lots of work in the industry.  It’s honest work and you can become successful. I have.

What sort of schooling do you need?

You need 10,000 hours of apprenticing which includes 9 months of schooling. And in order to enter an apprenticeship, you need your high school diploma.

What are the pluses to your job?

I like the variety. Every day is different. The people are great too, both the people I work for and the ones I work with.

What would you say is the hardest part?

Scheduling – allotting the appropriate number of hours to each job can be tricky.

  

If you had it to do all over again, would you chose the same career path?

Absolutely! Blue-Con has given me lots of opportunity to improve myself and to grow.  I’ve enjoyed my work and my place of work.

Before we finish, tell us something about yourself that isn’t work related?

Two things: I love to snowmobile and for the last 8 years I’ve coached AAA hockey.  My team is the Huron Perth Lakers Bantam AAA.

Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

No problem at all. It was my pleasure.