stubsadventures

Being a girl working in the oil patch is not something that can easily be explained, kind of one of those things that has to be experienced. What I can tell you is that is likely nothing like most people would think.

Since I have been in the industry I have worked at a couple of different kinds of facilities and done a variety of jobs. I started off being a grunt really. Being green (totally new) in this industry is like walking around in a foreign country and not understanding a word of what people are talking about. For a gal that worked with kids at a non-profit organization, this was a big leap and I would say getting into this industry was one of the steepest learning curves I have ever tackled. I worked at a sour gas plant first, which meant that it processed natural gas that was poisonous.  Work here was interesting to say the least and was a great place to learn all the things you should never do. Over the years, I got to try out all the different trades, learn the tools and some of the process of the facility. I got to do some badass jobs like  jack hammering sulphur inside a vessel for three 12 hour shifts. I had a 5/8″ drill bit go into my hand which I still have a wicked scar from and also jammed my hand while operating a backer and crushed three of my knuckles. Sometimes, you have to learn the hard way.

After working at the gas plant for a year, I headed up north to work in Fort McMurray. This was the first time I had ever worked in a camp and had ever worked away from home. Back then, I spent sometimes five weeks at a time away from home. Working in one of the largest refineries in North America put into perspective the power of this industry. There were streets and intersections, it had its own fire department and once I even got to see the huge trucks that work in the mine. I stood on the side of the road as it drove past and stared up at it like it was some kind of celebrity. It was at this plant that I felt the coldest temperature I’ve felt to date, -47c. It was so cold, when the wind would pick up, your eye lids would stick together. I was wearing so many layers, I couldn’t get my arms down by my side or bend my arms at the elbow. Touching your own face was damn near impossible and when it was time to climb the never-ending ladders, well… imagine trying to do that in what was the closest thing I’ll ever wear to a space suit.

My job requires me to work one week on and one week off. We fly to work on a 37 seater airplane, which is updated from the 18 seater we used to fly on when I started at this company 3 years ago. We stay in camp while we’re here and the easiest way to explain that is really similar to dorm style sleeping. In camp there are lots of things to keep you busy at night, we have an awesome gym, archery range, driving range and basketball courts that are converted to an outdoor rink in the winter time. There can be bears right outside the bunk doors and horse flies that can fly 60km an hour and evoke fear in the hearts of those they chase. You only need to get one bite from them to know that you don’t want another.

Since working maintenance, I have changed over to the world of health and safety. I am a senior lead at the site I work at and when interviewing people we make sure they know that our company is not for the faint of heart. We work with a newer way to mine oil called SAGD, where we bring bitumen up from thousands of metres below the surface, process it a little bit then send it to a refinery.

One of the most important things I have learned since I have started working in the patch is the difference between the two types of pretty that girls can be classified as. We can fall into either town pretty, or site pretty. I would hope that either are self-explanatory, however I will say, the standards for site pretty are damn near nil. When a new girl is starting this is a standard question for us to be asked and the sad part is, we answer without missing a beat. The truth is, we classify guys in the exact same way.

Always fun in the patch.

Stubs.

Hope I got a good score :p

Comment by Joe LeVoir May 25, 2012 @ 6:30 am

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