What kind of people work at night?

[Whitmore]

My dad told me years ago that only hookers and thieves worked at night. Now I find myself working shift work, I do 7 days 12 hour shifts and then I do 7 nights 12 hour shifts. I love it when I am on my 7 off, lots of time to bomb and bum. I work in a a gas processing plant as an operator.



If you work nights ... ... ... what do you do.



cheers, Kevin

 

[Champane Flight]

Typical

I used to work 7-on 7-off. Hated it, they always called you in on your days off for safety meeting and training. Or someone would get sick (usually the ones who pushed for 7-12s) and you were splitting them, ugh... . When working graves, there is NO time for anything but work and sleep. It used to take me two to three days to recover and get back to sleeping nights.



Give me a rotating eight hour shift with a long break between daylights and graveyard, or straight graveyards anytime! Now we work whatever the pipeline schedule dictates (product takeoffs) all hours of the day and night, weekends and holidays (turkey day this week ugh). Of course I don't mind the double time and a half! Unclesam likes it even better... ...

 

[KatDiesel]

People that work at night keeping "America" going... .....



I normally work 11pm to 7am Friday to Tuesday, running mostly coal trains in the mountains of CO. I also sometimes "schedule" all the dispatchers (375 of them) and when I do that I work 630pm to 630am, and its 4 on 4 off then 3 on 3 off. So if I just work one set. . then I get whatever days off behind it.



For those of you that don't know, I work for Union Pacific Railroad.

 

[lschultz]

Your body is made to sleep at night!

I used to work nights(11-7 holidays/weekends) for about 15yrs. Shift premium was nice. I would probably still be on nights if I would not of had that wreck in 98. Working Turkey day off next week wed/thru. I work in the central utility plant(boiler room). Just another operator.

 

[Skydiver]

Water treatment plants

Almost 23 years at this old water plant.

I have been the maint man at this plant since 1987. I still operate once every week because 4 men on 8 hours will not cover the 168 hours in a week. My job includes working the operaters vacation and sick time.

When I do have to work the graveyard shift and I tell that to someone that does not know me very well they say "The water plant runs after midnight?" I tell them "When you get up to go to the restroom at 2:00 in the morning does your toilet flush?"Someone has to keep the water moving.

Great job. We have a 500 acre lake or as I will say a giant pre setteling basin. River water can be tough to keep clean. Alkalinity,minerals, turbidity,P-H keeps changing.

Tim

 

[OL RATLR]

all night

Well get you a job as a gear jammer and you

can work 24 hours a day. 7 days a week.

365 days a year. I know:{

 

[Task125]

fireman,24hrs on 72 off

 

[gitchesum]

What kind of people work nights? The ones that LOVE graveyards. Don't have to dress up and you don't have anyone trying to work of the stuff your trying to run.

Pipelines never shutdown. We work the DUpont 12 hours schedule.



Those 7 days off every month are nice.

 

[JR2]

I don't work nights as much as I used to but I did for a couple of years. Worked 12 on 12 off in the oilfields of AK. I generally worked 2 weeks on and one off, latley I have been on a 2 weeks on 2 off and working days (6 am- 6 pm). . much better for me. However working nights (6 pm-6am) was great because the phone does not ring and everyting is generally quiet. The only bad part is doing the daily reports at midnight.



The oilfield, like many other industries, runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The only difference in Holidays is that the food is better.

 

[jeepit]

My wife works nights. She is a polysomnographic technologist. In other words, she works in a sleep study lab. Long shifts but in order to run these tests you have to be available when patients normally sleep. I myself couldn't do it.

 

[klenger]

I know a couple of nurses who have worked nights at hosipitals. They say that there is a lot less political BS on the night shift compared to the day shift. The money is better too.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Re: all night

Originally posted by OL Ratlr

Well get you a job as a gear jammer and you

can work 24 hours a day. 7 days a week.

365 days a year. I know:{

Ahh, the ultimate swingshift.



In the last 19 years, I did one year on dayshift. I hated it. Need to get up early, fight traffic coming and going. Worst part is working with so many people with "long arm disease".



Did about 6 years on third. Five on with weekends off was not too bad. Coveage with some single nights off bites. Spent darn near a year on with no days off and felt the best ever.



Now I have been on second for 12 years. Some five day, some coverage. Lots of OT both early and late. I like second the best. You can sleep, get things done, minimal traffic.



Being one of three on this job, someone always had to be here so we always had lots of OT. Mostly, the people we worked with were on swing shift. I could see that routine take it's toll on them over time.



Now the job is going away and it's like working in a graveyard.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Coast Guard. America's Maritime Law Enforcement. We don't own clocks. I saw a beautiful sunrise offshore from Hilton Head, SC this morning. I like the nights.

 

[The patriot]

I HATE dayshift. I hate the BS associated with the commuting, dealing with the bosses ( and their never ending stupid questions ), office politics etc. etc.

I dont really like nights, but if given the choice, I guess it would be nights.

When I worked for the DoD, I worked steady afternoon shift. I liked it a lot!! By far the most accomodating shift for me.

I was able to sleep a "normal" amount of time. Get up and go out for a few hours, eat lunch, then off to work.

I'm self supervised, so I was able to shower every night at work, on the clock. Heck, I've even had my boss tell me "If you dont feel good, just come in, lock the doors, and turn off the lights".

Talk about an easy going attitude.

When I got home, I used to watch Rush Limbaugh's TV show, then go to sleep.



Right now, I'm on a 12 hour shift. I dont like it. By the time I commute, it's a 14+ hour day.

2 on 2 off 3 on 2 off 2 on 3 off(a long weekend). Day/night rotation every 2 weeks. Talk about screwing up your body.



Oh BTW I run a steam plant also. I'm the #2 man in the pecking order, but that just means that I'm targeted, along with the #1 guy.

I make more than the Chief Engineer makes,(MUCH more, not shift differential) and that pi$$es him off.

Eric

 

[JSmith]

I work in a Co-gen plant. I work 14 days in a 28 day period.

7 days and seven nights. It is broken up into 3 or 4 day rotations.

I have to pay the bills so I don`t complain.





ps, the money is good.

 

[csevers]

I can't compare to some of those hrs

The first eleven years I have worked 8years second 2 years turd shift split in two different years I vollenteered both times, had first for one year and half then this ***** gets a offer for more money to run and do second shift again well I got to have bombing money so I took it. Now in to the deal 1 month and fairly happy but it is harder to get up when the work that needs to be done at home could be done tomarrow I will sleep just a little longer and longer and so on. I know that I couldn't do some of the schedules listed above I like 5 on and 2 off the same all the time, it makes life a little easyer to plan side work.



Craig

 

[Andy Perreault]

Personally, I love the swing shift. I start at 1:30pm and get off at 10:00pm.

Why?

- I don't fight traffic either way during my commute.

- If it snows, the weather has more than likely warmed up by the time I hit the road, the roads have been cleared of all the wrecks from the nightmare morning commute.

- I can sleep as late as I want, or get up early if I need to take care of some time-consuming business.

- No wasting my evenings sitting in front of a stupid TV watching brainless sitcoms. My free time is during daylight hours, which is good for puttering around the house/garage/yard.

- Able to run errands during uncrowded store hours before going to work or sometimes go grocery shopping after work (sure wish the local Lowe's and Home Depot were still open 24 hours!),

- Get a shift differential pay premium.



Well, I should add that at this time, I don't get to "sleep as late as I want" as I mentioned above, because I go to school, and it starts at 7:00am . However, I will be done with that in 9 months.

I was on graves for a while, but (at that time I was living in a congested suburb on a busy street in L. A. ) it was impossible to sleep with the trash trucks, leaf blowers, other people in the house making noise, etc. I hope I can work the swing shift until I retire.

BTW, I'm a truck driver, but I'm going to school to become an aircraft mechanic.

Andy

 

[Champane Flight]

Tonight?

Anybody have to work tonight? I have to go in at 2230 and get off about 0900 tomorrow. Not happy... ... ..... They changed the schedule yesterday.

 

[gitchesum]

Posting from work as we speak. I came in a little early so the guy working day shift could have a little extra time with his family. I'll be here til 4:30am. Then my weekend starts.



CF, what type of pipelines are you running.

 

[stevek]

Yep, get to work tonight too--1600-0200e