Flourishing in the Field: A Student’s Guide to Working on a Plant Site

A large gap in the academic engineering world is understanding what to expect on a plant site and how to prepare for such a work environment. Before my own Professional Experience Year (PEY), I had no expectations and there was a significant learning curve working on-site. For those curious if plant sites would be an enjoyable workplace, or if you’re gearing up for a job that has field work, this article will outline some advice, considerations, and daily activities that come with working on a plant site in hopes of helping those unsure of what to expect. First and foremost, it is important to recognize that different industries and companies will have varying plant sizes, standards, and operations/procedures. This article pertains specifically to an oil and gas site, however, other plant sites such as for manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, nuclear power, renewable energy, etc., will have similar work structures.

1) What a Plant Site Could Mean for You

Personally, I work for a consulting company wherein some of our clients require on-site visits. This means that I am on site around once or twice a week and spend the rest of my days in the office. For me, site visits mean having my own desk on-site and login information to access client documents. It also means being out in the field, where all the equipment and instruments are to collect data or take pictures. This may not always be the case for everyone depending on the extent of the service or work you are to provide. For more temporary site assignments, it may mean getting limited access and needing less training or site knowledge. For others, the plant site may be your permanent place of work. Field work can be a nice escape from a desk and a great opportunity to be on your feet and get hands-on experience. However, working on-site may not be for everyone given its unique work environment.

Working in the field of a plant site can be very physically and mentally demanding. One of the biggest surprises I had when coming on site is how tiring it may be. This can be from being on my feet for multiple hours, climbing ladders, walking through hot steam or tracing long process lines. Although it can be very exhausting, having a better understanding of process equipment and being able to see it visually has played a big role in a significantly better understanding of the work at hand and complimenting my theoretical knowledge. I have also found it very rewarding to be able to see firsthand how things operate, for example seeing an open mixing tank or a pump.

2) Prepping & Planing Before a Field Visit

When being new to a site or being exposed to different types of equipment and units that may not be recognizable at first glance, it is important to do any necessary work beforehand and bring anything that could help you navigate your site work. This means looking into any relevant drawings and even printing them out for the field such as Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), bringing a notebook and pen, or a camera for pictures. I suggest double checking whether or not your site allows phones in the field. Mine does not so we use an intrinsically safe phone for pictures. When in doubt, operators should become your best friends, if anyone would know the ins and outs of the plant, it is them! Do not hesitate to ask them lots of questions and put in the work to maintain a good relationship with them. They can be very busy and less willing to help especially if you are considered a contractor and/or student and not a plant employee.

3) Safety, Confidence, & Comfort!

The number one consideration on-site is safety. Safety not only comes from training and following specific procedures, but also from being confident and comfortable on-site. Some general advice and tips for young workers are outlined below:

8 Tips for a Successful Day on Site

1. Often, the people who are running the facility on the ground-level are the operators. As a result, if you want anything done, you need them on your side. Make sure to be extra kind to them or even bring a box of donuts and coffee
2. Keep track of all necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for different areas. For example, some areas require a certain grade of gloves whereas some do not require gloves at all.
3. For the summer, bring an extra change of 100% cotton clothing to wear under your coveralls to avoid the hot sun ruining your work clothes. I bring pajamas for ultimate site comfort. Other materials such as spandex and polyester can melt to your skin in case of a flash fire or flash exposure.
4. Check in with your company about how often they wash coveralls and keep track of getting yours washed often enough. In my personal experience, I have come back from site with mud on my coveralls or sweat from a hot summer day and have been very grateful that I’ve brought mine back to be washed at the right time
5. Operating in a plant is understanding the concept of thinking “fast” vs “slow” as this will increase reliability and consciousness of your work. For example, I use this when I’m climbing any ladders or large flights of stairs.
6. Try to have conversations about the facility before you get on the floor. With earplugs, the noise and masks these days, it can be next to impossible to hear people when you’re out there. It’s better to know about the background beforehand so they can just scream the necessary keywords (ie. “Backwash Tank”), rather than explaining the whole process and missing out on the information
7. Buy a notebook with a hardcover so you can write notes when you’re standing and bring any loose papers in the field in a bag or folder. It will be much easier to deal with any stains or dirt on a hardcover or a folder than getting important documents or notes dirty
8. As obvious as it may sound, if you are unsure, ask! Do not do anything you do not feel confident doing or have not received specific guidance to do so, especially when it comes to interacting with equipment

4) Back to the Basics

Picture yourself working on-site: Be prepared to spend hours on your feet outside or inside and moving your body, working with equipment and machinery and decide if this could be something you would do every day, a few times here and there or not at all. This can be extremely helpful in determining what type of company and job position you want to apply for.

Come prepared, physically and mentally: This includes getting a good night’s sleep, staying hydrated, bringing enough snacks to stay fueled and energized, wearing appropriate PPE and feeling at ease with the work to be completed and procedures to follow. Ask plenty of questions!

Heavily focus on safety in everything you do: Continuously review safety procedures and ensure your training is up to date, do not do anything you do not feel comfortable or confident doing, and make sure you are aware of safety showers, eye wash stations and muster points.

TL;DR

Whether or not you plan on pursuing a post-grad career with field work, having these experiences is a huge asset in many industries such as chemical, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and processing. For these industries, working at a plant site is definitely valuable learning experience in early career opportunities such as internships and PEYs.

Written by Audrey Dessureault.