by Nick Drew | Thu 28 Jan 2016
Female operator on top of her game
With the UK construction industry facing a massive skills shortage, we could be seeing more females entering the fray. A couple of years ago I travelled to Exeter to meet Aimee Pooley, one of the new generation of skilled plant operators. In this blog post I bring an updated report which first appeared in Earthmovers Magazine.
Female heavy plant operators are common place these days in countries like Australia, Canada and the USA, as well as in many parts of central Europe and Scandinavia. Many of the big companies that employ these women, report of a far better standard of operating, better care of the machines and a far safer approach to the job in hand.
But here in the United Kingdom it’s still fairly rare to see females at work operating machines. We still seem to have a very old fashioned and rather sexist approach to women working on sites in this country, but with such a shortage of skilled operators available, and an increasing workload after years of recession, doors are starting to open for more women to take on what is generally perceived as a male dominated career. One woman who has been something of a trailblazer down here in the South West of England is Aimee Pooley, who originally hails from Guernsey, but has lived in Devon for most of her life.
Talking about her passion for machines, Aimee (27) said, “I have always loved anything mechanical, due to the fact that I grew up on a farm, and all my young friends were on farms, so I naturally had a childhood surrounded by machines of all types and sizes. I spent much of my formative years driving tractors & trailers and loading shovels, then at the age of ten I caught sight of my first 360 degree excavator, and from that day on I would often be found glued to a fence watching them working, and more often than not I would get a wave from the operators, and now it’s just awesome to be the one waving at the children when they are watching me operating!”
Aimee attained her CPCS ticket at the CTA centre in Barnstable, having saved up her own money for it in a previous job as a car deliverer and valeter for Hertz-Rent-a-Car. Aimee was keen to pick up a few tips from the “old hands” in the trade, like how to cut batters, and climbing steep grades, just so she was fully prepared for what might lay ahead.
Aimee said, “I wanted to learn all the tricks of the trade so I didn’t end up looking like a “muck shifter” when I turned up on site! It soon paid off for me in the early days, when I started going on to smaller and more congested sites where space was a real issue and technique comes into play. The tips passed onto me by Ray at the CTA centre have been invaluable during my career so far, so I have much to thank him for”.
Aimee’s first full-time paid role as a machine operator was in July 2011, when she was working on hire to May Gurney, in Bridgwater, Somerset operating a Kubota KX080 8 tonne class hydraulic excavator, in addition to a 20 tonne Doosan, where they were engaged in re-lining the water main for the town. Talking about her first real on site experience Aimee said, “During the procedure they would dig down to the main and then cut out a section, then drag the plungers and scrapers through to the cut out section, then I would lift them out, turn it around, and then they would send it back down the pipe the other way. It was a fun job and the guys were fairly laid back, so it was ideal for me to cut my teeth as a true newbie! Fortunately I was well received and encountered no problems.”
Aimee went on to work on a number of different small sites, mainly housing developments, operating a range of machines before joining Bristol based plant hire company Plantforce in August 2011, working out of the Exeter depot, where she would remain for the following two years. During her time with Plantforce, she has worked on numerous jobs all over Devon, Somerset, and even up as far as Bristol, operating a wide range of excavator sizes, primarily from the Hyundai and Kubota stables ranging from 1.5 tonnes up to 25 tonnes.
Talking about the variety of machine she has operated Aimee said, “The smallest machine I have worked on was a Takeuchi 1.5 ton mini excavator, when I was working inside the old town hall in Weston Super Mare up on the 3rd floor demolishing the interior walls. I have spent many hours on the Hyundai R145-9’s and R140-9 and 7’s on various housing sites across Devon and Somerset, and worked on the Musgrove Park Hospital site on a Hyundai R210-9”.
Aimee went on to work on the big incinerator job at Plymouth docks, operating a Hyundai R210-9, which was eventually downsized to a new R140-9 complete with dozer blade, which she described as “A very nice machine, but it could do with a bit more pump pressure to allow for better multi-tasking”.
Aimee has also spent time on a Hyundai R250-7, which is the largest machine she has operated on a regular basis. Aimee said, “To be honest the bigger stuff is fun for a couple of days, but then I get bored, my forte is 14-20 tonne machines and more recently rubber ducks, which I absolutely love operating, the work is always interesting with the ducks, and I enjoy the extra thought that has to be applied by the operator”.
Whilst attending the first Plantworx event, Aimee had a walk past the Engcon stand every day, and she was determined to call back for a go in the Hyundai R145-9, which was equipped with a tilt-rotator.
Aimee has strong views on these items of kit, and a lot of admiration for the Swedish approach to machine work as she explained, “After a few wobbly moments behind the controls, I soon had the Engcon doing what I wanted! I loved it so much I went back a further four times for a go, and since then I’ve been saying to people, why on earth don’t more companies in the UK use them! Our approach in this country really baffles me, with cheap machines and the standard quick hitch and four buckets set up we really are still in the dark ages. The Swedish approach is the exact opposite; nearly every machine has a tilt-rotator and Oil Quick or similar system, allowing the operator to fit no end of attachments, without struggling with quick couplings. The Swedes have got mechanised groundworks nailed, you might see a couple of groundworkers on site, but there is much more emphasis on the machine operators skills and how versatile that operator and machine can be. I hope to get as close as I can to this approach here in the UK in the future, either through a company or with my own machine”.
Asked just what it is like being a female working in a male dominated environment, Aimee said, “Being a female operator walking onto a site always gets the second glances, especially as I actually look like I am there to do a day’s work, not like a trainee engineer, environmental officer or safety person. Naturally, I always get a degree of mickey taking and eyebrow-raising at the site induction, but then I hand my cards across and it all calms down. The bit I personally get a kick out of is when I get in the seat, and as any machine driver will tell you, it’s the first ten minutes that is the make or break period, once that is over it takes a couple of days to settle in. The best part for me is seeing the faces of the lads who were dishing out the banter, when they realise that “wow she really can operate a machine”!
Since Aimee’s appearance’s at the last two Plantworx shows, she has attained a fair amount of industry celebrity status, which, rightly so, she is now embracing. She is well aware that people around the South West plant & machinery circuit are talking about her skill levels and forward thinking approach to the job. Aimee said, “I will always get mixed opinions on whether it’s a good thing that women and plant can go together, but I’ve learnt a lot in my time on the sites and I’ve developed a pretty thick skin. Times are changing and big things will be happening in the plant world, I’m determined to be on the sharp end when it hits the UK, and being self-employed has given me the freedom to do just that.”
Since this piece was written Aimee has gone on to join Dean Roskell’s company DRL Group, operating what must be the most highly specified “Rubber Duck” in the country. Aimee is living the dream operating the Volvo EW160E with its huge array of attachments and trailer. Check out here skills in this video.
[youtube width="725" height="344"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2YV7wdwRY[/youtube]
Talking about his most valued member of staff Dean Roskell said, "Aimee is by far the best driver I have employed in all the years I've been in business, from looking after the machine as if it was her own, actually I think she does own it I can't believe I cant get near it anymore!".
"Her talents on the standard machines without a tiltrotator on are excellent, but believe me when she is on her duck with a tiltrotator on her talents really shine through from delicate work around services to unloading wagons with forks".
Concluding Dean said, "Its all credit to her that someone who has had to prove herself in a male dominated industry and rise to the top of her game, has the confidence to put cameras in the cab to show people her high standards and also to go up against people in competitions at shows, my biggest concern is keeping hold of her, fortunately she is loyal".