Updating Results

ACCIONA Australia and New Zealand

4.2
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Jack Webster

Going around to each site crew in the morning allows me to establish what they are aiming to achieve for the day, so I can track their progress.

5.30 AM

My first alarm sounds commencing a traumatic wake up in bed, before snoozing it promptly. I then go on to snooze this alarm until 6.00 am, as I like to have a bit of time to wake up properly before getting out of bed.

6.00 AM

During this time, I have a 2-min cold shower to wake up my mind properly before making the temperature warmer for a few minutes. I then proceed to get dressed in my high visibility gear, this being the usual attire for site work. My customary go-to for breakfast is yoghurt with granola and a bagel with peanut butter. This usually fills me up until smoko time at 10.00 am. This morning routine can change depending on which site I’m located at for work. Currently, I’m at Glen Huntly Station for the Level Crossing Removal Project, this site is only 10 minutes from my house. This makes for an easy commute where I leave at 6.40 am, so I have enough time to get to pre-start by 7.00 am.

7.00 AM

Pre-start runs during this time, wherein the client usually talks through the planned works for the day and shares any safety reminders for crews to focus on. They also ask one person in the room to take the group stretches, in which this person must do 5 different stretches at the front of the room and everyone must follow. This is so site crews can limber up prior to undertaking any manual labour involved in their role. Once pre-start is complete, crews disperse to their different areas of work.

Acciona-Jack Webster-meeting

7.30 AM

After pre-start, I walk around to each site crew to check in and make sure they have all the correct permits and QA needed to complete their tasks for the day. If there is anything they require, I will head back to the site office to sort this out. Going around to each site crew in the morning allows me to establish what they are aiming to achieve for the day, so I can track their progress. This process of checking in with the crews usually takes about an hour.

Acciona-Jack Webster-site

8.30 AM

During this time, I check my emails and if there are any meetings scheduled for the day. Today I have a weekly production meeting with the client at 1.00 pm and also have a Teams online meeting at 9.00 am with a supplier to discuss a potential cage order. Prior to this meeting, I caught up with my project manager, so we were on the same page as to our expectations and end goal, wherein we finalized the cage order successfully with the supplier. Following this, I sent off a confirmation email to the supplier as evidence to our agreement to go ahead with the cage order. Subsequently, I further checked my emails and attended to any that required an immediate response, before focusing on any other tasks that I had on my checklist for the day.

10.00 AM

Smoko generally starts at 10.00 am, in which the crews on site stop works for half an hour to have a meal break. This is a good time for me to catch up with the crews to have a chat and also check in on the progress they’ve made during the morning.

10.30 AM

Today I had some work to complete for a new area/scope that becomes available on site in a month. This work entailed completing a QA spreadsheet for the retention piles in the area and determining how many cages were required. This involved looking at IFC drawings provided by the client and determining the lengths and types of cage required in different parts of the area/scope available, before finalizing a cage order to send through to potential suppliers. Following this, I tended to another project’s budget that needs to be finalized in the coming days before the project starts. This range of tasks and activities are what makes each day interesting. If I do not have too many tasks to complete in this time, I will venture out to site to see how the crews are travelling and progressing in relation to their planned works.

Acciona-Jack Webster-working

12.30 PM

At this time, I grab some lunch from the local Bakery, usually opting for their chicken schnitzel and salad roll. Although I should be saving money by bringing my lunch to work from home, this roll is too good to pass up. Sometimes I mix it up a little by getting a roast pork banh mi from the same bakery. I have lunch at this time as the weekly meeting starts at 1.00 pm, so I am fueled and ready to go come meeting time. During lunch I also take a bit of a break from work and tend to have a chat with whoever else is on lunch break.

1.00 PM

The weekly production meeting is run during this time, wherein my project manager, site supervisor and I go into the meeting room with the client to discuss the works that have been completed on site for the week. The main discussions usually surround production, delays, safety and any variations that need to be approved. We also run through the forecasted program for the next 20 weeks, so that we can plan well in advance and raise any concerns that are hovering within the room. It is also a good chance to discuss what is being done well on site and what can be improved to achieve better production if necessary. Today I presented what we have achieved in terms of production for the last week and what delays we have encountered. I also shared the deliveries that we have scheduled for the week, so the client is aware of these and can prepare the site accordingly.

2.00 PM

After the meeting, I head back to my desk to action any items discussed in the meeting and tend to any emails that require responses or tasks that require attention. I also discuss with the project manager and site supervisor any strategies to approach certain things raised during the meeting.

3.00 PM

I do my final site walk for the day to each site crew so I can note their final production for the day. This is also a good chance to double check permits and QA, to ensure everything will still be up to date and usable for tomorrow’s workday. Once this is complete, I head back to the site office to finish any further tasks that are outstanding. Today I needed to chase up a Ground Penetration Permit from the client, as it requires renewal tomorrow and I also updated the QA for one site crew as they are moving into a new area tomorrow.  

Acciona-Jack Webster-final site check

5.00 PM

I send out a message to crews at this point to double check if they’ve achieved any more or less production than I’ve noted, before putting the final site notes for the day into a central location for ACCIONA Geotech engineers and managers to read. After this it’s usually 5.30 pm and the end of my workday, so I pack up and head home.

6.00 PM

What I do after work during this time can vary, in which during winter I have footy training until 8.00 pm. This provides a great outlet from work and life, wherein I love spending a couple of hours with mates playing the sport that I love. If not footy training, I usually take my dog out for a walk between these hours as he’s at home on his own most of the day and always itching for a play at the park. This again gives me a couple of hours to reset after a long day at work.

Acciona-Jack Webster-footy training

8.00 PM

Once I’ve completed all my extracurricular activities for the day, I return home and shower, have some dinner and write up a to-do list for tomorrow’s planned works. This puts me in a ready state of mind and prepares me sufficiently for each day. I also check my emails quickly to see if there’s anything I need to tend to first thing in the morning. Once this preparation is done, I usually sit down, relax and watch a show or some sport, before heading to bed at 10.30 pm ready for the next day.

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