September 24th, 2010

It has almost been a month since I first arrived to Cardinal Rivers and I am continuing to learn something new every day. I am starting to settle into the routine of waking up early, inhaling the strong scent that the pulp mill emits as I walk out of my apartment each morning, and heading to work while the sky is still dark. I have also grown accustomed to our weekly departmental meetings with the safety coordinator and training officers. These meetings give me an opportunity to improve on both my teamwork and cooperation skills as we all work together to attain a common goal. It also helps me understand what everybody else is doing and how I am fitting into the department.

I am currently assigned a wide array of organizational projects. Some of my projects include creating a chronological binder for company meeting notes and correspondences with the union, organizing an appeal file for my supervisor to go to court with next month, and also to organize the HR S: Drive so that everything can be located easier. As I go through all the information and understand the context to organize everything, I realized that such organizational duties really does teach you a lot about what goes on in the company, how problems are resolved, and the processes that goes on unseen behind everything. Tasks that may seem tedious at first may actually serve as important resources!

September 17th, 2010

Aside from receiving more in depth training on an assortment of things, I had the opportunity to fill out my first claim with WCB this week. I had also worked on a biannual project with one of my coworkers, and had sat in on my first Return to Work Plan meeting with one of the employees, my supervisor, a medical adjudicator, and the union. During the meeting, we discussed the job demands of the employer’s job and the possibility of putting him on modified duties due to his injuries. I had the opportunity to follow the medical adjudicator’s tour as we observed and analyzed the employee’s injuries and his workspace. This not only allowed me to explore the details of specific job requirements, it had also introduced me to the dynamics in the parties that were involved when dealing with an employee that required special attention. Another opportunity that I was involved with was being assigned with the task of taking minutes for the Occupational Health and Safety Meeting. Teck places a serious importance with safety as safety topics and concerns are always encouraged to be highlighted and discussed all the time. This practice has influenced me to take the topic of safety more seriously as I have become more aware and cautious of the potential hazards around me. It is really all about using your common sense and being aware of your surroundings. The highlight of my week, however, has definitely been my very first termination! I was given the opportunity to write my very first termination and discipline letter. It was very exciting for me as I had finally gotten the opportunity to exercise some power. =)

September 10th, 2010

This week, I was finally able to complete all my computer training, and resume my position with the Employee Relations Department at the “Taj Mahal” (the name of the building that other people liked to refer us as…because I guess it is nicer and cleaner than the other areas surrounding us). The week consisted of much filling, organizational duties, handling of emails and phones, as well as small projects. While organizational duties and filing was deemed to be a tedious task at first, I realize the benefits of doing a really good job of it as it does help to enhance the workflow and efficiency of the department. It has also helped me better understand the system that the department uses to ensure that things are done effectively. I now understand where “staff” and “hourly staff” personnel folders are, as well as what WCB files, Grievance Files are, along with certain popular individuals within those files that the HR department deals with consistently. Being able to complete more and more of such tasks in such a busy and fast paced environment will not only train my ability to multitask but also challenge my ability to prioritize, pick out important details, and manage time in a proficient manner. All “newbies” coming into a new job must start somewhere. And while many people in my position, co-op student or not, may complain about the amount of filling and organizational work that must be done at first; I suggest to complete all tasks, important or not, efficiently and to the best of your ability. I believe that it is important to prove to employers that one is responsible enough to be able to handle the basic work. Eventually, one’s potential will shine through as employers are able to develop the confidence to entrust one with more important tasks!

September 3rd, 2010

My first week at Teck had been both fascinating and overwhelming. After our sign-on on our first day, we were immediately immersed in five days worth of computer training. While the information was both fascinating and informative, I had struggled to get use to the nine hour workdays along with the one hour commute to and from work each day (this meant I had to wake up as early as at 4:30 am in order to catch the bus!). Other than that, I had found the mine to be very much different from what I had anticipated as I absorbed a wide array of useful resources concerning safety, the operations of Cardinal Rivers, Teck as a company, as well as the Mining Industry. I had even completed and received a certificate for the Construction Safety Training System! It had contained a wide range of safety topics that were relevant to being on site. It included topics such as worksite and law, personal care and conduct, personal protective equipment, workplace hazards, WHIMIS, environmental factors, defensive driving, and more. These were definitely good common sense tips to have, especially when working in an environment where the chances for accidents are high.

My favorite part of the whole week was our site tour of the mine. It was fascinating to see how all the different operations, equipment, and people worked together in order to accomplish the finished product. Cardinal River Operations produces hard coking coal that are high in carbon and low in moisture which are the perfect combination for steel. After much time spent exploring, planning, assessing, and approving; drilling and blasting takes place to break rocks. As rocks are pushed off seams, large equipments such as the loaders are filled with coal and rocks as they are hauled to the plant for processing. Supporting departments such as operations, maintenance, processing, engineering, purchasing, information systems, finance, and health and safety all aid in ensuring that the process runs smoothly. Environmental concerns and sustainability also plays a large role in the process as I am surprised to find beautifully reclaimed land that are very popular among the animals in and around the site area. As a Human Resource student with the opportunity to work in almost any industry, I am finding this a truly worthwhile experience to be placed here at the mine. Being physically here and having readily available access to information and people really gives me the advantage of understanding what is going on with our employers. This, I feel, is an advantage that the HR department working in the head office in Vancouver will never have. Plus, it’s also all about the experience! =)