Blooming factoriesAs a student job (out of semester) I worked in a Daventry based factory electrocoating car body panels. Vauxhall started sending us these Vectra car doors and demanded (on top of the normal automated cleaning that the electrocoating system did) an extra cleaning process that the factory management skilfully implemented by stationing me with an air line and spray can full of evil solvents that I doused the doors with as they entered the line. I did this for 14 hours straight (badly needed the money) sitting down on a roll of packing cardboard the whole time. Only when I stood up at the end of my shift did I realise that the chemicals had soaked through my boots and that I could no longer feel or use my feet. I hobbled off to my car, removed my boots (with much screaming) and discovered my burned feet. With one hand, I managed to remove in one piece a perfect layer of peeling skin - including the intact epidermis in the shape of four of my toes. As if that wasn't traumatic enough, I had to drive ten miles home barefoot screaming resoundingly every time one of the many roundabouts forced me to use the clutch.
And despite all the extra cleaning of the bare metal part, any Vauxhall owner will still testify that the poxy things rust like buggery.
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Thu 13 Nov 2003, 0:54,
archived)
And despite all the extra cleaning of the bare metal part, any Vauxhall owner will still testify that the poxy things rust like buggery.
worst jobsWasn't actually the worst job I've done - but I was reminded by the feet, we built the set for Sir Peter Hall's Hamlet, lots of dangly red ropes hung on those fixings that demarcate 'VIP' areas. They were all dyed red and I had to fix hundreds of them onto the metal bits.
Of course my hands were dyed bright red, but imagine my surprise upon taking my boots off to see the soles of my feet were red!
I worried a bit about the implications for my brain/kidneys/liver
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Thu 13 Nov 2003, 12:11,
archived)
Of course my hands were dyed bright red, but imagine my surprise upon taking my boots off to see the soles of my feet were red!
I worried a bit about the implications for my brain/kidneys/liver