So I work in the refrigeration department for a billion dollar company. I was hired with previous HVAC experience. Our department runs 24/7 365 days a year. I work 3rd shift. I work alone on holidays and weekends. We have 70,000 lbs of ammonia we manage in addition to a myriad of boilers, cooling units and other vital components. Management has changed hands and my immediate supervisor was a fellow operator some months ago. His boss is now head of the department and used to be my immediate supervisor.
My supervisors will NOT listen to us when we bitch about needing more training. In fact, we receive minimal training initially. Then after that, guess work and trial and error. NOT AT ALL HOW IT SHOULD BE! Upon employment the company boasts of training and all that… BS. It’s a dangerous job for us as well as the entire plant. Many of our operators have ZERO refrigeration experience and bluff their way through the day.
The job pays well and the benefits are good. Fairly easy job on most days. However, when we literally beg and threaten to quit over not being sent to schools/classes to actually know our job, they make promises that never materialize. One misstep would cause an evacuation of our entire downtown and more depending on wind direction.
I’m fairly certain our company has No clue how inexperienced the entire department is let alone management. Any ideas on how to improve our situation discreetly?