Rough week on a refinery job in Baton Rouge

Last Tuesday we were setting a 40 foot vessel section and the crane started having hydraulic issues mid lift. Had to set it down slow and call in a backup crane, which cost us 6 hours of downtime. Then on Thursday, a flange we prepped was off by 1/8 inch, so we had to redo the bolt holes with a mag drill. Ended up working 12 hour shifts five days straight to catch up. The worst part was the heat, it hit 95 degrees with 80% humidity every day. Has anyone else dealt with a job where everything just goes wrong at once?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliashah16d ago

The 40 foot vessel with hydraulic issues sounds rough but I gotta push back on @paul286 about the weather numbers. I've been in BR for 15 years now and 95 with 80% humidity is brutal but not impossible. The whole point is the heat index hits like 115+ and that's what kills you, not the dew point math. I've seen our thermometers read 92 with 75% humidity and felt way worse than 95 with 80% because of wind or sun angle. The 3 PM thunderstorms are real though we got hit Wednesday right when we were trying to finish a weld test. That mag drill rework on the flange must have been a nightmare in that soup, I feel for you guys. Sometimes the whole week just decides to fight you and you gotta grind through it.

paul28616d agoMost Upvoted

Actually the humidity numbers sound a little off. 95 with 80% humidity would put the dew point around 88 degrees, which is basically the worst case scenario for most of the Gulf. I worked Baton Rouge plant jobs for years and that combo usually means you're breathing soup by 9 AM. The real kicker is those afternoon thunderstorms that roll in around 3 PM and turn everything into a mud pit. Hope yall caught a break on that at least.

hollyl4516d ago

Baton Rouge plant jobs must be like boot camp for weather survival. Nothing like breathing soup before noon to build character. 88 degree dew point sounds like the universe personally hates you. @paul286 I think you unlocked the secret to becoming a human popsicle just by stepping outside. Those 3 PM thunderstorms are just nature's way of saying "you forgot to bring a change of socks, didn't you". Hope yall's lunch break wasn't in a mud pit that day.