Other Miscellaneous Labourers
This unit group covers Labourers not elsewhere classified. It includes Car Park Attendants, Crossing Supervisors, Electrical and Telecommunications Trades Assistants, Leaflet and Newspaper Deliverers, Recycling and Waste Collectors, Sign Installers, Swimming Pool and Spa Technicians, Trolley Collectors and Vending Machine Attendants.
A Friday with the van
You are a labourer for a small contractor, servicing pools, restocking vending machines at a school and putting up signs. It is 8am. The van is loaded, the first stop is a pool, and the day will take you from a backyard to a school canteen to a shop front.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
My nephews are coming at lunchtime and the water looks a bit green. I've heard you can fix it by adding extra chemicals. Can you put plenty in and let them swim in an hour?
Add what he asks for, since he knows his pool and the water will mix quickly
Too much of a chemical makes the water harsh, and the nephews come out with red eyes and itchy skin. The pool needs more time and a proper balance, and extra chemicals do not make water safe sooner.
Treat the water properly but don't tell him how long it will take
The water is treated well, but the nephews arrive early and jump in too soon. Mr Ncube is upset that nobody told him. A treatment needs a time attached to it.
Test the water, explain what it needs and tell him how long it will take
You show him the readings and explain it will take until tomorrow. He's disappointed but sets up a sprinkler on the lawn for the nephews. Giving him a real plan lets him make a good decision.
The drinks machine has taken a child's money and given nothing. She's crying and says it's her whole lunch money. I know it's not the machine's fault, but can you do something? The bell is going soon.
Check the machine, refund her through the usual form and log it
You find the jam, free it and fill in the refund form for the school. The girl gets her money and a drink, and the log is right. Being kind and following the process can happen together.
Open the machine and give her the money back out of the coin tray
She is happy, but there's no record and the tray count doesn't match. Taking money from the tray without a note puts you at risk. A refund needs to be written down.
Tell Mrs Taylor that refunds go through the office and move on
The girl leaves with nothing, and Mrs Taylor makes up the difference herself. The office doesn't open until morning. Sending someone to another desk is not always a solution.
The sign's going up on the wall above the awning. The wind's picking up. Can you do it from the ladder? It'll only take five minutes, and I've got customers inside.
Put the sign up from the ladder quickly, since it is only five minutes
A gust catches the sign as you lift it, and you grab the ladder hard. The sign falls onto the footpath and cracks. Wind and height are a bad mix, however short the job.
Wait for the wind to drop, and do the job with the right equipment
You return after lunch with the lift platform, and the sign goes up straight. Ivan is slightly annoyed at first, but the sign is secure. Taking the right time saved the sign and your balance.
Install it from the ladder but ask Ivan to hold the ladder
Ivan holds the ladder, and the sign goes up, but he's a shop owner and not trained for it, and the gust still catches you. Holding a ladder helps, but it does not make a windy day a safe one.
How it went
The sign is up, the pool is balanced and the vending machine is refilled. Miscellaneous labouring is varied and practical, and it asks you to switch between jobs and keep thinking about safety and fairness in each one. Do you think you would enjoy a day where every stop is different?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The pool that was not ready
A fictional case set in a small local contractor that services pools, restocks vending machines and installs signs for schools, clubs and shops.
The situation
Dylan was a pool technician with a local services contractor. On a Saturday morning he was called to a house where the family had planned a birthday party for that afternoon. When he tested the water, he found it was cloudy and the readings were well out of balance. The owner, Mr Sharma, said the guests would arrive at two and asked if he could just add whatever was needed and let people swim.
What they did
Dylan explained that adding a lot of chemicals at once would not make the pool safe to swim in straight away, and could irritate skin and eyes. He treated the water in stages, as the label and his training directed, and told Mr Sharma the pool wouldn't be ready until the next morning. He suggested setting up games and a barbecue by the pool for the party, with the water kept off limits.
How it turned out
Mr Sharma was disappointed but agreed. The party went ahead with the pool closed, and children played on the grass. The next morning the water was clear and safe. He booked Dylan for regular visits.
What would you do?
- How would you tell a customer that the thing they were counting on can't happen?
- Why might doing it quickly be worse than doing it properly?
- What alternative did Dylan offer that helped the family?