SST, I’m a service engineer for a company supplying machinery to abattoirs and food factorys. If you’re being offered a job as maintenance engineer, then in a factory that kills and packs, then i would suggest that you’ll spend far more of your time at the packaging end of things as your average thermoformer/traysealer is a lot more complex and delicate than a singeing tank or the like.
Condititions on a kill line, I don’t think are bad at all. Yes there is blood and guts and stuff, but it’s often fairly warm (depends slightly what is being killed) and the smell of an abattoir is not unpleasant, it’s kind of a warm slightly sickly sweet smell.
Further down the line the smell pretty much leaves (ever smelt a packet of mince – it doesn’t smell that strong does it)? But, and this is the bit I hate, it gets cold, really cold,and often wet. It’s quite often only a few degrees c, which is alright if you’re doing physical work (pace line boning etc will build up a sweat) (that last bit reads a bit wrong)! but if you’re sat there with the brains of a machine in your lap for an hour or so it does get cold! However engineers sheds are generally the warmest places on earth!
I don’t know what your background and skills are, but all of the good factory engineers i know, and there are’nt as many as there should be,are multi skilled(electrical/electronic/mechanical/pneumatic/hydraulic/bullsh1tt1ng/blagging and tea making) and good at working under pressure. As a rule you simply can’t stop certain parts of an abattoir once started (due to animal welfare)! so expect to spend a lot of time getting something going by any means possible and then going back later to fix it properly.
Doc B mentions the humor and macho attitude, and is very right, be prepared!
Just a quick point for all those whose noses are turning up at the thought of an abattoir – by far the most disgusting, smelly, nauseating factory I go in to makes chocolate puddings. Don’t get me wrong, it’s as clean as it needs to be, and they produce for some of the bigger chain eateries, but the horrible smells of hot milk, cocoa marg etc just turn my stomach, and the smell stays with you all day. I can’t eat chocolatre puddings, but nothing has ever put me off a sausage.
Not that i’m being nosey, but what is the factory/company? Some would definately be more pleasant places to work than others.
(PS, Derinders, Membrane skinners, Ice machines, Mincers, Cookers, packers etc for sale! I’m assuming i don’t need to put that in the classifieds!)
Wow, my longest post ever.