Under Construction

There is something compelling about a construction site and it should be no surprise that I often snap photos of them in passing.

I don’t think I’ve ever shared any of them before now, but I thought these discoveries from last weekend were very entertaining.

This piece of equipment caught my eye because it reminded me of the Canadarm used on the Space Shuttle.

It amused me even more when I discovered the name of this piece of equipment is the *Putzmeister*.

I would translate Putz Meister to mean “Master of the Useless and Unproductive”, however I don’t think that was the intention.

From what I understand, this equipment pumps concrete along the boom arm from the truck to the intended destination.  In spite of its very unfortunate name, it seems to be a very useful thing to have on a construction site, don’t you think?

Even better was when I spied the “Wacker”.  I can’t even think about this name without smiling.

Many years ago, the Ontario government enacted a piece of legislation called Pay Equity.  It required employers to pay “equal wages for jobs of equal value”.  Companies like our’s jumped through hoops to implement a methodology that would ensure compliance with this legislation.

I sat on the Pay Equity Committee for my employer and spent endless hours over several months evaluating positions in the company for complexity, judgement, skills required, etc.

You’re probably wondering what on earth that has to do with construction equipment.

Well, one of the positions we evaluated from our manufacturing facilities was that of a *Whacker*. How would you like to have that as your official job title?

Needless to say, it didn’t require much advanced education or job complexity, but physical brawn was an obvious asset.  I don’t suppose I have to mention that we were often reduced to a giggling mess during these evaluations.  The Whacker was one of our favourites.

Admit it.  You too can’t resist sneaking a peak at a construction site.  You never know what you might see.