What is F.I.F.O.?

FIFO stands for “Fly In Fly Out”.  It refers to a workforce that only lives at their work location part time.  They are flown to and from the work site at regular intervals.  Those intervals could be 2&1 (2 weeks on, 1 week off), 8&6(8 days on, 6 days off), 9&5 (9 days on, 5 days off) or even 5&2,4&3 (5 days on, 2 days off then 4 days on, 3 days off).

The Global Financial Meltdown & the Mining Industry

Once again the traditional media are making a big song and dance about job losses in mining and how that will filter down into the general labour market and economy.

Yes, things have slowed down and resource prices are largely dropping.  And, yes, the ‘boom’ is probably ending. However, the media seems to have failed to note that the boom also created a massive skills shortage that required the importation of labour from other countries.  Given time, those that have lost their jobs at places like Ravensthorpe will pick up work again because the imported labour will return home, rebalancing the equation.  Of course that is not great for our international brethren but that’s world economies for you.  Save money in the good times so you can survive the bad and you’ll fare okay.

So, can the traditional media please stop “carrying on” – you’re only making us switch off faster than we already were.

The Mundanities of Mining #1

Anyone who’s ever worked in the mining or construction industry – particularly as a contractor – will be familiar with the process of inductions.  On joining a company, the first thing you have to do is read and sign a stack of papers relating to your health, your work history, your various trade certificates and ‘tickets’ and your attitude to safety.   If you’re lucky you’ll cop just one video on Health & Safety.  Then there’s the aptitude tests, the personality profiling and the interview.  Takes hours.  Very dullsville.

Iron Ore Jewellery

In March 2008 I collected test samples of iron ore from the laboratory at my site. I wanted to work them into some form of jewellery. Apparently people regularly suggested this but the lab guys never saw it happen.  I promised them I’d do it and show them the results.  Well, life did get in the way but finally about a week ago I started experimenting. Tried a number of different techniques – some of which looked pretty ordinary, others showing potential. Eventually I found that my training as a printmaker yielded the best results – etching the design into the metal and then applying a bit of colour.  They’re then coated with a sealant so they can’t rust and spoil.

Here’s a pic of me wearing an early sample with a horoscope design on it.

Tweets

A lighthearted moment on a not-so-cheery night.  I apologise in advance for my appalling sense of humour but who knows?  There probably IS a reader out there who’d appreciate these products!

NB: You have to read it from the bottom up – it’s in time sequence from the most recent back.

ReLaunch

Well, all the dramas of December have passed and I’ve found a new webhosting service provider along with new software to re-build the FIFOLife shopfront.  I’ve had to start again from scratch which was pretty demoralising.  However, a challenge must be overcome and overcome it I have.

I’ve taken the Christmas – New Year period off to enjoy some time with family which was wonderful.  I hadn’t seen them since April.

Sounds like things aren’t so dire in the mining industry – yes there have been layoffs but many projects seem to be full-steam ahead and other slow-downs seem to be on track to restart soon.  I guess my site is mirroring that!

So, FIFOLife the shop should be back hopefully by Wednesday 5pm.  I’ll add a new post to confirm it after I’ve published and tested it.  Fingers crossed no bugs this time!

Hope all my readers had as nice a Christmas and New Years as me.  May 2009 be a safe and prosperous year for us all.

“Un” Launch

Well, that has to be the shortest business launch in history!  No sooner did I publish the site than I discovered some major bugs in the coding within the software and had to shut it down again.

I guess that’s business.

Meanwhile, I’m working on the bugs and will relaunch after Xmas.  I’m in need of a good holiday and a change of scenery – it’s been a pretty stressful couple of months.  Stay posted for updates on the shop.

In the meantime, I’ll be catching up with a few old minesite mates in the next week who will have some great stories to share about their recent adventures.  Looking forward to that and a bit of RnR.

Launch Day

Shop now published and active

I’ve been working solidly on this FIFOLife concept since August and finally I’ve got it to the point where I’m ready to ‘open shop’.    The idea came to me in a flash the day I first flew into T…..  One thing I’d found long before about myself was my ability to organise resources to keep myself comfortable while I’m on site.  I’m guessing that it has a little to do with my previous life as a teacher where having your resources organised was a priority.  Anyway, I found that people were always commenting on my planning skills in regard to my accommodation and my meals.   When you’ve got limited time to get things organised on RnR and a strict baggage allowance, planning is important.

Anyway, so I had the idea to provide a service to all FIFO workers where they could arrange to have the things they needed sent directly to them on site.  Many of the items I’ve sourced for my ‘shop’ are unavailable on site but are really, really handy.  I know most sites have a little deli there but their choice is limited and it’s so easy to forget to visit it before or after your shift.  And who wants to spend their precious RnR running around trying to organise work time?  Uggh.  By offering a mail order service any needs you have on site can be sorted out with the click of a button at a time that suits you.

Check out my efforts at: http://www.shop.fifolife.com/

I have a lot of people to thank for getting this idea up and running too:

1: my workmates for their assistance with market research (you know who you are)
2: in particular RW & BE for their enthusiasm for my ideas and moral support
3: my former workmates at my previous site. In particular CS, PS & most especially SM.
4: Ange & Chappy for their assistance and product recommendations
5: RAD for being so business savy, inspiring me and giving great advice.
6: RG who without even knowing it has shown me the power of social networking as a business tool.
7: @spotrick, @grumba, @soulcreates, @eztephen,@JimBob51, @twocrowsdown, @ashdonaldson, @gener8or for your constant feedback.
8: BL, SN, BM, CB, LG, NG.  Where would I be without my girls?
9: Mum & Dad and my sister-in-law Michelle for their consistent support.

Communicating With Loved Ones

Just thought I’d put a post out there because I’m continually surprised by how few people on mine or construction sites have discovered the benefits of Skype.  So many of you have laptops and access to the net but continue to use the phone to talk to the people you’ve left behind.  What a waste of money!

Get onto Skype!  If you’ve got web access at home and on site, you can do video calls for free!

Global Financial Meltdown & the Mining Industry

An update to my recent post of the same name.  It seems that the majority of analysts think that the drop in production in the Pilbara region will be a temporary issue.  Let’s hope so anyway.  I’ve been in contact with a mate who managed a contracting company on an iron ore site and he’s been redeployed elsewhere.  That in itself is good news – no lost jobs there.

BHP seems to be finding ways of dropping production with minimal impact on its operations.  (Correct me please if I’m wrong).  I’ve read that they’re attempting to scale back by about 5%.

Meanwhile Rio Tinto has already taken steps to drop production by 10% by removing contract companies while maintaining their own staff.  Apparently the entire Pilbara production is being shut down for two weeks over the Christmas period with staff being asked to take annual leave.  I’ve talked to a couple of people effected by this and they’re a little nervous but comforted to know that they’re employed by the company and not contracted to them through Skilled or Workpac or some other labour hire firm.  If things do turn south it’s going to be those people that are first to go.

It seems that the renegotiation of price is a major factor in the reduced demand from China.  They’re stalling production now so they can get the ore next year at a much reduced rate.  That makes a lot of sense and although it effects Australia’s revenue, at least it would indicate that things won’t be as bad as the doomsayers were predicting a month ago.

Book Exchange Idea

Was chatting to a friend (thanks Mr B) this morning on site and he suggested starting up some sort of book exchange program that operates through this blog.  That way you’d have access to a far greater range of books because you’d be potentially swapping with people on other sites.  Sounds like an idea with great potential.  Not quite sure how to set it up or how it would work.  Will post this on the Forum pages link and if you have any interest or input into the idea, register there and leave your suggestions.  Here’s a poll for you to tell me directly if you’re interested in the idea:

….and here’s the link to the forum to post suggestions on how it could work:  http://fifolife.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7