Re: Nastiest paid Jobs
 

I've worked with two blokes who had absolutely zero sensitivity for bad smells

One used to work in the funeral industry, reckoned after picking up a couple of decomposing bodies, nothing else really smelled that bad.

The other was a diesel fitter who funded his speedway racing hobby by welding up compactor trucks on weekends.

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decomposing bodies, nothing else really smelled that bad. yup that would it, been there done that

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A couple of years ago I got a 'joke' award for attending the most dead person with the most living organisms on it. A person who'd hung himself, and then overtaken by flies/maggots. It was disgusting, but just a repeat of more events before then.

A few times I've pulled bodies out of their 'destiny' to have their skin pull off in my hand. I decided not to do that anymore.

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we're you ambulance? or what

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Forensics

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I can quite understand what you are saying, I feel sorry for people attending accidents, I once had a career in the railways, 11 years of attending electric train accidents witnessing the horror of bodies, last one involving young brother & sister, this was the one that pushed me over the edge, how people can believe in God is beyond me.

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Yep all the worse when kids are involved!

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Floaters aren't nice either, especially after a few days of nice hot weather and lots of nibbles.

Then the boss says not on my boat thank you!

Terry aka tbro

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Especially when your own kids are the same age, I still have the odd nightmares dealing with this, this ended the career I strived for, I did not realise at the time my role also covered train accidents, which turned out to be very confronting at times.
In those days there was no counselling offered, but my family doctor was brilliant with the many talks I had with him.

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speed camera car operator

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I can't imagine! Good, definitely needed that Dr. there for you!

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Yes, i don't suppose it would promote feelings of warmth & fuzziness!

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I reckon it would be one of the loneliest & boring jobs you could ever do, being despised by most motorists.

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Reminds me when I was working in the WA State Housing Commission circa 1073. We had this new staffer who was on some sort of work integration program getting people back into the workforce. The first week he came in half the time then on odd days then didn't turn up at all the next two weeks. My manager and whatever agency was running the program decided that someone from our Department should call in at his home to check if he was OK. I drew the short straw as he lived not far from where I was living. So I was allowed to leave work all of 15 minutes early to call in on my way home. No answer at the door and as I walked around the side there was the very distinct smell of a decaying animal. The back door was locked so I went to the local Police Station who sent an officer around to meet me at the guy's house. The officer forced the door but said he wasn't going in and I had to do so. He had hung himself and his blackened and stinking fly blown body was hanging from a doorway. I don't what they did about identifying him as he was to far gone for me to do it.

I was having nightmares for years after and I suspect I had some sort of post traumatic stress that contributed to my excess drinking and nightclubbing into the early hours at the time (well that's my excuse).

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Bloody hell!

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In my younger years, I went to a job where the guy had killed his partner, then tried to cut her up to dispose of her. He found out it wasn't an easy job, so gave up and dobbed himself in, was arrested while holding their child on the front steps.

Back then, video was a new thing, so we used it on major jobs. So I whipped out the video camera, did all the introduction scenes leading to the body, couldn't fit the tripod in the bathroom with the body so I went handheld. Looking through the viewfinder of the video camera, with me, no doubt, swaying a bit made it look like she was moving.
I had to triple check that she wasn't compatible with life.


Now, after many hundreds of incidents, I found the cat had died, and it was, "Oh, okay!" Nastiest cat ever, though.

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Been a few others since but all relatively fresh dame day kills thank god. As a voluntary suicide prevention officer there was a two times someone contacted me to advise they thought one of their colleagues in the Department where I was also working was at risk of suicide but they were well beyond any counseling or referral by the time I got to their homes. I still feel guilty about one as if I had not let the CEO bail me up for an hour with one of my core duty issues I may have got to him in time to prevent it.

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Can't prevent fate!...............

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and you dont mention where you live .....:)

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I dont know what private sector operators get paid, but I know the police in Queensland get overtime rates when they're in a camera car, and you *really* dont want to know how much an orificer gets paid to sit in the camera car & watch movies on a public holiday.....

Theres a whole lot of "What if's" in the world my friend, and so very few you can actually influence.

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Actually had a nasty one today.

Got called out by a regular customer to see if I could fix a "leaking tap" at her mothers place.

Turned up to discover her mother, a grand old chook of 93, actually had a problem with the flexi hoses from where the pipework comes through the wall, up to the tap in her bathroom sink.

The problem? it had been leaking, and despite being 93 and still reasonably with it, she's a bit of a hoarder, and her bathroom is pretty chockers with empty shampoo and handwash bottles, etc, and under the sink was the same, you know the kinda junk that accumulates in there.

And it was all wet, every single bloody thing.

Wet, rancid, a little moldy, and just that god awful funk that wet chipboard develops.

I've got a strong enough stomach, and dear god I've encountered a few rank things, but this had me wanting to hurl.

Pipe was capped off at the wall untill I can get a new hose in the morning, bathroom window opened to help dry things out and all the water was cleaned up.

No way was I leaving a 93yo without running water, but when her daughter(s) get back to town, oh boy am I going to have a few words with them.

And yeah.... the dripping taps got new washers too.

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Re: speed cam operator
These last few comments remind me of a Simpsons skit... where homer is applying for a job? and the guy on the other side of the desk says "you know, I'm the guy that invented the speed camera". As quick as a flash Homer reaches over the desk and smashes this guy in the face with his fist., Guy behind desk says "yeah I get that a lot" :notworthy

Tried to find a clip for youse, but couldn't as I don't know the exact search string to use as far as the original dialogue goes.

:afro

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Now back on topic,
speaking of bad smells... the one nasty paid job that sticks in my head is when I had to fix a cold room at the Murarrie Meatworks in Brisbane circa 1984.

1st impression: there was a large stainless steel 'chute', about 3 meters wide by 3 meters deep where trucks would reverse to tip dead cows etc into, the a feed screw at the bottom of said 'chute' would move them along into a 60cm opening... crunch crunch grinding away. That was the 1st bad smell.

Next it was onto the job itself. This involved working in the blood and bone part of the processing plant. I was up a ladder at the ceiling, steam covering me all the while surrounded by the smell of death. Man I know it pails in comparison to what others have said.. BUT keep in mind I was 17 y.o. It is still THE WORST thing I have had to do and get paid for doing it.

Even worse than the tannery on Cormack rd kinda smell, and that was putrid and even worse in summer if that is possible. :vomit

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One of my commercial customers supplies processing equipment to abattoirs, they also do breakdown servicing and repairs.
Now, if a machine breaks down and the tech can’t get it working insitu, it will be wrapped in cling wrap (still full of meat bits) and loaded onto a truck to this workshop for repairs.
I use their bin to dispose of lawn clippings, sometimes the site foreman will warn me if it’s been loaded with random meat waste, sometimes he doesn’t…..

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I think the stinkiest place to work that I have visited (not worked at) was the whaling station at Albany in WA was was sadly still operating in the early 1970's. The smell hit you like a brick wall. That and the obvious cruelty made it very much not a pleasant place to visit.

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Those take my hat to are the Police Rescue Squad.
I recall many many years ago I got to see some pics that you normally wouldn't see of someone being run over by a train, followed by some car accident pics of people just ripped to shreds.
I think being first at the scene and dealing with this wonder how they sleep well some nights.
Huge kudos to these wonderful people don't know why you tend to like doing this work.