Ross McGearailt specialises in the area of Black Utilities on a 400,000sq ft Biopharmaceutical facility. As a Shift Mechanical Technician, he has enjoyed interesting and challenging work since he started his career with LotusWorks in 2016.
“Usually my morning starts with a pass down from the previous shift, to find out any issues from the night before. The pass down is an essential step in shift changeover ensuring all teams are abreast with site activity relative to their specific department. In my role, we provide maintenance for all Black Utilities, Mechanical and Electrical systems on site.
After pass down, I sign permits for vendors coming in on the day and provide assistance where needed throughout the day. Preventative Maintenance is a big part of my role, my schedule is made daily and each Technician knows where to be and at what time. Everyday there are reactive tasks, this can also be known as unplanned maintenance that is not currently in the schedule. This is where you instantly react to an issue, and this can affect the daily schedule and workload.
The team are responsible for maintenance of all Black Utilities systems including soft water, plant steam generation, cooling towers, compressors, HVAC units, glycol chillers, AHU’s, electrical distribution systems, generators and UPS systems. I lead a first response team with 10 first responders managing any medical emergencies or chemical spills on site. Safety is a core value of LotusWorks and is a priority on site and this is reflected in the excellent safety record we hold.
The LotusWorks “Good Catch” programme has been a key driver in our successful safety statistics on the 400,000sq ft facility. The initiative encourages the identification of safety hazards before they cause harm and is designed to encourage vigilance and awareness of your surroundings and the safety of others around you on site. I’m the LotusWorks point of contact for registered vendors for apparatus training and situational awareness training, which due to COVID-19 have been put on hold. I am also the LotusWorks SME (subject matter expert) of the boiler system, streamlining, preventative maintenance tasks, liaising with the vendors and managing work orders associated with the system.
I joined the LotusWorks team in December 2016 and my role has been evolving since then. I’ve completed a Vibration Analysis Programme and an Occupational First Aid Certificate through LotusWorks. I also completed an ILM Leadership & Management Programme through LotusWorks in 2018/19 along with eight colleagues. The 18-month long course focused on nurturing Site Lead and managerial talent within the organisation. It was both enjoyable and challenging. The course enabled me to meet other colleagues who work on various sites and come from different sector backgrounds throughout Ireland which made for interesting discussions and class role plays. It’s important to be open minded towards learning opportunities and I definitely recommend when looking for a potential employer that it’s one who supports learning and development along with personal growth.
The support of the Directors and Senior Management of LotusWorks was a key factor in the success of the programme and how well it was structured. For me, an employer who supports continuous training, development and learning is an employer who is invested in its people and that’s why I would have no hesitation in recommending LotusWorks.”
