Today we present a new interview with James Desira, National Sales Manager, BlokCam Ltd, wireless Cameras for cranes. www.blokcam.com
Cranesy: What do you love about cranes?
James: Cranes have always fascinated me, when you think about how they are designed to carry such large loads at massive heights and how they don’t fall over has always been a question since I was a kid playing with my toy construction trucks, diggers and cranes. Even now after climbing up so many and having the chance to meet various manufactures at the International Tower Crane convention in London this year and being explained how they actually make them still blows your mind.
Cranesy: How did you join into this sector?
James: After 14 years in the military gaining my driving qualifications and tracked vehicles and having truck mounted cranes to self-load I had a bit of a bug to do more but my career was side tracked as I was asked to join the family business in car sales, again after 10 years working with family the I knew that this was not the path for me, an opportunity came around for a position as Area Manager for a National Powered access company, looking after many major UK construction companies accounts for their needs, this included many roles but the obvious was construction site visits to assess their needs, doing this involved the opportunity to work with the AP and lifting team on how they would use the cranes to lift the machines around the site into alternative positons for working.
Then one day I came across an advert about working in the crane sector on LinkedIn, clicked like and got a call from the recruitment company. The rest is history..
Cranesy: What’s your favourite memory about your work with cranes?
James: My first climb up a crane, it was nothing to high 60m or so.. But I hung onto every single guard rail and hand rail I could and my knees were doing the john Travolta Saturday night fever with every step. To say I was nervous was an understatement but the excitement of being up there eventually took over and I just relaxed into it. I had been up 80-90m in powered access platform’s before but this was a completely different experience something I will never forget, I’m sure I will always remember what crane it was and where it was.
Cranesy: How has your work with cranes inspired you in your life?
James: Seeing how critical a crane is to a construction project and how heavily utilised they are on a day to basis you can forget how essential they are until they break down or have an incident then everyone around feels they problem, but doing the job I do and helping to provide a aid to maximizing safety especially on blind lifts I know that I have contributed to the efficiency and productivity but more importantly the safety of all around the cranes operations by providing the operator’s with an extra set of eyes to help them see the load below the hook and the danger area that surrounds it, I get inspired every time we fit a camera system to a crane as I know that one day it will prove its worth and benefit the crews using it.
I was completely overwhelmed when we won the London Construction Awards 2015 in June for the “Health & Safety” category for contributions to crane safety, this just shows how technology is now being embraced to help, that award just keep inspiring me to keep positive and focused.
Cranesy: Are you facing new challenges in this sector? Tell us about it.
James: As having a wireless camera is such a new concept and we are proud to be the first to introduce these system’s to the UK, Europe and the UEA, but as with anything new in the construction sector there is always a challenge when introducing new ideas and products, nobody likes change especially when it has additional costs involved but once we have installed one and the operator see’s the benefits imminently that scepticism soon passes and its more accepted and has already proven its worth on many a site now with spotting potential dangers otherwise unseen before.
The industry is at a point now where having cameras assisting in additional safety measure is more accepted, especially by the Client and the Health & Safety Teams.
Cranesy: Safety in workplace. Would you give some essential advices about how to protect yourself from potential injury?
James: Safety is always top of the agenda, it has come on leaps and bounds here in the UK. I still come across a hand full of people who still want to do everything at one hundred miles an hour and have the gun hoe attitude to “don’t worry we have done this loads of times before without incident”.
The dangers are all around a construction site and the H&S teams are there for a purpose and not to be what some people would class as “jobs worth’s” My advice is do what is recommend, slow down and think, everyone wants to go home at the end of a shift not matter how long it takes, do it proper.
Cranesy: Would you recommend other young men to undertake this career?
James: Defiantly, the crane and construction sector is one of the best I have worked in, the most rewarding and it is full of characters who make it enjoyable and interesting. Like all jobs you have to work hard that’s without a doubt but the rewards always out way the long hours.
Cranesy: What does HAPPINESS mean for you?
James: Peace of mind knowing that I can go home, see my family grow up in an environment that I have been instrumental in shaping and seeing them benefit from the hard work I have put in along that journey, nothing beats coming through your own house door and seeing the smile on the kids face and the respect you have received for demonstrating that if you want something in life you have to work hard for it.
Happiness in knowing that I can help others benefit in additional safety aids and knowing that it only takes one incident to be prevented by having a BlokCam system fitted.