HEROES OF THE NIGHT

My job involves, among other things, delivering the right rolling slabs to the rolling mill at the right time. With a rolling slab loaded up, I'm driving around with a total of about 45 metric tonnes. You need to keep a good eye on everything — although that can be tricky with such a large vehicle. Sure, I have a rear-view camera to help, but it's still important to be proactive and
safe on the road. Safety and caution pay off! I haven't been working for the company for that
long myself, but some of my colleagues have been on the road without any accidents for as much as 15 years.

It's really important to stack the rolling slabs carefully so that they don't slip. In winter especially, as even slabs that weigh tonnes can slip — and why? Layers of ice and snow. Even if you set down a hot or a warm slab and the snow's clearly melting, that liquid may then freeze and create a layer of ice between the contact areas. That's incredibly dangerous! So we have to make sure that all the contact areas are free of snow and ice. If necessary, the snow and ice are cleared off the surfaces using a snow shovel, a broom and a gasburner, so that we can be sure to keep ourselves and our colleagues safe.