So the Boss Gave You a Dirty Job?
So your job may not be a dream job but do you really have it so bad? We took a look at some jobs, very important jobs mind you, but jobs that are the envy of no one because they are so dirty. Here are the 10 we think must be the dirtiest.
1. Sanitation workers. We take it for granted that our toilets will flush and our sinks will drain. But our sewer systems require maintenance and repair so someone must go underground to perform the tasks of maintaining and repairing the systems. They are heroes.
2. Rough neck. The oil rigs which bring us our energy pump a very valuable but very dirty product: crude oil. Imagine a day working with this substance often soaking you from head to foot and which can best be cleaned by washing in diesel fuel or similar substances. Yuk!
3. Pig farmer. Pigs make more than bacon. They also make a smelly mess, certainly the smelliest of any farm animal. And all of this mess must is the responsibility of the devoted pig farmer.
4. Garbage collection. Sure, sure, there is a lot of automation in garbage collection these days. Nevertheless, the daily smells and spills ensure this job is one of the dirtiest.
5. Oil spill cleanup. The oil which comes drifting to shore from spills tends to bunch into gooey collections of tar. Whether cleaning it from unfortunate animals or simply hauling polluted patches of sand away, this job is no seaside picnic.
6. Slaughter house worker. People who work in our slaughter houses provide us with our hamburgers, sausages, steaks and more. But the slaughtering and processing of cattle, pigs and sheep, is very hard and very dirty. Let’s not even think about the smell.
7. Septic tank collection. Many people are not on a city sewer system but rather have a septic system on their property. Enter the man who drives the ‘honey wagon’ which pumps out our tanks and safely takes it away for disposal. Rubber gloves or not, this is a dirty job!
8. Dish washer. The people who wash our dishes in restaurants and cafeterias are continually splattered, from head to toe, with other people’s food particles. Even with the use of industrial dishwashers, just loading these machines is a messy business.
9. Port-a-potty providers. We don’t love these ubiquitous public fixtures. But we need them. Consider whose job it is to deliver, collect, empty and clean this triumph of modern sanitation.
10. Pregnancy testing cows. For this test, your shove your arm, covered in a long plastic glove, into the cow’s rear to feel for a developing embryo. Not surprisingly, your arm tends to emerge covered with… well you get the idea.
These jobs are not highly paid for the most part. But they require very special people to perform them for the benefit of the rest of us. We applaud them! And… we appreciate our own jobs just a little bit more!
By Sydney Owens