The world of land surveying can be very taxing on the human body. We all can name aliments, both short term and long term, that we have encountered because of our chosen profession. A separate thread discussing business start up raised the question of how long can our bodies hold up to the physical demands of the work. That is an excellent question.
As we find more and more solo operators in the business, this question becomes even more important. The thread a few days ago concerning a potential mandate in California for two-person crews fits right in. Bad things happen to good people. When your income is totally dependent upon your own ability to perform you must minimize the chance of being injured or being forced to deal with long term illness. Your Pete Rose-like, headfirst slide into third base at your weekly slow pitch softball tournament may cost you thousands of dollars in lost income.
It is amazing to discover over the decades a very strange list of ailments for which the cause takes some serious head scratching. For example, one morning I could hardly get out bed because of the throbbing in my left shoulder. Initially, I could think of no reason for that pain. After putting two and two together for the thousandth time it hit me. Work on the previous day had mainly consisted of going down a road and hopping in and out of a pickup probably 300 times. The driver's door had a "catch" to it that required an extra bit of tugging to get it to shut. Repeating that action 300 times, while a small thing at the time, amounted to an abnormal stress on certain muscles that were very unhappy about it the next morning.
There are times where a full day has been spent in a Deeds office at the courthouse retrieving, opening and returning 30-pound books from three inches off the floor to about a half-inch higher than you can comfortably reach above your head. At 22, this seems like nothing. At 62, you discover it is something. You young bucks may laugh all you like, but your day is coming and you will discover something else just that simple that will suddenly turn out to be a concern.
How many miles per year do you drive to get your work done? Someday, somewhere, some other driver will present you with a problem in an instant. You may be the most careful driver in the world but you can't completely take other drivers out of your safety equation.
Today I am limping and have no desire to spend much time on my feet. It wouldn't matter if it was indoors or outdoors. It wasn't even a survey incident. One end of an object weighing about 200 pounds fell about ten inches onto the big toe on my right foot. The impact was on a circle about 1-1/4" in diameter centered slightly above the toe nail. Had it been a couple inches to the right I would probably be in much worse pain. Nothing is broken but that's about the ugliest color imaginable down there. There air turned blue for a few seconds, but it didn't help one bit. I will keep on keeping on but do my best to avoid much walking and standing for a week or so. Time to reshuffle the deck of projects to find the ones with the least amount of walking or long term standing required.
Holy Cow, post: 374512, member: 50 wrote: The world of land surveying can be very taxing on the human body. We all can name aliments, both short term and long term, that we have encountered because of our chosen profession. A separate thread discussing business start up raised the question of how long can our bodies hold up to the physical demands of the work. That is an excellent question.
As we find more and more solo operators in the business, this question becomes even more important. The thread a few days ago concerning a potential mandate in California for two-person crews fits right in. Bad things happen to good people. When your income is totally dependent upon your own ability to perform you must minimize the chance of being injured or being forced to deal with long term illness. Your Pete Rose-like, headfirst slide into third base at your weekly slow pitch softball tournament may cost you thousands of dollars in lost income.
It is amazing to discover over the decades a very strange list of ailments for which the cause takes some serious head scratching. For example, one morning I could hardly get out bed because of the throbbing in my left shoulder. Initially, I could think of no reason for that pain. After putting two and two together for the thousandth time it hit me. Work on the previous day had mainly consisted of going down a road and hopping in and out of a pickup probably 300 times. The driver's door had a "catch" to it that required an extra bit of tugging to get it to shut. Repeating that action 300 times, while a small thing at the time, amounted to an abnormal stress on certain muscles that were very unhappy about it the next morning.
There are times where a full day has been spent in a Deeds office at the courthouse retrieving, opening and returning 30-pound books from three inches off the floor to about a half-inch higher than you can comfortably reach above your head. At 22, this seems like nothing. At 62, you discover it is something. You young bucks may laugh all you like, but your day is coming and you will discover something else just that simple that will suddenly turn out to be a concern.
How many miles per year do you drive to get your work done? Someday, somewhere, some other driver will present you with a problem in an instant. You may be the most careful driver in the world but you can't completely take other drivers out of your safety equation.
Today I am limping and have no desire to spend much time on my feet. It wouldn't matter if it was indoors or outdoors. It wasn't even a survey incident. One end of an object weighing about 200 pounds fell about ten inches onto the big toe on my right foot. The impact was on a circle about 1-1/4" in diameter centered slightly above the toe nail. Had it been a couple inches to the right I would probably be in much worse pain. Nothing is broken but that's about the ugliest color imaginable down there. There air turned blue for a few seconds, but it didn't help one bit. I will keep on keeping on but do my best to avoid much walking and standing for a week or so. Time to reshuffle the deck of projects to find the ones with the least amount of walking or long term standing required.
I am about midways of your example ages and can already read (with my bifocals) the writing on the wall. If it were possible to go back in time, I would warn my younger self to find an easy path for crossing the creek instead of jumping it, take a water break as needed, sometimes two trips is better than carrying everything at once. Of course my younger self is so pig-headed I would not listen to me.
Jon Payne, post: 374519, member: 312 wrote: If it were possible to go back in time, I would warn my younger self to find an easy path for crossing the creek instead of jumping it...
At 61, recovering from knee replacement, I wish I had sacrificed and gotten my boots wet instead of jumping all them creeks...
DDSM:gammon::beer::beer:
I'm assuming you are referencing my post.
Believe me, I love working solo. It's great. Fast. Very efficient. (At least in the suburban tight fitting area I'm in that doesn't involve long traversing or much rough terrain) but still I cannot imagine myself hopping fences and fast pace walking beyond my late 40s. And do I really want to be doing that my entire life even if I could?
I really don't want to fall into that even though it's the easiest route. Having a crew or two is like having insurance. Might cost a bit up front but it'll be there for you later on when you need it.
Now if only it was easy to find the help...
But this thinking is why I'm in such a frantic furry to find/train a crew before I fall into the completely solo pit.
I've seen a local solo guy get hurt about 4 years ago. Broke his leg was out 6 months. Guess who's doing his work now? Me. Nobody can sit around waiting 6 months for their survey work. Especially not if your business relies on local builders.
I'll take the contrary position. Sitting behind a computer for all your working life can lead to an early coronary. To say nothing of back problems, neck problems, headaches, carpal tunnel, etc. Take care of yourself and no reason you can't do field work for a long, long time.
Mark Mayer, post: 374523, member: 424 wrote: I'll take the contrary position. Sitting behind a computer for all your working life can lead to an early coronary. To say nothing of back problems, neck problems, headaches, carpal tunnel, etc. Take care of yourself and no reason you can't do field work for a long, long time.
I concur...my back is way worse when I spend lots of time in the office. Now that I'm back in the field I have a little tendinitis in my pounding elbow from all the stakeout, but I'll take it over the back pain....
Mark Mayer, post: 374523, member: 424 wrote: I'll take the contrary position. Sitting behind a computer for all your working life can lead to an early coronary. To say nothing of back problems, neck problems, headaches, carpal tunnel, etc. Take care of yourself and no reason you can't do field work for a long, long time.
Yes sitting all day is no good. That's what happened to my father.
But a mix is preferred. However, what it takes to be a solo operator is too much imo to do forever. It'll catch up to you physically
Absolutely correct. What some see as the easy side of things can be very disabling in the long run as well. Years ago I had an office at the end of a hall. Directly across from me was the vending machine room. Temptation was far too close and too often. Likewise, I remember back to the days of standing at a drafting board half bent over most of the day. Lower back pain was a constant. I'm pretty sure all that ammonia in the reproduction room wasn't the best thing for me, either. The six-foot long timber rattler some co-workers killed about 50 feet from where I parked every day at the office could have done some major damage had it been staying cool in the shade of my vehicle as I stepped up to get in to leave. Spending a full work day in wonderfully cool air-conditioning saps one's ability to handle heat stress well. A thirty pound record book falling three feet off the edge of a counter onto your toe is a distinct possibility, especially when it's someone else who knocked it off.
A lot of what a person needs to focus on is simply being smart. Don't emulate Pete Rose or Ol' TDD avoiding proper hydration.
Great thread. All true.
10 years of blue tops = herniated discs and stenosis in my lower back!!! Getting old sucks!!!
While working a desk can and absolutely does have physical downsides, it can be worked with the physical downsides. (As long as your alive basically)
Once a solo operator realizes after 30 years he can no longer physically do the field work anymore, it's tough for him to just go out and get an employee after 30 years never having one.
Now he's up the creek without a paddle and basically without an income.
Rich., post: 374552, member: 10450 wrote: Once a solo operator realizes after 30 years he can no longer physically do the field work anymore, it's tough for him to just go out and get an employee after 30 years never having one.
I don't know why hiring after 30 years would be any more difficult than hiring after 3 years, except that the 30-year guy is going to be a lot smarter about who he hires.
My work flow varies so much I think that's the worst. Weeks in the office, then a week of digging in rock roads or driving hubs. I try to mitigate this by jogging, not running, two or three miles four times a week, and have all but eliminated my back problems with 40 or 50 sit ups a day.
Steve
Mark Mayer (has) and Albert Einstein (had) the right idea:
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
Solo rocks - why let somebody else have all the fun - who else is so fortunate to have people pay them to go out and play?
My next older brother is an attorney. We are a good deal alike physically except he has sat at a desk all his life, and I have spent my career outdoors. There's actually not much difference in our physical maladies. We both have good cardiac functions. We both have arthritis, but my ankles and wrists are shot. I attribute that to stomping all over uneven ground and slamming hubs and stakes with a 3 lb. shop hammer all my life. We both have cataracts and are getting deaf. The only environmentally induced difference I think is he still has most of his skin left. I leave little bits of mine at the dermatologist's office every six months.
That sun is brutal.
