X-Ray

I work in construction for those who haven't read my profile yet. Before some of you get excited about me wearing a hard hat and steel toe boots - I look like Marvin the Martian, so save your jokes.

Yesterday I had the most excitement I've had at work since July 5th when I first came on this job.
I started the day off leisurely waking up at 8am instead of the mandatory 4:30am and wasted time in the morning 'til 11am when I left the house for my "evening shift."

Evening shift meant - sitting in the trailer 'til 6pm and waiting for X-ray men to come by. I've been through thousands of x-rays myself, but never seen it done on a building. So here's my version of what happened.

A pickup truck with a housing structure on the bed of the truck, arrived at the front door. An extension cable got pulled out and led into the building so it can be hooked up to the electricity. (You know, just like those funny electrical cars). Inside the housing structure you will find the equipment that develops x-rays. Then the radioactive box comes out, along with some cables, and three sheets of x-ray.

The purpose of this x-ray was to find out what is going on in the concrete slab inside this duct shaft, before the electrician drills in there to place his conduit. Last time they didn't do this x-ray, the electrician ended up drilling straight through another conduit, cutting off electrical power to half the building. Not to worry, wasn't this electrician, wasn't our job, wasn't on my shift. But the concrete core sure looks interesting with that pipe going straight through it.

Two men were needed for this operation. One upstairs on level 1, and one downstairs in the basement. Of course, to make my life more of a thrill it took place in the men's locker room (do the women know what's on the calendars hanging up in the men's locker rooms?). To reach the first floor concrete slab from the basement, you first have to climb a ladder up to the hanging ceiling, and then it's about 16 feet above the ceiling tiles.

The process, rather simple when you see it happening, three x-ray sheets are placed on the concrete slab inside the duct shaft on the first floor level, then - downstairs in the basement - a pogo stick long enough is placed above the ceiling so it reaches the underside of the concrete slab. Then the radioactive box is attached to the bottom of the stick, and a long cable is attached to the box. There's a handle at the end of this cable and if you happen to be standing right next to it, taking photos, you'll be told "watch out not to trip the wire or we'll be radioactive in seconds."

Then, we spent 15 minutes trying to find the supervisor for the cleaning lady so he can tell her to take a break and leave the locker rooms. Then another 10 minutes to warn the security guards not to go downstairs. Another 15 minutes to post "radioactive" signs through the immediate hallways of the basement and first floor. One minute for me to take photos of existing conditions of ceiling in case it gets damaged in the process. Another 15 minutes to wait for our point of contact to get a radio for both x-ray men.

Then we were asked to stand behind the doors. X-Ray man then cranked the handle, shifting the isotopes to the box, and they proceed to flow through the long pogo stick and hit the slab from underneath (keep in mind, the x-ray sheets are laying on top of this slab). So basically it's radiation all in the open and anyone standing within 30 feet of it in any direction is in danger. So I stood in the hallways with X-ray man, and asked him about the mechanism of the x-ray, which as you can see I already forgot. Too much chemistry if you ask me. I did get to ask him if his hero is Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, but he just laughed it off saying, "Nah, Superman is my hero, because he can do this without a machine!"

Eight minutes later, x-ray man went back inside, stopped the machine, and we went off to his truck to develop the x-rays. Half hour later, he was done drawing the borders of the area on the x-ray sheets where the electrician can drill (you have to remember that if it's a human body, there are bones that give us the point of reference. When you x-ray concrete, there's nothing to give us that point of reference, so it must be drawn in). Then we all went back inside so x-ray man can paint the pattern on the actual slab so there is absolutely no doubt where the electrician can drill. You would think this painting would be done with a spray can, but no, a simple sharpie is sufficient (that's if it doesn't run out, like it did last night). Then they sprayed it with lacquer so no one takes these marks off. I am so tempted to come in this morning, bring my sharpie and draw more lines there!

So overall - a three hour process of preparing and developing for an 8 minute ordeal.

I'm just glad it's over, because due to some weird coincidence a family relative is due for an x-ray next Monday on a strategic point in his body, and for the past two weeks I've had to cope with Outlook reminders that popped up with "X-Ray of Shaft" and I could not for the life of me figure out WHICH shaft???!???