Jesse Demaries-Smith – Geotechnical Field Technician
My co-op for the ERT course was working as a Geotechnical field technician in Ottawa with the company Golder Associates. Working at Golder was a very good opportunity for me to learn, grow, and get a taste of what type of industries I can go into when I finish my education.
My day-to-day had me doing a variety of different tasks at many different job sites. My main jobs were testing concrete on construction sites – which typically meant a slump test (how much the concrete drops when put in a cone, consolidated with a rod, removing the cone), an air test (what percentage of air is in the concrete. Air is important for when it gets cold. It allows the concrete to expand without cracking.) and casting 3 cylinders for a compression test later. My other main job (and also my favorite) was doing a compaction test, which involved getting certified to transfer nuclear goods, and slugging a 50-pound portable nuclear gauge through construction sites to test the compaction levels of granular materials.
For clarification on what compaction on granular means – every granular material has a proctor number calculated by a lab. That number represents the point where the moisture content in the granular as well as the amount it has been compacted (vibrated and stomped by a machine) will result in the highest dry density, or strength. Almost everything requires granular material to be compacted to a certain strength. I tested granular below asphalt was laid on roads, granular below service pipes leading to new houses, granular underneath walking paths at public parks, and even granular in a Costco parking lot that was being built.
Both granular and compaction are incredibly important to get right and are very important parts of all types of construction. I constantly felt the pressure of my testing – and sometimes had to face the backlash of telling crews that the work they are doing was not good enough.
When it came to site safety Golder is very strict on their safety policies. Hard hats, high visibility vests, safety boots, and glasses were required on all sites. Golder also has a rule on not walking across highways even when there were no cars, which required me to go the long way around on more than one occasion. It was always extremely important to follow the safety standards closely to avoid any sort of injury.
Working this co-op has made me want to further pursue a deeper education of Earth sciences. It contributed to my geoscience education by strengthening my knowledge of the use of proctors and showing me the use of quarries in all aspects of construction. I am planning to use the Fleming College transfer agreements with either Trent University or Acadia University to pursue a degree in Geology and my goal moving forward is to focus on the mineral exploration side of Geology. I enjoyed my time at Golder and would recommend them to anyone who is looking to go into the materials testing side of geotechnical field work.
