Michelle

Michelle at her work, wearing thr fluro uniform

I’m an Admin and Lab Assistant.  I work at Tronox, Koombana Bay Bunbury.  It’s near the Port, right opposite the Dolphin Discovery Centre.

I’ve been working at Tronox for nineteen years. I’m coming up to my twenty years in March.

Tronox mines different minerals and then sorts them out. The minerals get used for sunscreen, cool drink cans, make up and toothpaste.

I’ve got lots of jobs.  The biggest part of my job is recycling the bags.  The bags come from the geologists who test the sand from the mine site.

I get the sample bags from the wheelbarrow and I tip the sand into the kipple.  We have to shake all the loose sand off just in case they don’t get the sand out. You gotta make sure there’s no holes and no missing tags. And then once the washing machine’s finished, we repeat the cycle again, so they come out perfect.

The bags are the biggest part of my job because I think it’s very important to recycle, so they don’t end up in landfill. And then the mine site people have got fresh new bags. So, they don’t have to keep buying bags.

I’m a hard worker. When it’s really busy I work through morning tea. I like to get the job done so I know it’s finished.

Safety is very important, so people don’t get injured. I always do the SAM thing: Spot the hazard, Assess the risk and Make the changes.

I always work safe. I’ve got my PPE. I’ve got my steel capped boots. I’ve got my gloves. I’ve got my safety glasses. My safety record is very good.  Over nineteen twenty years, I’ve never had an accident.

Tronox is a great place to work.  The people here are friendly, and I get along with everybody. I chat to people and have a laugh sometimes.

I really enjoy working here. I wanna keep working here as long as I can, so I can earn money, so I can go places.

I feel very happy and very proud working here for so long.  I started the recycling process 19 years ago. I’ve really made a difference and I’m very proud about it, cause it helps the environment, it doesn’t end up in landfill and it won’t kill the wildlife.

The Lives We Lead Worklife has been funded by the Department of Communities, Disability Services.
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