Secrets of your trade.

[Confusedfornow]

I have worked in my current area of expertise for the last 20 years or so. It's in Aviation, can't say exactly what or for who as it's a relatively small community (for my role) and it would be VERY outing. Before this, my only other "job" that I did for a few years was dancing (yes, that kind ). So I don't have massive experience of the world of work.

But I was chatting with some people in a bar over the weekend and conversation turned to jobs and then to my role. I was telling them about some stuff which is perfectly normal to me, but was absolutely news to them.

For instance . .

When a plane is "parked" and everything is switched off, the aircraft is referred to as being "Cold and dark".

If a helicopter has engine failure, it won't just fall out of the sky. The pilots are trained in a procedure called "autorotation" and can usually land safely even if the engine isn't running at all.

All British Airways flights use the call sign "Speed Bird". It's unique and no other airline in the world uses it.

Last one . .

Pilots can't wear polarised sunglasses. They make the electronic displays on the flight deck appear black, and you can't read any information from them.



So, what do you know from your jobs that is mundane for you but which most people wouldn't have a clue/be surprised by?

[YorkshireCurly]

I work in a water analysis lab. UK tap water standards and regulations are stricter than the bottled water regulations. Spring and mineral waters are regulated as you where they come from, but just bottled water can be as simple as tap water put in a bottle. (This is what coca cola were doing with dsani water in the UK before they pulled the brand after a PR and treatment disaster).

[Smotheroffive]

Water analysis, hmm, so when I tested my tap water for nitrates and nitrites it was too high to use in the fish tank, I didn't find the bottle water high. So I don't understand. Does it make sense to you?

[MadameFoner]

I work in Sexual Health. We don't care about the look or lack of your pubic hair! We also don't care about the amount of sexual partners you have had or your sexual kinks. It's more important that you give us the right / truthful info so we can test or treat correctly.
All NHS have patient experience forms and these do get read dealt with whether good or bad so it's always worth filling one in or asking for one. If it's a praise and we are named it goes on our HR file, so it's always nice to get one of these forms back.

[TripeAtFourPence]

When we remove a child we ask the rspca to remove the pets. They don't always and are quite useless.

Am still reading the thread but this has made me sad!

I also wanted to ask the nurses, a few have said they used to lay a flower on a deceased patient but that they aren't allowed to anymore. Why aren't you allowed??
Your stories of caring for deceased patients have been so very touching and I'm sure a comfort to many of us who've lost a loved one, so thank you!

And I am never eating Chinese take away again 🤢

[Jaspermcsween]

Thank you for your kindness Helen.

I may start my own thread about this in 30 days only.
I need to process it.

[BitOfFun]

What isn't random about random drug tests, please? In what context?

[Prequelle]

tripe the official line is that having flowers on the ward is 'against infection control'. Something to do with the water, and some folk are allergic

[Shookethtothecore]

@snuggle I agree with you completely and totally understand what you mean. I think you are right

[FrozenMargarita17]

Yes about the patient experience forms per Pp. I was admin for complaints in an nhs trust and they thoroughly investigated and dealt with every complaint and thanked staff directly for compliments. It was heartening to see that the managers and directors do actually care and want to improve.

[MillyMollyMandie]

Treat for teaching staff or cupcakes I spent ages on?! Head actually stopped me and asked for recipe of a tray bake I made - I’m now gutted but impressed at her acting skills! What a waste of cash!!

My daughters a teacher and she’s very happy to eat the cakes and other food items she’s given. So are her collegues. I’m also happy to eat what she’s given and there’s two parents in particular who are fabulous bakers and I look forward to their cakes every year.

[MillyMollyMandie]

For the person upthread who said the foster carers threw out the 17 year old. My mum still has 2 mid 30’s adults living with her as they have learning difficulties and couldn’t live alone, yet there is no social services provision for them as they aren’t “bad enough”. She doesn’t get paid for this!

Your mum is lovely.

[Meretricious]

I’m a civil servant. Over the 27 years I’ve worked in various government departments I could name about 20 people who literally did nothing all day.

[FATEdestiny]

Blatant placemark to read properly later.

[Allergictoironing]

Water analysis, hmm, so when I tested my tap water for nitrates and nitrites it was too high to use in the fish tank, I didn't find the bottle water high. So I don't understand. Does it make sense to you?

There's an awful lot more to water analysis than nitrates, and what's OK for people may not be OK for fish (and vice versa). I too worked in water analysis in what was then a government department (35 years ago!) and there was a massive range of things that were tested for, and I remember being told that bottled water didn't have to stick to the same standards as tap water.

Some of the issues we found were quite scary e.g. the time SW Water managed to get aluminium contamination in the supply & people's hair was turning green, or the time someone put heating flush in the wrong tank in the roof in a building and someone filled a kettle from the wrong tank (hospitalised, but survived).

One lesson I took was whenever you're in an older building that has taps marked as drinking water, never EVER use any other taps for drinking or washing cups/food items. The drinking water taps will be mains water and the others will be from a tank in the roof and only intended for washing hands etc, and all sorts of stuff can get into those tanks (dead pigeon anyone? ).

[hmwhatsmynameagain]

@BitOfFun random drugs tests are usually carried out when there is suspicion but not enough evidence for a 'with cause' test. IME not just the suspected person is tested so it could be random for the none suspected persons to be tested at the same time.

[LilyMumsnet]

Hi all,

We're going to move this over to classics - thanks for the nominations!

[Lorddenning1]

I work in the offshore oil industry, an oil company will buy miles of the sea bed and then look for oil, when they find it, they drill it and it can be plugged for 10-20 years before they produce it.
The North Sea has very strict environmental rules, if a product may be a smidge bad for the environment, it cannot be dispersed in the sea, Norwegians are very straight laced and direct.

[Confusedfornow]

Classics! OMG! Thank you so much

Feel like I should make some sort of speech!

[Triglesoffy]

Well, go ahead... as long as it’s a secret insider speech!

[ChrisPrattsFace]

Another vet nurse here!
We seriously do care for every pet that comes in, owners shouldn’t worry about leaving them for the day. We honesty try our best for every patient, try and keep costs as low as we can. (While still trying to cover the costs of everything used!)
Someone else said there is nothing sinister with your pet being ‘taken through the back’ - that’s correct, a lot of pets behave very differently away from owners. Equally, a lot are better with their owners. We can be quick and efficient, rather than wiggle/wrestle and make it uncomfortable for the pet in front of the owner.
If your pet is aggressive, it doesn’t get treated any different (by me anyways) ... we may be limited with some things we can do - but overall we even love the naughty ones. (And we don’t take difficult animals personally)
Same as our human nurses - when the pets die, we still talk to them, clean them up, carry them and prepare them with respect. We often say bye to them as they go into cold storage too.
Also - I’m a little different to other nurses because euthanasia part is one of my ‘favourite’ Parts as such, I like that I can be there, a kind face and comfort in last moments, especially if owners don’t want to be there. It gives me huge comfort, and I’m often the main euthanasia nurse in my practice.
We also like cards with our name on, most cards come through like ‘to John and the team’ even when ‘John’ has had nothing to do with the animal for three years.

[NarcissistMum]

Lorddenning1 That’s interesting! Who do they buy the land from? From an individual country/government?How far out from a coastline does a country ‘own’ a seabed?

[pinkoneblueone]

Polymere does that mean using official fuel garages are better to use? as I am now worried I have been damaging my car buy using supermarket fuel.

[Beautga]

To mllie Mollie Mandy your mum is the kind of person who makes a difference and makes the world a nicer place.Not like the so many oxygen stealers we here about

[ihatethecold]

When the Westminster attack happened the Armoury (place where the guns are securely kept) ran out of guns.

[HerRoyalFattyness]

Love this thread.

Just in reply to a pp, im a nursery nurse and we are never ever over ratio or left alone, and we have cctv in the building to protect the children and the staff.
If your sister is left with more children than allowed, I'd say she isn't in a good nursery. (Not saying the staff are rubbish. Management shouldn't allow that to happen though)

Secrets... erm... we try and find celebrity look alikes for your babies. Sometimes it ends up being a cartoon character.