How to efficiently load trailers as a female when the rest of the co-workers are male with different strengths?
The Problem:
Men use their muscles differently than females. I was the only female in the department loading trailers. My first day was also a crazy day because my trainer was also covering the desk and anything that can go wrong did. So he showed me how to log into my gun, open my trailer, put down the dock plate, pull the conveyor belt in… and then he was gone helping fix all the problems. This is how my whole first week went.
The Solution:
For the first week I asked every guy that had free time for advice. Then I would observe them whenever I had a few minutes. I also looked up company policies on how we should be lifting (lift in the green zone, don’t carry for long distances, etc.). Then I practiced to see what works. Each person loaded the trailers differently, however, since they were males they used their muscles to their full advantage. I borrowed some part of what each of the guys did to increase my efficiency.
Results:
I found that if I followed all of the company policies on lifting and loading, put big and heavy boxes on the bottom, and have a plan for where my boxes went I went much faster. I could not lift the heavy boxes up high like the guys, however, my trailers were always neat, tight, and easily transported with heavy boxes on bottom and lighter boxes on top and smaller boxes filling in empty spaces. Once I had a plan for how to load safely, speed and extra muscles came with practice and time.