In the Heart of the Heat — My Construction Site Awakening
It has always been my wish to experience firsthand what it felt like to work on a construction site—to know the weight of the sun on my back as I laid cables, hoisted steel beams, poured concrete, or climbed scaffolding. My job as a Health and Safety Officer granted me this wish in more ways than one.
I was there not just as a bystander or desk-bound administrator, but as someone who walked the same gravel and mud, inhaled the same dust, and sweated in the same heat as the laborers and riggers. I observed, I advised, and I reminded. And all the while, I sketched.
One of my most memorable experiences was watching the piling process, from the ground up—how steel and concrete disappear into the earth to form the silent foundation of a towering future. Above is one of my sketches from those moments—lines drawn under the blazing sun, quick and true.
The movement of massive structures across the site was a spectacle unto itself. Hauling such colossal components required true masters of the craft—drivers of lowboys and trailers, people with nerves of steel and precision in every turn. Their skill was art in motion.
I had the privilege of working with Van Seumerren RomStar, a Dutch-based heavy lifting company regarded as one of the best in the world. My direct superior, John Derrick, was a British manager and one of the finest I ever served under. He understood men, machines, and mission—and managed all three with an effortless grace.
The construction of the Petronas Refinery was a monumental undertaking. It was technical, intense, and executed with the finest minds and hands in the industry. It wasn’t just a job site; it was a dance of machinery, manpower, and pure logistical genius.
At the helm of the entire safety operation was a man named Steve Morton, a no-nonsense specialist who took his role with the utmost seriousness. His motto—always said with calm intensity—was “Let’s Make It Happen.” And we did.
Throughout my time on site, more than ten Safety Officers came and went, each bringing their own style, background, and philosophy. But in the end, it was Steve who had the final say. Under his watch, we held the line—not just for policy’s sake, but for the lives and limbs of those who made the refinery rise from the earth.
It has always been my wish to experience firsthand what it felt like to work on a construction site—to know the weight of the sun on my back as I laid cables, hoisted steel beams, poured concrete, or climbed scaffolding. My job as a Health and Safety Officer granted me this wish in more ways than one.
I was there not just as a bystander or desk-bound administrator, but as someone who walked the same gravel and mud, inhaled the same dust, and sweated in the same heat as the laborers and riggers. I observed, I advised, and I reminded. And all the while, I sketched.
One of my most memorable experiences was watching the piling process, from the ground up—how steel and concrete disappear into the earth to form the silent foundation of a towering future. Above is one of my sketches from those moments—lines drawn under the blazing sun, quick and true.
The movement of massive structures across the site was a spectacle unto itself. Hauling such colossal components required true masters of the craft—drivers of lowboys and trailers, people with nerves of steel and precision in every turn. Their skill was art in motion.
I had the privilege of working with Van Seumerren RomStar, a Dutch-based heavy lifting company regarded as one of the best in the world. My direct superior, John Derrick, was a British manager and one of the finest I ever served under. He understood men, machines, and mission—and managed all three with an effortless grace.
The construction of the Petronas Refinery was a monumental undertaking. It was technical, intense, and executed with the finest minds and hands in the industry. It wasn’t just a job site; it was a dance of machinery, manpower, and pure logistical genius.
At the helm of the entire safety operation was a man named Steve Morton, a no-nonsense specialist who took his role with the utmost seriousness. His motto—always said with calm intensity—was “Let’s Make It Happen.” And we did.
#ConstructionLife #PetronasRefinery #HeavyLifting #SiteAwakening #HealthAndSafety #BuildingTheFuture #MenAtWork #ConstructionArt #SteelAndConcrete #LogisticsGenius #VanSeumerrenRomStar #MachineryInMotion #SafetyFirst #WorkingWithPassion #ConstructionSketches #UnderTheSun #DutiesOfSafety #LifeOnTheSite #Let’sMakeItHappen #MastersofCraf
Throughout my time on site, more than ten Safety Officers came and went, each bringing their own style, background, and philosophy. But in the end, it was Steve who had the final say. Under his watch, we held the line—not just for policy’s sake, but for the lives and limbs of those who made the refinery rise from the earth.
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