A Day In The Life: Russell Miller

On the Frontline

MPW’s technicians are the company’s frontline workers. They’re the people who go to the site and physically do the work. And it can be dirty job. “Once at Mansfield I was waterjetting underneath rollers,” said Technician Russell Miller. “I was wearing a paper suit, and when I finished I was covered in grease from head to toe.”

Miller, who joined MPW in 2010, is one of the company’s more seasoned technicians, and he’s very effective in many situations where his experience and expertise are necessary. “We try to use the automated equipment as much as we can, but in some situations we can’t,” he said. “That’s when you have to get in there and do it manually.”

Especially under those circumstances, safety is everything. “You have to pay attention to what you’re doing and the others around you,” Miller said. “You don’t want to get cut with a water blaster or stuck at the end of a vac hose.”

Being a technician is inherently dangerous and the extreme focus on safety between co-workers is a factor in why MPW’s technicians are a tight-knit group. Miller said one of the best parts of being a technician—other than keeping his bills paid—is the people he works with. In fact, he left MPW for a couple years, but a co-worker convinced him to return in 2022.

Most days for MPW technicians actually begin at the end of day when they receive their work assignments for the next day. Miller said technicians begin arriving for work at about 5:30 a.m. They’ll speak with their supervisor, gather all the equipment they need and head to the site. Once they get there, they’ll go over any safety concerns and meet with the customer.

“After getting set up at the site, we do the job and then head back to the shop,” Miller said. Of course, the technicians have to tear everything down before leaving a single-day job, but some jobs last for several days and for several shifts.

Many technicians, like Miller, enjoy never knowing where the next job will be or what they’ll be doing. “You can’t be claustrophobic, and you can’t be afraid of heights,” he said. “It may be a steel mill today and working at a plastics plant tomorrow. That’s what keeps it interesting.” The variety helps save technicians from job burnout and they experience many different industrial processes.

The best advice Miller can give new hires is don’t be afraid to start the job once on site. “A lot of it is on-the-job training,” he said. “But you end up learning water blasting, dry ice blasting, vac work and power washing.” Although there is plenty of classroom training available, being an MPW technician is a niche position requiring very unique skills.

“This is a very different type of work than what most people do,” Miller said. “It’s a lot more difficult than it would look to someone just coming in off the street. You’re going to learn as you go.”

When he’s not on the job, Miller enjoys fishing, shooting guns and playing billiards.

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