Welcome to The Work Day, a series that charts a single day in various women’s working lives — from gallery owners to stay-at-home parents to chief executives. In this installment, we hear from senior construction foreman Karla Mejia, who recorded a workday in December.
Name: Karla Mejia
Age: 45
Location: Manassas, Va.
Job title/current role: Senior construction foreman
Previous jobs: I have been in the construction industry for 20 years. I was a laborer for 10 years before becoming a foreman. Five years later, I was promoted to senior foreman and have been in that position for five years.
What led me to my current role: I started in the construction industry because it paid well. Before being a construction laborer, I was working two jobs to make ends meet. Even though I started out for the money, working construction has been very rewarding. I help make the world a better place by building roads and bridges for people in the community. It took hard work, perseverance and responsibility to work my way up from a laborer to a senior foreman, especially as a woman. Several of my previous supervisors inspired and encouraged me to be a good leader and to learn something new every day. Another inspiration is my daughter. I like to be an example for her — “Women can do it, too!”
How I spend the majority of my workday: There are thousands of activities that go into building a road, and every day is different. Some days, my crew and I work near traffic, removing or placing barriers to protect workers and the traveling public. Other days, we work on erosion and sediment control, grading berms, ditches and ponds to divert water and protect the environment from sediment created by our worksite. We also unload deliveries — large concrete drainage pipes or bundles of bridge reinforcement bars — and place stone gravel for retaining walls and beneath the roadway pavement. All these activities are necessary to build a road. But the most important part of my job is making sure everyone on my crew is safe and makes it home to their families every night.
My workday:
5 a.m.: Wake up to get ready for work. I shower, brush my teeth and comb my hair. I make coffee to take to work and pack some snacks and lunch for me and my daughter.
6 a.m.: I have a 15- to 20-minute drive to work.
6:30 a.m.: Phone meeting with the superintendent to get the assignment for the day. Today we will be placing fill on the east side of the project.
7 a.m.: Safety meeting with my crew of two operators and two laborers. This is the most important part of the day. I discussed safety practices for fill operations. There will be 60 to 70 dump trucks backing up and dumping loads of dirt to our site in a narrow area. We must stay alert at all times to protect inspectors, subcontractors and others who come to visit our operation.
7:15 a.m.: My crew prepares for the roadway fill operation by starting the bulldozer and compaction roller. The laborers prepare to direct and be spotters for the dump trucks backing to the fill area and receive haul tickets to keep track of the quantity of dirt that is brought in. I call to make sure the trucks will be arriving on time.
7:25 a.m.: The first truck arrives at the site, followed by several others. I make sure the crew is directing the trucks to dump the material in the correct area and that the dozer operator is grading the fill properly. The laborers help pull any miscellaneous debris out of the fill, like plastic pipes or rebar, which are not good for the fill. The roller operator uses a sheep’s foot roller to compact the fill, which creates a sturdy base for the roadway. Today, it is very crowded and congested. There isn’t much room for the dump trucks, so I have to make sure my crew is efficient at getting the trucks to dump and move out on the road again. It is also very dry and dusty, so I call the water truck to spray down the area to keep the dust down.
Noon: My crew takes lunch in between the trucks. They tend to come 10 to 15 at a time, and then there will be about 20 minutes of down time before the next group arrives.
4:55 p.m.: I receive a call that the last truck has been sent to the site.
5:30 p.m.: The last truck dumps and leaves. I direct the dozer operator to finish grading and the roller operator to use a smooth drum roller to seal the site. The smooth drum creates a smooth surface so any rain that falls will run off the fill instead of seep into it. I direct the laborers to fix the silt fence that was damaged by a rock. I use my iPad to fill in timecards with today’s quantity, equipment and labor hours and other notes the office needs to know about today.
6 p.m.: I thank everyone for the productive, safe day we had. Then we all head home.
6:20 p.m.: Arrive home. I check on my daughter and how her school day went and help her with homework while I cook dinner. After dinner I clean up and get ready for the next day.
9:30 p.m.: Time for bed.
