Wearing my Steel Blue boots on the crane.
Jessica Bruintjes, crane operator at Ridderkerks Kraanwagenbedrijf.
At the age of 18 when Jessica just had her driver’s license for a week, she decided to go straight on to her truck and crane license. She has now been a crane operator for 10 years and is the third-generation in the family business led by her parents.
As a kid, Jessica saw her mother working at the office – that wasn’t her cup of tea. Jessica dreamed of working in television. But when she got a bit older she told her parents at one point: I want to come work for you! Her mother responded “but we don’t need anyone in the office” – she didn’t think for a second that Jessica wanted to be on the crane, Jessica explains.
"Almost no women were doing this work at the time. It was cold and snowing so my father said 'let her come join for a month, she'll be over it in no time.' But I persevered and enjoyed it a lot, so I got all my papers in one go and got to work on my own crane."
The first moment Jessica stepped onto a crane it was such a powerful feeling and she was hooked instantly. When she talks about that feeling of freedom and the responsibility to work with such a huge machine, her face glows with pride and joy.
It wasn’t always easy. She started out as a modest and shy girl and had to grow up quickly and find her confidence in a man’s world.
Jessica had tricks played on her and the team joked about sometimes because well, that’s just what men do – she learned that quickly, especially in construction. Her new colleague crane operators knew her already, because she had been walking around the family business for some time. They enjoyed sharing their knowledge with her and training her on crane operation techniques.
Out on the field, the older generation did make remarks: ‘girl, just go back to the kitchen sink’ or ‘I’m definitely not working with her‘. Now more and more women are working in construction and fortunately these comments are much less common.
Now everywhere she goes people know Jessica and even ask why she isn’t there when one of her colleagues arrives at a job. It can be a harsh world, but men are gentler with women. As a woman in a man’s world she knows she also has something extra to offer – which is communication. Men can be quite blunt, women communicate with a little more sensibility.
Jessica visits all different kinds of places with her crane. For example, she is regularly called up in the middle of the night to help in the port of Rotterdam. She helps ships that have been damaged, for example after an attack by pirates.
Other times, the cranes are at festivals helping to build stages or hoist a frame on which fireworks are set off. At one point, Jessica has been working on a film set, holding up a green canvas, quite a different world compared with a construction site!
She actually likes the difficult jobs the most – where dexterity and technique are important. She once had to work with a large crane on the Damrak (right at the heart of downtown Amsterdam), it’s amazing if you manage to manoeuvre that machine safely through the city centre, she tells us proudly.
At all those different sites and locations, one thing is always key: safety. Jessica is wearing the Southern Cross Pink. These S3 women’s work boots are made on specific women’s lasts, designed specifically for the shape of a woman’s foot.
Jessica has previously had problems with her back. A day on the crane will often start at 6 a.m. and can go on until 5 p.m., so she’ll be out wearing her work boots for 11 hours straight. Good shoes can make a big difference for your body which can affect your whole day: your energy, your mood and your work ethic. Jessica’s tip for fellow women in the construction industry is: “don’t skimp on your work clothes! Choose quality and a good fit. Only if you feel comfortable, you can excel at your job.”
Follow Jessica on https://www.instagram.com/jessicabruintjes/
