De vonk slaat over: Van bloemist tot lasser
Inspirerende verhalen zoals die van Maria Höök zijn een toonbeeld van moed en toewijding in de wereld van het lassen. Maria’s carrièreswitch van bloemist naar werkplaatsmonteur laat zien dat je met gepassioneerde toewijding alles kan bereiken. Haar carrière als lasser in de mechanische en hydraulische sector onderstreept het vitale belang van veiligheid op de werkplek.
Een sprong in het diepe en een bloeiende carrière
Maria Höök’s carrière als lasser begon met een verlangen naar verandering. Na jaren in een bloemenwinkel te hebben gewerkt, besloot ze een geheel nieuwe weg in te slaan, waarbij ze haar creativiteit de vrije loop kon laten en ze met haar handen kon werken. Maria blikt terug op haar beslissing en vertelt: "het werken in een bloemenwinkel begon me te vervelen, en dus besloot ik om iets nieuws te proberen. Ik wilde met mijn handen werken en iets creatiefs doen, dus zocht ik naar mogelijkheden om een nieuw vak te leren."
Deze zoektocht leidde naar een lasopleiding, waar Maria een gulden middenweg vond tussen haar liefde voor tuinieren en haar nieuwe interesse in laswerk. Het combineren van deze twee interesses werkte zeer inspirerend, en leidde uiteindelijk naar een bloeiende carrière.
Het gevarieerde en bevredigende beroep van lasser
Het werk van Maria Höök als lasser in een mechanische en hydraulische werkplaats is divers en veelzijdig. Op haar werkplek houdt men zich bezig met het repareren van machines en voertuigen, en met projecten op maat waarbij unieke materialen en producten voor de klanten worden gemaakt. Van het vervaardigen van onderdelen voor huisconstructies tot aan het maken van stalen balken, pijlers en op maat gemaakte voertuigonderdelen: elke dag weer worden Maria's vaardigheden op de proef gesteld.
"Mijn werk is zeer divers, waardoor ik me dagelijks kan bekwamen in de meest gangbare lastechnieken”, legt Maria uit. Door deze diversiteit blijft ze betrokken en kan ze haar vaardigheden voortdurend verbeteren. Elk project brengt immers nieuwe uitdagingen en groeimogelijkheden met zich mee.
Maria Höök
Welder and entrepreneur. Follow Marias inspiring and exciting journey on her Instagram - kvinnligsvetsare
A Love Affair with Safety Shoes and Work Gloves
We discovered you on Instagram since you 're using safety shoes from JALAS and welding gloves from TEGERA. How long have you been using these products?
- I’ve used TEGERA gloves right from the start of my welding career. I've tried other brands too through the years, but so many workplaces in this industry provide TEGERA gloves for their employees. And there is a very simple reason for that; it’s because they are absolutely superb and superior. Now that I am a freelancer, I invested in welding gloves from TEGERA and safety shoes from JALAS myself.
Which safety gloves do you use in your work?
- For welding I use TEGERA 130A. The long sleeves offers great dexterity, thick leather gives me superb protection. For other work around the workshop I use TEGERA 32 which is both cut resistant and heat resistant.
When I do assembly work I use my TEGERA 511 which makes it easy to grab and hold on to smaller objects.
Welding gloves are quite pricy, so I really appreciate the quality of TEGERA and the fact that these gloves have such a long lifespan. Quite a bit longer than other glove brands that I’ve tried out to be honest.
And what kind of safety shoes do you use at work?
- I’ve had some challenges finding a proper protection shoe that fits a woman's foot.
My JALAS 3358S has been great! I’ve had them every day at work for six months and I can hardly notice any wear whatsoever on them. It’s very durable since it is made completely of leather.
TEGERA Welding 130A
Protection and control all day
Welding glove in high-quality full-grain goatskin with Kevlar® seams.
TEGERA 32
Heat-resistant glove, fully lined, full grain goatskin of top quality, premium heat resistant cow split, cut resistance level...
TEGERA 511
A glove in goatskin with elastic cuff
A glove in full grain goatskin and cotton/polyester for many types of assembly work.
Welder Shoes
Unfortunately, we are phasing out Maria's favorite shoe, 3358S, but JALAS 1258 Heavy Duty is very similar. We also offer a wide range of welding shoes. JALAS 1228W is our most comfortable welding shoe ever and a big favorite among our customers.
JALAS Heavy Duty 1258
It’s all in the name
A tough safety shoe with highest level protection built for tough environments.
JALAS 1228W
Mid-cut boot with hidden BOA® Fit System
Our most comfortable and durable welding boot with the best possible protection.
Safety as the Cornerstone
In the welding industry, safety is of utmost importance. Maria understands this and takes significant precautions in her practice to maintain a safe work environment. Regular equipment maintenance, clearing the workspace of flammable materials, and utilizing proper safety gear are just a few measures she takes to protect herself and those around her.
What personal protective gear that you consider essential for your welding work, and from what type of injuries do they keep you protected?
-The strong UV light is a danger both for the eyes and the bare skin. The light is so strong that it easily creates burns. Therefore we use helmets with eye protection and we cover all bare skin with protective clothing. Heat and burning sparks are always occurring and obviously a danger to every part of your body. Again, the helmet, clothing, welding gloves and safety shoes are a must to protect yourself from that.
The hands are the most exposed to the heat which is why high quality safety gloves are crucial. And they need to be specially designed for welding with long sleeves and thick high quality leather.
Welder boots play a special important role in my workday too.
It protects my feet from burning sparks, but also from crushing injuries when heavy objects might drop on them. And last but not least, a good shoe provides support for my feet, back and basically my entire body throughout the day. Being a welder means being on your feet during the entire day. And that will quickly be tiring to your whole body if you use low grade shoes.
Strong levels of noise and hazardous smoke are two more risks to take in consideration. For that we use ear protection and a respiratory mask or portable smoke extraction devices.
Have you encountered any close calls or incidents during your career that made you realize the importance of safety precautions in welding?
- One time I was using a grinding machine, and at one point the machine slipped and did a recall up and back and hit my head. Luckily I was wearing my welding helmet with a full facial cover. If it wasn't for the helmet, that grinder would have hit my forehead.
Another time I had lifted a 6m long beam with the overhead crane. While I was lowering the beam, I miscalculated the distance and got my foot underneath it. The safety shoe took the hit and the most damage. Had I not been wearing those boots my foot would have been crushed. I got away with some pain. These two events have taught me to never compromise safety.
A Driving Force for Change
Maria Höök's impact extends beyond her work as a skilled welder. She actively advocates for more inclusive and supportive workplace cultures, particularly for women in the welding, mechanics, and metal industries.
-The blog I ran for some years put a spotlight on the somewhat more ugly side of this industry.
There are many stories about unequal conditions for men and women and even outright harassment on workplaces in this nicé of work. I’ve had friends who quit their jobs because of bad jargong, unacceptable behavior from colleagues and sadly, no support from the employer. It has been a male dominated industry for so long, and just like any other workplace that is dominated by either men or women, that unbalance will affect the overall jargong in a bad way.
I would say though, after MEETOO happened, there was significant change. I noticed that behavior among workers changed for the better. Employers got their shit together and started to work proactive for a better work conditions and working environment.
