"From the position of a gas and pressure equipment inspection technician, through his many years of hard work, education and gaining practical experience, Jozef has developed into one of the most important experts in the demanding field of dedicated technical equipment and related legislation." "He is an important part of our entire department (Dedicated Technological Equipment) and the team of experts from various fields in inspecting, assessing and evaluating equipment from a safety perspective, in accordance with legislative requirements," said Peter Antal, director of the department, about his colleague Jozef Hribík, who was awarded the honorary badge of the Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic for Loyal Service last Friday.
Jozef Hribík been working in our plant since 1980. “When I started,” he says, “a team was just being formed focused on gas equipment repairs. I got into that group, and I’ve been moving around and “hanging around” around gas equipment since the beginning. It’s quite dangerous, but also very interesting job. We must be very careful not to make any "mistakes", because all it takes is a mix-up and disaster can happen."
The extended hand of the government's control body
He is currently the head of the department of inspection technicians for gas and pressure equipment and is also the coordinator for gas equipment repairs within the USSK. He also solves everything necessary from a legislative perspective, because inspection technicians are an extended arm of the government control authority. From a legislative perspective, they ensure that the equipment functions as it should, so that it is capable of safe operation. It is also the manager of internal regulations and work guidelines for gas and pressure equipment and at the same time a co-creator of the information and distribution system for inspection and inspection reports in our company.
When asked if he ever wanted to change jobs, he answered as follows: “Yes, I thought about it, after finishing my military service I wanted to go to work in the civil service, where I was hired. Fate shuffled the cards so that everything turned in a different direction and I stayed here. I don't regret it, thanks to my superiors at the time, I stayed in the position I had before. They believed in me. They knew that when I started something, I would go all the way.”
Three pillars of life
And his words were also confirmed by Peter Antal: If Jozef is passionate about a job, he won't let it go until he's finished. He's very precise, but he can also be very explosive. If you allow yourself to ignore this good-natured man, he can draw attention to himself noisily. Jozef's three pillars of life: in addition to his family and work, he loves treats - especially pancakes and Kofola (popular Slovak soft drink)."
Is Peter Antal right about the other two pillars? "Definitely yes. I really have a sweet tooth; I especially like pancakes and Kofola. And my family comes first, which is above all else. I come from nine siblings. I have three children. None of them chose my path; they lean more towards my wife's career. "My wife is a nurse, my oldest daughter is a doctor, my youngest studied physiotherapy and my son is a pharmacist.” They are proud of the award that Jozef received, and he was also very pleasantly surprised.
He doesn't have a lawn, a swimming pool or a robotic lawnmower.
The biggest hobby and relaxation for Jozef Hribík and his family is the garden, where they can grow everything, they need to be self-sufficient – vegetables, potatoes and fruits. There are only two people on the entire street who have such a hobby. The others have lawns, swimming pools and robotic lawnmowers at their houses. "I am satisfied when I go out into the garden and pick fresh fruits, get fresh vegetables. That is a delight when I know that no chemicals were used in it. We have enough chemicals in other products," he says. And after all, what else could one expect in a family where medical professions prevail.
Photo: Ján Kisucký
