Loading…
2
Just changed my mind on hand signals after a close call on a windy job in Amarillo
I used to think hand signals were fine for anything short and simple, especially when the radio was acting up or the ground guy was right there in view. Two weeks ago I was setting a 40 foot I-beam on a tilt-up job outside Amarillo, wind gusting around 25 mph, and my spotter gave me a signal I read as boom down. I started booming down and felt the load drift on me, and thank god I caught it and stopped. Turns out he meant boom down slow plus swing, and the wind was pushing the beam harder than either of us could tell from where we stood. We had a 15 minute talk after that, and I told him from now on the radio gets a fresh battery before the pick no matter what. I also started repeating every signal back over the radio before I move a lever, which sounds slow but it has already caught two mix ups. Anyone else work with a crew that swears by hand signals only, and how do you handle it when the wind starts talking louder than the spotter?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
morgan32924d ago
25 mph in Amarillo is no joke, and hand signals plus wind is asking for trouble. Radio with a fresh battery every time, no exceptions.
8