This new guy on the site in Calgary tried to rush me on a 12-ton lift

We were setting steel for a warehouse addition, and I had the load over the spot. The foreman, this kid maybe 25, kept yelling up at my cab on the radio, 'Just drop it, it's fine!' I could see from 80 feet up that his guys weren't even lined up on the pins yet. I told him flat out, 'When I see the flag, I'll set it. Not before.' He got all red and said, 'You're holding up the whole crew.' I held my ground and waited the extra 90 seconds until they were actually ready. That load could have swung and crushed someone. It's not about speed, it's about going home. Has anyone else had to shut down a pushy foreman to keep the site safe?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.laura1mo ago

Good for you for holding your ground. That pressure from below is the worst, especially when you can see the whole picture from the cab. Had a similar thing years back with a concrete pour where the foreman wanted me to swing the bucket before the carpenters had the form braced. Told him the same thing, I move when the spotter says go, not before. They never thank you for it in the moment, but you sure sleep better at night.

singh.jessica1mo ago

I remember a job in Toledo where the super kept yelling up at me to lift a steel beam before the connectors were ready. I just pointed at my spotter and shrugged, like sorry pal, my hands are tied. You're right, Laura, they never do thank you in the moment. It's always grumbles about holding up the schedule. But I'd rather hear grumbling than the sound of an ambulance showing up. That's the only thank you that really matters in this line of work.