Saw something odd at a job site in Tacoma last Tuesday

I was running a Grove RT540E at a warehouse expansion near the port, and I noticed the new operators keep craning the load before the tagline person is set. It's like they're in a hurry to get the hook in the air without a clear signal. Anyone else see this rush happening more often lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_fisher282mo ago

NO signal? That's just asking for a disaster.

beth_baker692mo ago

True that @julia_fisher28, I used to be one of those guys who thought speed was everything. I remember my first week on a Grove RT540E I was rushing so bad I almost put a load through a wall. But after watching a few close calls where the tagline guy got yanked off balance I totally flipped my mindset. Now I won't move the hook until I see that hand signal or at least hear the radio confirmation. It's not worth saving 30 seconds if someone ends up in the hospital. That rush is gonna get somebody killed if it keeps up.

troy_owens10d ago

Yeah @beth_baker69 I've seen that same thing play out on site more than once. A guy I worked with on a job near Portland had a tagline worker get his foot run over because the operator was in a hurry and didn't wait for the all-clear. The guy was laid up for two months, and for what? Maybe 45 seconds of time saved on the lift. Speed doesn't mean much when you're filling out incident reports and explaining to OSHA why somebody got hurt. Can't fix a broken back with a fast cycle time if you ask me.