That Tuesday in July still haunts me - worst shift of my career

We were setting a 90 ton cooling tower on a hospital rooftop in Phoenix. Wind was fine, ground was stable, but the rigging guy used a shackle that was 3/4 inch instead of 1 inch. I felt the load shift about 40 feet up and had to abort the lift last second. Tower swung hard and clipped a ventilation unit, cost the company $12k in damage. Has anyone else had a near miss because someone grabbed the wrong gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_rivera1mo ago

Was that rigging guy your normal guy or a temp? I always wonder if it's lack of training or just being in too big a hurry that causes those mix-ups.

jessicaw111mo ago

A guy I used to haul with told me he saw a stage collapse at a festival once and everyone blamed the rigging crew but turns out the venue had swapped their regular guys for some budget temp outfit at the last minute. In my experience that rush to save a buck or meet a deadline is what causes most of these screwups, not the workers themselves. Your mileage may vary but I've seen it happen way too many times where corners get cut and then someone else takes the heat.