Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about hand signals for years

For my first five years on a tower crane in Chicago, I thought I could get by with just the radio. I saw a guy drop a load because his radio cut out and the signalman was waving like crazy. That was two years ago. Now I make sure my whole crew knows the basic signals cold, and we drill them every Monday morning. How many of you still rely only on the radio?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica_miller5d ago

Good on you for drilling the signals, that's smart. Just a heads up though, calling them 'basic' signals might give the wrong idea to some new guys reading this. The full set isn't just a few gestures, it's a whole language for every move. Relying only on the radio is asking for trouble, but only knowing a couple hand signs isn't much better. Everyone needs the full picture to stay safe.

maryh965d ago

See this with everything, right @jessica_miller?

michael_bennett115d ago

Tell Maryh96 she's right, it's everywhere... like people who think a fire extinguisher is just for show. Drilling the full set is the only way to make it stick, not just the easy ones. Anything less is just playing pretend with safety.