Heard a story about a load shift from a guy in Cleveland

Was grabbing coffee before a job and this older operator was telling his crew about a lift that went sideways on a site in Cleveland last year. He said the wind picked up just as they were setting a 12-ton HVAC unit, and the tag lines weren't tight enough. The whole thing started to swing. He said the key was he didn't panic, just held the load steady and waited for the crew to get control. Made me realize how much of this job is about staying calm when things get weird. What's the closest call you've had where staying cool saved the day?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinnbailey1d ago

Man, that reminds me of my buddy who had a cable start to slip on a beam. He just talked his guy through lowering it slow instead of jerking the controls. That calm voice kept everyone from rushing and making it worse. It's crazy how not freaking out is half the job sometimes.

drew_jenkins541d ago

I get what you're saying, but that calm voice only works if the other guy listens. My cousin had a similar thing happen, and his spotter just froze up. Sometimes you gotta yell to snap people out of panic, lol.