The day the load line snapped over the harbor in Portland, Maine

We were lifting a 12 ton concrete block onto a barge and the cable frayed mid-swing, sending it crashing into the water with a splash that soaked three guys on deck, and now I'm second-guessing every pre-lift inspection I ever rushed through, so has anyone else had a close call that made them change their whole routine?

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the_dakota11d ago

You ever notice how the sound of concrete hitting water is way louder than you think it's gonna be? I was on a dock in Galveston once, not even on the crane, just hauling lines, and a shackle pin sheared off a load of steel pipe. It missed a guy's head by maybe three feet, and he just stood there with this blank look while the whole deck fell silent. After that I started checking every pin, every cotter key, with my own hands instead of trusting the paperwork. Now I catch myself staring at the smallest nicks in cables like they're cracks in the earth.