Used to think hand signals were fine on short picks until the blind lift on 4th Ave

Vera Bennett · 2026-09-30T08:40:02.685966+00:00

Three weeks back I was doing a pick on a tight lot near 4th Ave, maybe 80 feet of hook height, and my guy on the ground was signaling me through a gap in the rebar. Halfway up he waved me left, I swung, and the load drifted toward an overhead line I never saw from the cab. I stopped, set it down, and radioed the super, and we switched to radios the rest of the day. Cost us about 45 minutes and a lot of sweat, but nothing hit anything. Now I won't do any pick I can't see without two-way comms, no matter how short the cycle is. How do you handle it when the ground man swears he can see fine and you can't?

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Used to think hand signals were fine on short picks until the blind lift on 4th Ave | Crane Operators - Chatter Central