Debate: Hand signals vs radios for crane communication, which one do you trust more?

I've been running a Grove RT in Seattle and had a spotter who swears by hand signals, but yesterday a new guy on site used a radio and it felt way faster. On a tight job with 8 ton loads and blind corners, which method do you guys think keeps things safer?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielhenderson1mo ago

Carr says radios win on blind corners but honestly, how often are you really doing a full blind lift where you can't see your spotter at all? Seems like a lot of people overthink this whole "critical safety" thing for routine jobs.

carr.brooke1mo ago

Hand signals are fine for basic stuff but radios win every time on a blind corner job. You can't wave your arms around a building and expect the operator to see it. Radios let you talk through the whole move step by step, which cuts down on guesswork. Only downside is if the batteries die or the channel gets crowded, but a backup set of hands keeps that covered.