I still think hand-signaling is better than radios on tight picks

I know most guys around here swear by their two-way radios now, but I started crane work back in '98 at the Port of Baltimore and we did everything with hand signals. Last month I had to call in a favor when my radio died mid-lift on a steel beam job downtown. The guy on the ground and I fell right back into the old patterns, no static, no dead batteries, just clear signals. I get that radios are faster for long distances, but on a crowded site with noise bleed from every direction, I've seen more near misses from radio confusion than hand signals gone wrong. When you're working a boom within inches of a wall, I trust a good hand signal over a crackling voice any day. Does anyone still practice standard hand signals with their crew, or am I the last guy holding out?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.tyler26d agoMost Upvoted

@mila_perry13 nailed it, so what's your backup plan when the radio craps out mid-lift?

mila_perry1326d ago

Old habits die hard, just like my back after a 12 hour shift.