PSA: A gust of wind on the Seattle waterfront almost turned my day around

I was working a 120-ton crawler near Pier 86 last month, moving a steel beam about 60 feet up. A sudden gust off the water caught the load and started it swinging toward the crew's tool trailer. I had to drop the load line fast and swing the boom the other way to counter it, which worked but put a real strain on the rigging. Has anyone else had a close call with wind that made you change your setup for the day?

3 comments

3 Comments

benc5322d ago

Respectfully, that sounds like an overreaction. Wind is just part of the job on any waterfront. Changing your whole setup for one gust seems like a waste of good work time. Properly rated gear should handle that stress without a second thought. If you plan for every little breeze, you will never get anything done. Sometimes you just have to trust your equipment and keep moving.

logan70522d ago

Pier 86 wind is no joke, I used to think I could muscle through it.

hernandez.emma14d ago

My cousin worked on the 32nd floor of a new build downtown, and the crew had to stop work for three days straight because of high winds. It's the same thing, acting like any pause for safety is a personal failure. I see it with people driving through flooded roads too, this weird idea that stopping means you're weak. Sometimes the environment wins, and pretending it doesn't is how people get hurt.