webb.keith•5d agoMost Upvoted

Showerthought: My old hand signals versus the new radio system

I ran a tower crane for a job in Portland last year where we used the standard hand signals, and then this spring on a different site they had us use a two-way radio with headsets. The difference was huge. With the radio, we moved about 15% more material per day because I could get clear confirmations and ask questions without anyone running around. On the Portland job, a misread signal from 20 stories up almost caused a rebar bundle to swing into the scaffold. Has anyone else's company made this switch, and how did your crew adjust?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth5d ago

Our safety guy in Houston said radios cut miscommunication incidents by 40 percent. The hand signals manual is outdated for high wind or long distances. The crew grumbled about the headsets at first but adapted in a week.

the_karen5d ago

Forty percent sounds like a made up number.