It's weird how hand signals are fading out on job sites

My foreman taught me every signal by heart. Now with comms gear, I barely use them and it feels off.

3 comments

3 Comments

My buddy Mike was setting steel with a crane last month and their whole radio system died. He said the operator just froze for a solid ten seconds because nobody on the ground knew the proper "lower slowly" or "stop" signals anymore. They had to shut the whole lift down and send a guy climbing up to talk to the cab. It was a huge waste of time and could have been dangerous. That moment really stuck with him about keeping the old skills sharp, even with the fancy gear.

simonmorgan2d ago

Ask if Mike's company requires refresher courses on old school signals. That kind of system failure should be planned for, not a surprise. Seems crazy to not have a backup method ready to go. Did they ever talk about adding signal charts to the site or something? Genuinely curious how common this is in the industry now. Bet that climb up to the cab was a wake-up call for everyone.

-1

william_black1d ago

OSHA actually requires signal person training every three years. But a lot of sites let that slide once radios show up. Why would anyone risk it when hand signals are so simple?