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A rookie in Tacoma asked me why I always double check the hook latch

I was finishing a lift on a rainy Tuesday and this new guy on the crew just pointed at it and said, 'Is that really necessary every single time?' I told him about the time a latch I didn't see failed and dropped a 2-ton concrete bucket, just missing a guy's truck. Do you have a small habit that's saved you from a bigger problem?
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3 Comments
casey843
casey8431mo ago
Always check the hook. I do a visual and a physical tug on the latch before any lift goes up. It takes two seconds and it's saved my butt more than once when something looked closed but wasn't seated right.
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davis.linda
That "looked closed but wasn't seated right" thing is so real. I've seen latches that seemed fine until you put any side pressure on them. The tug test is the only way to be sure.
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the_james
the_james1mo ago
That tug test saved my hands once when a latch popped open on a 3 ton beam. Takes two seconds, worth every bit of it.
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