Finally realized my hand signals were backwards after a new guy on the site in Tacoma asked me to confirm a 'swing left'

I'd been using the old 'point where you want it to go' method for years, but the official signal is actually a closed fist with your thumb pointing in the direction of swing, which clicked for me when the rookie asked for clarity and I had to look it up in the manual.

3 comments

3 Comments

derek993mo ago

Man, I did the exact same thing for ages, just pointing where the load should go. It made perfect sense in my head. That new guy asking for a check actually did you a favor, because having to crack the book open is what finally made it stick for me too. The official thumb method is way clearer once you get used to it, especially from a distance. Funny how the rookie ends up teaching the old hand a new trick.

the_kevin1mo agoTop Commenter

That one time in '09 I watched a seasoned operator @derek99 signal a crane with just his pinky finger out and somehow that forty foot steel beam landed perfect between two pipes. We still joke about it to this day. But yeah the thumb method is legit once you stop overthinking it. Just takes a few reps to override the muscle memory.

sullivan.abby3mo ago

Gotta hard disagree on the thumb method being clearer. Pointing directly at the spot you want the load to move is the most natural and instant communication there is. That closed fist with a thumb just adds an extra step for everyone's brain to process. The book might say one thing, but on the ground, if your crew understands your pointing and it gets the job done safe, that's the real standard. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.