Rant: I thought everyone knew the hand signal for 'stop'

I was on a site in Tacoma last month and saw a spotter waving both arms in a big X over his head. The operator on a 150-ton mobile crane kept hoisting. The foreman had to run over and yell. That signal is for 'emergency stop', not just 'stop'. The regular stop is a flat hand, palm down. It matters because an emergency means drop the load now. How many of you have seen this mix-up happen?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_gonzalez11d ago

Tell me about it. Watched a new guy at a lumber yard use a frantic spinning motion for "slow down" while a forklift driver just stared. These signals only work if we all learn the same ones, right?

emery_craig11d ago

That "big X over his head" thing. It's everywhere now. People just make up their own signals. Like at a crosswalk, someone will do a weird wave instead of pointing. Or in a warehouse, two guys using totally different hand signs for "go left." Feels like common sense got lost. Basic stuff needs to be basic for a reason. That crane story is scary because it shows the system breaks when people wing it.