Why nobody talks about snapping a crane cable at 60 feet up

I was skeptical when my coworker kept harping on checking our cables every single morning. Dude seemed paranoid about something that never happened to us in 5 years. Then last Tuesday on a job in downtown Phoenix, a frayed spot I barely noticed caught and snapped during a pick. If I hadn't double-checked it that morning, might've dropped a 2-ton steel beam on a busy street. Has anyone else had a close call with cable wear that snuck up on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.richard8d ago

Man, that's the kind of thing that sticks with you. I had a similar wakeup call a few years back when a cable on our boom truck let go just as we were setting down a load. Nothing major happened but it scared me straight on checking those cables like my life depends on it, because it basically does.

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abbychen8d ago

Saw this article the other day about how many crane accidents happen because of worn out cables that people just ignore. Crazy how something so small can be the difference between going home safe or not.