Old timer on a job site in Phoenix told me to stop leaning on my rig controls

He walked over and said 'that lever is not a armrest, kid' and after I saw his load swing because my body weight bumped the joystick I never put my elbow on the panel again, anyone else pick up bad habits from getting too comfortable in the cab?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_henderson3629d agoMost Upvoted

Buddy of mine nearly dropped a bucket on his foreman doing that.

karen_sanchez4929d ago

Wow, I honestly never thought about it like that. But you know what else could go wrong? If the rope or strap on that bucket got wrapped around something on the way up, it could snag and swing sideways real fast. That's how you end up with a bucket hitting someone in the face instead of dropping straight down. Plus if they're using a metal bucket and it hits scaffolding or a metal beam, that spark could be a whole different problem depending on what's around. I've seen guys get sloppy with the hand signals too, thinking they can just yell up instead of using actual signals.

rowan_thomas8429d ago

Totally agree with @ruby_henderson36 on that one. A bucket swinging wild because the line got snagged is a quick way to break someone's jaw. Hand signals exist for a reason, skipping them just asks for trouble.