Question about the new guys and the door zone

I've been noticing a lot of the newer mechanics don't respect the 5-foot door zone rule on traction jobs. They'll set up their tools right in the swing path. Saw a guy in Phoenix last month almost get his head taken off by a 4000lb counterweight door because he was kneeling too close. It matters because that zone is there for a reason, it's not just a suggestion on the prints. Anyone else have to constantly remind their crew about this, or is it just my area?

4 comments

4 Comments

murray.jana2mo ago

My cousin's a framer and he says the same thing about safety margins on blueprints... people either ignore them completely or follow them so blindly it creates new problems. Karenh56 has a point about using your eyes in the actual space. It feels like common sense is getting replaced by either rule breaking or rule worship, with no middle ground.

wade87125d ago

My uncle used to tell this story about a guy he worked with who measured everything three times off the prints before marking a single cut. Spent a whole morning laying out a wall according to the dimensions, crowing about how precise he was. Then he realized he'd been reading off the wrong page of the plans the entire time, had to tear the whole thing down. The prints are important, sure, but sometimes you gotta step back and look at what's actually sitting there in front of you instead of just trusting the numbers. It's like that old saying, measure twice cut once, but maybe also look up from the tape measure every now and then.

karenh562mo ago

Honestly, I've seen the opposite problem more often. People get so hung up on that five foot mark they set up way too far back in a cramped bay, then have to stretch for everything and work awkwardly. Sometimes being a little closer but fully aware of the door's path is safer than being out of position. The prints are a guide, but you gotta use your eyes and common sense for the actual space you're in.

sandra_bennett592mo ago

Exactly. So where's the line between a good guide and a dumb rule? I've watched guys get hurt because they were too far from the work trying to hit a mark on the floor. The paper doesn't know if there's a pipe in your way or if the bay is half the usual size. You still have to think.