Seeing too many guys skip the daily crane walk-around lately

I've been on sites from Portland to Dallas this year and keep noticing the same thing. Guys will fire up the crane, check the oil maybe, and just start working. They're not doing a full visual inspection of the rigging, the wire rope, or the outrigger pads. I saw a pad sink nearly two inches on a job in Dallas because the ground looked solid but wasn't. That's a quick way to have a real bad day. It takes five minutes to walk the whole machine and look for frays, cracks, or soft spots. My old foreman in Kansas City drilled that into me 15 years ago and it's saved my bacon more than once. What's the one thing you always double-check before you even touch the controls?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_garcia13d ago

Man, that's scary. I always check the wire rope for birdcaging or broken strands first thing. Had a close call once and it's just not worth the risk.

miles_burns13d ago

My uncle's crane nearly tipped because of a frayed cable, @william_garcia, so your routine check sounds smart.

knight.felix13d ago

Ugh, that sinking pad story is a nightmare. I mean, it's not just the big stuff either. Last month I watched a guy almost swing a load into a scaffold because a tagline was just kinda wrapped around the hook, not tied off right. It was flapping loose and he didn't even see it. Just a total lapse in that basic walk-around look. Makes you wonder what else gets missed when people are in a rush.