A lesson from an old timer on the Bay Bridge retrofit

I was a greenhorn on the Oakland side, maybe 2005. This guy, Frank, watched me fumble with a tagline for ten minutes. He just said, 'Kid, the crane does the lifting. You just guide the conversation.' Happened right by the west anchorage. Anyone else get a piece of advice that simple but stuck with you for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma68513d ago

Yeah, Frank had the right idea but maybe said it funny. On steel jobs, the real trick is keeping the tagline just tight enough to steer, not fight the crane. Saw a guy try to muscle a beam once and almost got spun off the deck. The machine has the power, you're just there to point it where it needs to go.

carr.brooke13d ago

My first foreman on a highway job in Fresno told me to never stand directly under a suspended load. He pointed at a dent in his hard hat from a dropped bolt. That visual stuck more than any safety manual.

black.joel13d ago

Actually, Frank's advice is a bit off. The tagline is for control, not just talking. You guide the load, not a chat, to keep everyone safe. That's the real lesson.