Caught my load swinging at 60 feet over a crew in Tacoma, still not sure if I did the right thing
I was running a 70 ton on a warehouse job in Tacoma last Thursday, picking steel beams over a crew of 4 guys on the ground. Halfway through the swing my load started drifting and I hit the foot brake hard instead of riding it out smooth, which bounced the beam maybe 2 feet. Nobody got hurt and the rigger said I did fine, but I keep thinking I should've just eased it down instead. What do you all do when a swing gets away from you, brake it or ride it?
Last time I bounced a beam like that the rigger gave me a look that could curdle milk, so you're already ahead of my score. In my book you grab the brake when it's drifting over people, because two feet of bounce beats a beam riding into a crew any day. Smooth is what you practice for, but keeping it off their heads is the only thing that really matters.