Ground guide saved my butt on a tight hospital job last Tuesday

We were placing an HVAC unit on a rooftop in Austin, blind spot the size of a sedan. My usual spotter called in sick, so a green kid from the crew took the radio. Told him to keep his eyes on my counterweight, not the load. He froze up when the wind gusted, load started swinging maybe 2 feet. I set it down, walked over, and showed him how to use hand signals when the radio cuts out. Has anyone else had a spotter freeze mid-lift, and how do you train them for that?

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susan_wright3428d ago

Man that's a classic rookie move right there! Freezing up when the wind hits is like the #1 thing I see with new spotters. You gotta drill the "wind gust drill" with them before they ever touch a real job. Get them to stand there while you swing a wrecking ball on a chain or something and make them call it out nonstop, no matter what. Also tell them to plant their feet and grip the radio with both hands, that stops the whole deer in headlights thing. And honestly, hand signals should be the first thing they learn, not the backup plan. Radios die, batteries die, but your hands always work.