Unpopular opinion: I thought hand signals were overkill until a pigeon landed on my cab

Last week, I was lifting a beam when a pigeon decided my crane was its new perch. I couldn't hear the spotter over the noise, and the bird blocked my view, so now I swear by clear hand signals. What's the weirdest thing that's messed up your lift?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollycooper1mo ago

My buddy had a seagull problem like your bird story. A whole flock decided his load was a landing strip and his spotter just pointed up, useless. That's when he finally made us all learn PROPER signals, no arguments.

harperperez1mo ago

Used to roll my eyes at signals, but that seagull mess fixed that.

mila_bell1mo ago

Birds seem to have a weird obsession with construction sites, like they're unpaid safety inspectors or something (you know, like they're bored or whatever). @hollycooper's seagull landing strip story is perfect proof of that chaos. When a bird blocks your view, you realize hand signals aren't overkill, they're basically your only lifeline. It's funny how nature throws these curveballs to teach us the hard way (usually at the worst possible time). Now I double-check everyone knows the signals, no matter how silly it might seem at first. That pigeon probably saved you from a worse accident, in a roundabout way.