Had a real pucker moment with a 40-foot beam in downtown Spokane

Was setting a steel beam on the new hospital project, and a sudden gust off the river caught it just as it was about 15 feet from setting. The tag line guy, Mike, yelled 'whoa!' and I felt the whole crane shift. I dropped the load block about a foot to let it settle, then used the swing to gently walk it back into position against the wind. Anyone else have a good trick for handling those quick wind shifts on a high pick?

4 comments

4 Comments

karen6182mo ago

Sounds like a normal Tuesday on any steel job.

margaretr762mo ago

Oh man, I saw a video last week where a steel crew was working in crazy wind. How do they even keep their footing up there?

dianawilson2mo agoMost Upvoted

Actually, @karen618, they use safety harnesses.

emma_jones1mo ago

Heard they sometimes use special boots with grippy soles for that. Is that true?