Hit 500 lifts without a single incident and it made me rethink everything

I passed 500 blind picks last Friday on a tight downtown site and realized I've been trusting my gut too much over the load charts, so what number made you stop and double check your habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

miamitchell1mo ago

Ha, 500 picks without a hitch is impressive! I hit 200 on a quiet job and thought I was invincible. Then I almost lifted a skid that was 200 pounds over the chart because "I just knew it would fit." My gut definitely lied that day. Did you change anything specific about how you check loads now after hitting that milestone?

karen_perry381mo ago

@miamitchell nailed it with the invincible feeling after a clean streak. 500 picks is a solid run and that's exactly when the bad habits creep in. What changed for me was I started checking my gut against the load chart out loud. Telling my spotter "this says 8,200 pounds" before we move anything puts a second set of eyes on it. Saved me from a bad lift on a crane that had a clapped out scale. Keeps you honest when you're tired and the day is dragging.

olivia_rivera881mo ago

Read that same thing happens to ironworkers who get too comfortable with their torch.