Crane Operators and Cell Phones

[Tiny]

This has turned into a pet peeve for me.There are several Operators that I have seen with their head crooked holding a cell phone Yaking and swinging.

Company has a policy against it and all have signed paper work agreeing to not do it because its dangerous.

The kick in the head is the boss's will call the op's because on a move everyone else is busy.

I talk to them like a dog when they do it and they think i'm the jerk.So as last resort I'm dragging out the camera.

Anyone else deal with this ? what have you done ? what is company policy ?

 

[95zIV]

Funny you should post this today Tiny,

While we were driving today I was riding in the back and I heard my driver say something. I looked up and he had his phone to his ear. OH NO, UP OUT OF MY SEAT, YOU SHUT THAT OFF RIGHT NOW!!! Our company has a NO PHONE policy when behind the wheel. Not to mention 2 hours before that we were rolling through Houston and he was waving and cursing the people talking on their phones. He told me "He wasn't thinking" when he answered the phone but he thought he heard something about an accident. Then I told him if you need the phone then pull over I got no problem with that.

 

[oldtanker]

Seems pretty dumb to me. Local farmer I know stops what he is doing in the field when he takes a call and he's not on anything as dangerous as a crane!

Rick

 

[Dualie]

i will admit i will take a call every now and again when i behind the levers but only if im not actively swinging a pick. People know what i do and when i tell em i gotta go, i gotta go. same with driving the truck, i will talk but when i tell them to hold on they either do or they get ignored during maneuvers.

 

[No1Hookman]

The problem I have when I take a call is when it's over, I don't have any idea what was said. I just can't seem to take my mind off the job at hand.

 

[gmk guy]

talking on the phone while in the crane in very unsafe i run a gmk for a tree company and we dont talk on the phone while in the crane . its to eazy to make a mistake .

 

[gostr8r]

We have a no cell phone policy too, but recently I have had to resort to using the darn thing, between myself and the flagman, when his radio died mid-lift, with a load in the air and in the blind. He called me up on his cell, [the back up radios were all locked up by that time of the day] and we were very close to people that were paying customers at an amusement park. We had to get this last lift of the 5 month job to the ground. I turned on my Bluetooth and he talked me out of a very tight situation, with a direct, live and true 2 way communication, and I had hands free hearing for complete control. It was really more clear and precise than the walkie talkie that is actually a one way then the other way type radio. I know that's not what you meant, but playing devil's advocate to the thread, cell phones with bluetooth capabilities can be used a great way to flag a crane.