Communication, Signaling, and Load Control
One Voice, One Direction
Signal communication fails more often from too many voices than from bad radios. A lift should have one designated signal person whose signals the operator follows; anyone may give a stop signal, and the operator must obey it. Hand signals must match the recognized standard and be given from a position in clear view of the operator - if the signal person must move, the lift stops until communication is reestablished. Radio use requires an agreed channel, a test before the lift, and a fail-safe rule: loss of communication means stop and hold.
Load control is the rigger's half of the job. Tag lines keep the load from spinning and let the crew control it from outside the fall zone. Hands stay off the load and rigging once tension is taken and the load is moving. The exclusion zone under and around the load is absolute - no walking, standing, or reaching under a suspended load, and no riding.
Traps: relaying signals through a third person, skipping the radio check on a familiar site, treating a stop or hold signal as advisory, and letting a tag line become a pull line that side-loads the boom.
Rule of thumb: if the operator cannot see the signal person and the signal person cannot see the load, add a relay or spotter - never guess. When in doubt, stop; restarting a lift costs minutes.