How'd it go today?

Had a not so interesting incident today while riding the hook. Removing 11 tall Pines in some thick growth, the last one was a long reach for the crane, and other trees made for obstacles when getting the boom to the desired location for me to cable off. Moving in, the crane cable got caught on some outer canopy of another tree, and the operator didn't see it. He had limited visibility from his location. The boom kept moving in towards the tree we were going to take up, but not the cable. When it did release from the canopy it was stuck on, it gave me a real good swing towards the objective tree, I'd say about thirty feet. I got turned around and just managed to halfway jerk myself in a position to see where I was going, then smashed into the tree that we wanted to cable to, took it on my shoulder and was able to grasp on. Very fortunate that where I hit there were no protruding limbs. A quick stop like that might have been better than the cable hitting limbs and rad jerking the hook. Still, I could have been impaled if anything was sticking out, like those short stubby limbs that you can get on Pines. We well talked it over during the break. The op was most apologetic. One of those things that can happen very quickly. I didn't like that, both the collision and wildly swinging around out of control in 70 or 80 feet above the ground play land. :|: I've had short swings before, and the wind blowing me around for sure, but nothing like that. Another for the book. Speaking of dangerous work....
 
Wow Jay, glad you're okay. Sounds like a heck of a ride. I took a hard slam after just a ten foot swing a while back and hit a protruding fat lighter stub like you mentioned in the liver area. Thought I was impaled at first, just splinters, a bad bruise and a cracked rib. I can't imagine a thirty foot swing, it had to be pretty hairy.
 
Admittedly rather scary, Ray, I'm still a little thrilled. Never had a cracked rib, I hear it is painful. I've been lifting a lot of heavy logs lately, moving firewood. My shoulders are in good shape. Luckily a good place to take the hit.
 
Thanks, Dennis. A drizzly day, no spectators to ooh and ahh.... Just the operator and one guy on the crew doesn't even buy lunch.
 
Surely could have been tragic...glad chance was on your side this time.

I assume you knew what was developing...sounds like you and the cable were hung up in the other canopy and then you got released.

If you had comms could you have called an emergency stop or some such and maybe he would have stopped before so much cable got involved in developing that swing for you?

If "The boom kept moving in towards the tree we were going to take up, but not the cable." doesn't that mean you were moving up as the boom went forward?

What I am getting at is I assume you knew the situation was developing...would comms have given you time to tell him to STOP and then y'all could have worked out a way to extract you from the predicament?

Again...hoorah you came through so well...bet you will be sore.

I know almost zero about using cranes so you may have to educate me some.
 
Scary Jay, glad you came through relatively unscathed. I'm continuing my marathon of days off, but I will go back to work tomorrow. A guy could really get used to this, I'm starting to wonder how I ever got anything done before while working.
 
Glad you're not hurt worse!

My crane op headset paid for itself the first day with saved crane time. Speaker phones in a chest pocket... Cheap.
 
Close call for sure.
Were you working with an experienced operator?
 
Correct, Ray, the ball (a collar here that contains the cable socket) slammed into the tree above my head. I heard the clang.

Yes, an experienced operator, Stig. Plus the main man, two long experienced former crane operators sometimes fill out our crew now, both technically retired and former mentors of the guy that owns the cranes and also operates them. Their licenses are in good order and they still operate. The problem was the lack of visibility and not someone else being "eyes" for us. Eleven quick trees in succession were removed, and we were just buzzing through them at a fast pace like we can do, but more caution was in order. He had mentioned to me that he had a problem seeing through the lower canopies, but i didn't take it as a cautionary. I hear that often. Sometimes we do use communications, but not on that job. I'm not sure it would have helped much, things happened rather quickly.

That occurred to me as well, Gary, I must gotten pulled up when the cable was hung up and the boom was moving away, but i didn't much notice it as an irregularity. The operator will often move the boom left or right and pull up on the cable at the same time. The reason the cable got hung up is due to being first swung back the other way for some reason. I find that i can get a bit disoriented when moving around through the trees on the hook. A little hard to explain, but getting turned around sometimes can be a bit disorienting. Even a little dizzying at times. I seldom pay attention to where the boom is when working in thicker growth, more make sure that there is a clear path above or in front of me to be moving through.

A slower approach would surely have been better. Thanks for the thoughts. Morning here, probably a good idea to speak again with the operator today. A right to be pissed, Butch, i agree. I dunno, i seldom get pissed about much of anything these days. When i got down and walked over, the op was immediately talking about it like he well understood the possible implications. He's no fool, and a good man.
 
Glad you are ok. I know comms has been mentioned but that would be my answer to the incident.
 
I'm really glad that you're only bruised.
Sadly, it's a good example of why the "ball riding" isn't allowed in our country (although I'd like to do it if I had some crane work)...
The problem doesn't occur frequently, but when it comes...
 
I'd be curious to know what is the detailed objection to riding the hook or ball in countries that don't allow it. I mean there are obvious hazards with I guess some particular variables given the activity, but it doesn't seem much different from other aspects of tree work where you have to rely on understanding, awareness, and planing to be safe. In the very least, it doesn't seem like there should be objection if someone wanted to be hoisted up a tree while also having their lanyard around it, say with communications and clear visibility by the op, I mean trees where that could be productive. It would be rather limiting with the stipulation, but it could still have it's use with the added safety factor.
 
I mostly agree with you Jay, but we have our own osha and the like to limit the risks at work for the whole industry.
Each have there own ideas on how to do that, so it may varie from country to country.
One of them is "don't mix human life and products", like us with our rigging and climbing gears.
Don't step on the load on a forklift for example, or a dump truck isn't for people ...

The main point is to avoid bringing in some hazards where there are already well enough of them.
Aside of that, a given hazard isn't the same for different people, mostly by the way they can handle it. But how to control that and tell if one is right or wrong ?
Only by some large restrictions applied to everybody.
And yes, that sucks for the specific cases.
 
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