Signaling Safely
A properly trained signalperson is vital to safe lifting. Here’ s what they need to know.
By James Headley
During a lift, the signalperson ranks right up with the crane operator as the most important person on the crew.
I say that because whoever is giving the signals that guide moving and placing a load is essentially the operator’ s eyes.
The clarity and accuracy of the directions the signalperson gives the operator play a huge part in making a lift safe and successful.
Before starting a training business, Crane Institute of America, I ran cranes for 16 years.
Those rigs ranged up to a Manitowoc 4100W with RINGER attachment and more than 300 feet of boom and jib.
Having spent considerable time in the seat, I can say that I really appreciated a signalperson who stood at the right location and gave clear and precise guidance to help me place a load.
That knowledge and skill was particularly vital for loads being set high up, at long reach, or in the blind.
Today, technology like boom-tip and load-block cameras can help an operator, but they can’ t replace a trained and skilled signalperson.
Who Can Signal? That’ s why when I founded Crane Institute in 1987, I made sure to include signalperson training in the class offerings.
That was nearly two decades before OSHA, ASME and industry experts got together to formalize and standardize signalperson training and testing.
Because I knew first-hand the importance of properly
36 July 4, 2025 www. contractorshotline. com