We hear them all the time -- in meetings, on the jobsite -- and we don't even react. We continue to listen intently and take notes, but we don't address them. They have become part of our everyday vernacular.
When we hear these dirty words, we should stop what we're doing and realize working without a plan can be dangerous.
These dirty words and phrases are not the ones George Carlin spoke about in his legendary 1972 comedy routine, "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." The dirty words and phrases I speak of can have catastrophic consequences on a jobsite during a load handling activity if they go unchecked. Too many times I have heard:
- "Let's try this."
- "I think this will work."
- "We'll see what happens."
- "This should work."
- "Hey, y'all watch this!" (my personal favorite).
When we hear these dirty words and phrases, we should stop what we're doing and realize we don't have a plan and working without a plan can be dangerous and not very productive.
Procedure-based execution
During the planning phase, we can use our imagination and be creative. We can think outside the box and explore new ways to handle loads. We can consider new methods and equipment that we normally don't use. We may find safer and more efficient methods. All of this is possible during the planning phase. We do the load handling activity on paper and identify gaps. We then determine how we are going to fill or bridge the gaps, but we only do this during the planning phase.
None of the preceding paragraph should be attempted during the execution of the plan. Our plan should be so well written that personnel who are not familiar with the load handling activity can quickly be introduced and contribute. Of course, they should be qualified to do so, and this should also be done as part of the planning phase.
Our plan should address the following areas:
- The load.
- The load handling equipment.
- The rigging.
- The environment.
- The jobsite.
- The personnel.
- Unique (site-specific) policies and procedures.
- Possible contingency plans to address the most probable issues.
The size of the plan should be relative to the complexity of the load handling activity.
Given the choice between the two, procedure- based execution driven by a well-developed plan results in a safer and more efficient execution of the load handling activity with fewer dirty words and phrases.
If you hear a litany of dirty words with regularity at your organization, it might be time to take a look at relevant training options, such as a lift director and critical lift planning course. Such courses will address the responsibilities of a lift director as identified by OSHA and ASME (P30.1 and B30.5), as well as all the steps listed above as part of a proper lift plan.
Joe Kuzar is the technical director of Industrial Training International (ITI). He is a National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO)-certified lift director and member of the ASME P30 -- Lift Planning Main Committee.
For more information, visit www. iti.com, call Joe Kuzar at (360) 225- 1100 or email him at joe@iti.com.
