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A gust of wind in Denver last month nearly swung my load into a scaffold.

I was lifting a steel beam about 30 feet up when a sudden crosswind caught it, and my spotter yelled 'Hold!' just as it started to drift. I had to swing the boom opposite the wind and lower it fast to avoid hitting the workers below. What's your go-to move when a load gets unpredictable like that?
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2 Comments
angela_perry
Honestly, that's a white-knuckle moment for sure. My go-to is to lower the load and swing into the wind, just like you did, but I also try to get it over solid ground fast. If you can't set it down right away, a slow crab move with tiny boom adjustments helps get it back under control. Tbh, communicating with your spotter is key, because they see the drift before you feel it.
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the_julia
the_julia22d ago
Wouldn't swinging opposite the wind just make the pendulum effect worse?
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