Operator on my crew swore off taglines after a near miss in Tacoma, but I think they save lives
Two weeks ago in Tacoma I was running a 60 ton rig and my tagger started walking with the load instead of letting it swing, so I stopped everything and re-briefed the whole pick right there on the pad. He argued the radios and a spotter were enough and a tagline just gets guys too close to the swing radius, while I said the rope is exactly what keeps hands off the load when the wind kicks up at 40 feet. We went back and forth for 20 minutes and I ended up tying one anyway, slow and steady for the last three picks. Has anyone else had a tagger flat refuse the line, and how did you handle it without blowing up the crew?