A deckhand on the Mississippi asked me why we never check the welds on the diver's lift basket.

We were loading gear in Baton Rouge last month, and he pointed at the basket and said, 'You trust your life to that thing, but who looks at the welds?' I realized I just assumed the shop did it. Now I give the basket a close look with a pick hammer before every job, especially after salt water work. Has anyone set up a formal check for their own lift gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah38717d ago

That line about just assuming the shop did it hits hard. It's like the safety checks we all skip because we figure someone else already did the work. You see it everywhere, from trusting a ladder's rungs to not questioning if a fire alarm battery is dead. That deckhand asking a simple question probably saved you a world of hurt.

jamieperez10d ago

My uncle's neighbor had a garage door spring snap last year... he just assumed the installers checked the tension. @noah387 is right, that trust can get real expensive real fast.

fisher.paige17d ago

But honestly, that deckhand could have just been making problems. If we double-checked everything someone else did, nothing would ever get done. You have to trust the shop did their job, or the whole system falls apart. Constantly questioning every little thing just slows work down and annoys everyone. Sometimes assuming the work was done right is the only way to move forward.