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A rigger in Fort Worth told me he checks his wire rope every single morning, no exceptions.
He said he found a broken strand on a main line last month that looked fine the day before. That got me thinking about my own pre-start routine, which was more of a quick glance. How often do you guys actually do a full, hands-on inspection of your rigging?
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pat_park3mo ago
That rigger's story is a solid reminder to actually touch the gear, not just look at it.
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victorb513mo ago
Used to just give my harness a quick glance before heading up. Then a buddy pointed out a frayed stitch I'd missed for weeks, right where the leg loop connects. My hand ran over it and felt the roughness before I even saw it properly. Now I do a full hands-on check every single time, no shortcuts. That story about the rigger just drives it home even more.
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wren82616d ago
OH MAN wait, are you telling me that rigger actually MISSED a frayed stitch on their OWN gear during an inspection? I can't even wrap my head around that. Like, someone who's supposed to be the PRO at checking hardware and webbing just skimmed over it and called it good? That's the kind of stuff that gives me the absolute CREEPS because it proves even experience can make you blind. You can train your eyes to spot things all day but if you don't TRAIN your hands to feel the texture and tension changes, you're gambling. Feeling that roughness is like a whole different sense, you know? It warns you before your eyes even catch up. Gonna be running my fingers over EVERYTHING from now on, no exceptions.
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