Tag Line Safety
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has just issued Safety Alert No. 461. Recent Tagline Entanglements Result in Several High Potential Near Misses.
The Alert contains 15 recommendations to do with taglines. Most of those recommendations have a broader application than just taglines. The recommendation that caught my attention was,
Discussing and testing communications (e.g., hand signals, radio) between the crane operator and other personnel before a lift. Agree on a signal to indicate that the taglines are free, that personnel are clear, and the load is ready to be lifted. Ensure that all personnel can quickly signal the crane operator to stop the lift.
Other incidents offshore had poor communications as being a critical cause. (One of those incidents led to fatalities.) The final sentence to do with stopping the lift would fall under the Stop Work provision of the SEMS rule.
