Loading…
8
Just rigged my 200th boiler this week, still feel like I forgot something every single time
Been at this trade for about 8 years now, mostly doing repairs and small relines. But this week I wrapped up number 200 on a full rigging job down in Gary. Not a huge number compared to some of you lifers, but it got me thinking. 200 boilers in, and I still get that gut check when I walk away from a lift. Double check the shackles, walk the beam again, count the slings twice. My foreman laughs at me, says I'm slower than molasses. But I'd rather be the guy who looks paranoid than the guy who explains why something dropped. Had a close call back at plant 14 around 2019, chain binder slipped and a 600 pound drum swung about 3 feet before I got it locked down. Nobody got hurt but that sound stayed with me. So hitting 200 just felt like a weird milestone, like I finally earned the right to be nervous. Anyone else keep a mental count of big lifts or jobs, and does that number ever make you more careful or less?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
the_hayden28d ago
You count 200 and think you've earned the right to be nervous? Man, that's backwards if you ask me. That close call in 2019 should've taught you that being nervous is the right state from day one, not something you unlock like a badge of honor. I've done maybe half that many rigs over the years and the ones that scare me most are the ones where the crew starts feeling too confident, you know, like they've "seen it all." That paranoid feeling isn't a reward, it's the safety check that never gets to retire, no matter how many drums you've hung.
1