I swore by silent cab time until a wrong bucket request had everyone laughing

I used to believe that staying quiet in the cab helped me focus better on the job. Then on a site last month, a ground guy yelled for the 'blue excavator' to move, but we had two blue machines and I wasn't the one he meant. The other operator started digging in the wrong spot, and the whole crew burst out laughing at the confusion. Now I always double check which machine they're calling for, and a quick shout back has become my new habit to avoid those mix-ups.

4 comments

4 Comments

skyler9451mo agoMost Upvoted

Ugh that's the worst... it's so easy to get mixed up with color calls like that. Glad you found a simple fix for it.

charles2891mo ago

Oh man... I get that completely. It's crazy how one little mix up like that can change your whole routine. In my line of work, we have to be super specific too, because just saying "the med cart" isn't enough when there are three... you gotta know which one. So your new habit of shouting back to confirm makes total sense.

the_jennifer1mo ago

@skyler945's color call point shows how verbal confirms prevent tiny mistakes from blowing up.

green.val29d ago

Actually seems like all that extra talking could just add more noise and slow things down. Skyler945's point about tiny mistakes is fair, but sometimes you just need to trust the first call and move fast. More words mean more chances to mishear something anyway. The real fix is paying better attention the first time, not adding another step.