My old foreman told me to always trust my gut over the wind gauge

We were lifting a big HVAC unit onto a roof in Kansas City last fall, and the gauge was reading a steady 15 mph. My gut said it was gusting way higher. I listened to the gauge, started the lift, and a sudden gust caught the load and swung it right into a scaffold. No damage, but it scared me good. Now I always double-check with a flag or even some loose paper before I commit. Anyone else have a 'gut feeling' moment that saved your bacon?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_val2mo ago

Gut feelings are there for a reason... glad you're okay.

max6312mo ago

Oh man, this is so true. A buddy of mine ignored a weird feeling about a shortcut home one night and ended up with a flat tire in a really bad spot. He says he knew it was wrong the second he turned. That gut feeling is no joke, the_val. He just sat there with the doors locked until a tow truck could get to him. It really changed how he makes those little choices now.

noraj7918d ago

Hang on, I gotta push back on this a little because I think leaning too hard on your gut can get people in trouble just as fast. @max631's story about his buddy is a perfect example actually, because that guy had a bad feeling and still took the shortcut anyway, so his gut wasn't that reliable to begin with. If you start second guessing your equipment every time you get a weird feeling, you'll never get anything done. The wind gauge is a tool that gives you a number, and that number is way more objective than your stomach. Plus, if you're in a situation where a 15 mph gust can swing a load like that, the real issue might be that you're pushing the limits too close anyway, not that the gauge was wrong. Gut feelings are just fear and past trauma talking, and in my experience, they've talked me out of plenty of perfectly safe jobs that I just didn't want to do.