Overheard a new guy at the site in Tacoma call the crane 'just a big lever'

He was telling his buddy that, and it kinda hit me how much we forget the basic physics that make our whole job possible. It made me focus more on the load chart fundamentals during my pre-op check this morning. Do you ever have a simple phrase make you rethink your daily routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerw924d ago

Honestly, calling a crane a big lever is pretty spot on though, that's just basic physics. The new guy isn't wrong, he's just seeing the core idea before all the complex stuff we add. It's cool that it made you double check your load chart, but the simple view is sometimes the right one. We get so wrapped up in the details we forget the basics that hold it all together. That guy might have a fresh way of looking at things.

amymartinez4d ago

Remember my kid calling a forklift a "metal cow" because it lifts things with its forks. I had to stop and realize he was just seeing the shape and the job it did. It's easy to get lost in the technical names and forget what these machines are actually for at their core. Sometimes the simple names are the most honest ones.

seth_green854d ago

Ever have a moment so basic it makes you feel like a total fraud? I once called a backhoe a "dirt spoon" and my crew hasn't let me forget it.