Standardized Hand signals

A

Alves

Location
Madison, Wi
In lieu of my recent accident and what i consider to be a break down in communication, Im trying to put together a set of standardized hand signals, do anyone have something out there that they have written down, with visually aides, i am familiar with crane signals, but im having a hard time find something to pull together for general tree work.

any assistance is appreciated.

Im looking through military documents and stuff as well, But i really need visual aides.


Adam
 
I did a Google search using "standard hand signals" and found some good ideas.

Until some organization steps up and 'standardizes' the hand signals we're going to be faced with a crew by crew accepetance. There seems to be some relatively common hand signals but you need to check with your crew. In the US if a a person holds their hand up and joins their thumb and forefinger in a circle then folds the rest of their fingers into their palm it means 'OK'. I've read that this means other things in other countries.

One day I asked a Latino treeworker to come with me. Then I beckoned him by holding up my forefinger and then hooking it down to my palm. He asked me not to use that signal. I was confused so I asked why. He said that he didn't like it. After trying to get him to explain what it meant all I could gather was that it wasn't nice. It seemed to fall into the same group of handsignals like the middle finger.
 
Scuba divers have managed to agree on standard hand signals pretty much world wide. You could say out of necessity. Most wouldn't apply to treework but a few would. Some are designed to be recognized at a distance, surface vs. underwater, etc.
 
to tell a groundie how many wraps we hold up, for example, two fingers then make a circular motion with the same hand. Same goes for lifting a piece with the GRCS.

My foreman and I work together enough that I know what he means with the obscure signals he concots to ask for a tag line, pole saw, send up a chainsaw, send up a bigger chainsaw (that's a good one, I'll show you later) attach the ladder snap to the line, and a number of other common everyday things.

As a crew leader, you should have a pre-game pep talk to discuss the tree to ground, ground to tree signals that make the most sense to you and the crew. What works for me may not work for you.

Adam -- I sent you a PM. Call me on Saturday and we can go over signals such as the "go buy me a beer" signal.
 
We have a pre work meeting on the hand signals,
Fist= stop
Flat hand out= hold
how many fingers have up = how many wraps
circle motion with hand= release of line in acontroled manner
If all else fails we use those mini motarola waklie talkies.
Off course the finger inbeteween pionter and ring finger means trouble when I hit the ground
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