Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations specify several situations in which signal persons are mandatory, including when operators have an obstructed view or when they're working near hazards. However, the benefits of qualified riggers and signalmen go far beyond meeting basic requirements. 

These specialized professionals improve your team's communication, prevent accidents, streamline your operations, and make your jobsite more efficient. The efficiency improvements alone often offset the cost of having dedicated personnel in these roles. Let’s explore why these roles deserve careful consideration in your job safety planning.

This article will walk through:

• What Makes a Qualified Signalman and Rigger?

  •  Key Roles and Responsibilities

  • Essential Qualities to Look For

    •  How These Qualities Impact Jobsite Performance
      
• Benefits Qualified Riggers and Signalmen Bring to the Jobsite

  • Improved Safety and Compliance

  • Effective Crew Coordination
  • Improved Jobsite Efficiency
    
• Bringing Safety and Efficiency Together

What Makes a Qualified Signalman and Rigger?

Signalmen and riggers keep your crane operations safe and efficient. A qualified signalman communicates crane movement instructions to operators using standard hand signals or radio communications. They become the operator’s eyes when loads move out of view and help complete difficult lifts in challenging environments.

Qualified riggers, on the other hand, prepare and secure loads for shifting. They understand distribution, load dynamics, proper attachment methods, and safety regulations to help materials move safely without shifting or falling. Together, these professionals can make the difference between a potentially dangerous incident and a job well done.

That’s why having the right people in these positions matters. Many of the biggest causes of crane accidents can be prevented with the right signalman or rigger. When you add these roles to your crew, you strengthen your company’s safety culture, protecting your equipment and workers.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Signalmen and riggers do much more than you might think. Some of their biggest responsibilities are:

• Coordinating communication: Your crane signal person acts as the main communicator between the operator and ground crew. They use hand signals and voice commands to safely direct crane movements. This is especially important when your operator can’t see clearly because of the load size or jobsite conditions.
• Managing safety zones: Signalmen create and monitor safety zones around crane operations. They watch for hazards like power lines or people who shouldn’t be in the area to reduce the risks for everyone.
• Planing load paths: Before lifting begins, your signal person helps plan the safest, most efficient path for moving materials. They look for overhead obstacles and note where workers are positioned to minimize the risk.
• Guiding equipment positioning: Signalmen direct the crane and help position trucks and any other equipment delivering or receiving materials. Their understanding of your jobsite's layout allows for strategic positioning, helping to save time and keep everyone safe.
  

Essential Qualities to Look For

When you choose signalmen and riggers for your crew, certain qualities separate the good from the great. Look for professionals with:

• Technical knowledge: Look for riggers who understand the physics of lifting operations, not just the procedures. They should be able to calculate load weights and tension distribution across multiple attachment points to make adjustments based on changing conditions.
• Spatial awareness: Great signalmen have exceptional awareness of their surroundings. They can accurately judge distances, clearances, load movements, and sizes even with limited reference points. This spatial intelligence helps prevent collisions with structures or equipment that your crane operator might not see.
• Decisive judgment: Quality signalmen make quick decisions in unexpected circumstances. They won’t hesitate to call for a stop if conditions become unsafe, regardless of schedule pressures. This confidence establishes a safety authority that your other workers will respect and follow. 
• Clear communication: Signalmen must use precise, clear signals that can’t be misinterpreted. Their movements are deliberate and standardized, making them easily readable even in poor visibility or noisy conditions.
  
  

How These Qualities Impact Jobsite Performance

Highly qualified riggers and signalmen improve performance across your operations. You’ll notice fewer work stoppages and delays when your team can anticipate and prevent potential problems before they become calamitous situations. Their approach to identifying rigging issues or communication gaps means your lifts can proceed smoothly, without costly pauses that disrupt your schedule and budget.

These professionals also elevate the safety culture for your entire team. Other workers see how your riggers and signalmen prioritize safety protocols and start to bring a similar awareness to their own tasks. The spread of this safety mindfulness creates a work environment in which everyone feels responsible for preventing accidents.

Benefits Qualified Riggers and Signalmen Bring to the Jobsite

Adding qualified riggers and signalmen to your crew has advantages that extend well beyond basic safety compliance. The benefits you’ll see affect your bottom line, workplace culture, and long-term reputation in the industry. Below we cover benefits from safety and compliance, to crew coordination and improved efficiency. 

Improved Safety and Compliance

Safety is, of course, the main reason to invest in qualified riggers and signalmen. These specialists establish multiple layers of protection for your team throughout your crane operations, significantly reducing the likelihood of accidents or near-misses.

Staying Compliant With Regulations

OSHA regulations specify exactly when a signal person must be used for a crane. According to Standard 1926.1419, you need a dedicated signal person whenever the operator’s view of the load or lift area is obstructed. You also need one when the operator determines that they need assistance because of site-specific safety concerns.

These requirements exist because crane operators deal with visibility limitations due to the physical size of the load or environmental factors like dust or poor lighting. A qualified signal person bridges these visibility gaps, providing guidance when the operator can’t see clearly.

Mitigation of Safety Risks

Your signalmen and riggers address many safety concerns through their specialized knowledge and training. Understanding when a signal person must be used based on OSHA requirements helps you avoid common hazards like:

• Struck-by incidents: Signal persons stay aware of ground workers' positions relative to loads and crane components. They keep your personnel out of swing radius zones and path-of-travel areas, dramatically reducing the most common causes of crane-related deaths.
• Power-line contacts: Qualified signalmen continually monitor proximity to overhead power lines during operations. They maintain minimum approach distances and establish warning systems when working near energized lines. 
• Load failures: Riggers choose appropriate slings and hardware based on load characteristics. They inspect all components before use and confirm that they’re properly attached before operations to prevent slipping or falling during lifts.
• Weather conditions: Signal persons monitor changing environmental conditions that might affect operations. They’ll call for work stoppages when wind speeds exceed safe limits or when fog or rain reduces visibility below acceptable levels.

Legal and Liability Protection

Your investment in qualified personnel can also protect you from legal and financial consequences. Having documented proof that you’ve assigned properly qualified riggers and signalmen proves your commitment to compliance and safety standards. This documentation is evidence of due diligence if an accident does happen. Insurance companies look for these records when processing claims after an injury, and having them can have a favorable impact on both coverage decisions and premium costs.

Effective Crew Coordination

You’ll notice a marked improvement in how your entire team works together when your crew includes qualified riggers and signalmen. Their specialized knowledge helps bridge gaps between different trades and experience levels on your jobsite.

Efficient Communication and Coordination

Signalmen establish standardized communication protocols that everyone on your crew can understand. This common language eliminates confusion and maintains consistency across different shifts and team configurations. They also help develop systems that are tailored to your specific jobsite conditions. They determine whether hand signals or radio communications will work best based on distances and work environments so important information reaches the right people at the right time.

These professionals also maintain pre-lift briefing processes so all involved personnel understand their jobs and what their role is in preventing accidents. These discussions build a shared awareness so everyone knows what to expect during the operation. You’ll see less hesitation and smoother execution during risky lifts when your entire team starts from the same baseline.

Enhancing Worker Safety and Confidence

Signalmen and riggers' effects on your team’s confidence and performance cannot be understated. When workers know specialized professionals are overseeing their safety, they can focus more on their own tasks without constantly worrying about overhead hazards or load movements. 

This psychological benefit translates to a tangible improvement in both safety and productivity:

• Improved focus: Your crew members can focus on their specific responsibilities when they trust someone is specifically watching for crane-related hazards. This dedicated attention reduces the mental load on general workers who otherwise might split their focus between their tasks and overhead awareness.
• Reduced stress: Workers experience less anxiety when operating near crane activities when supervised by qualified personnel. This reduced stress leads to better decision-making and fewer errors caused by nervousness or hesitation around heavy equipment.
• Greater safety-oriented performance: The visible presence of dedicated safety personnel demonstrates your company’s commitment to protecting workers. This lets everyone on the team know that safety is a priority, which they’ll take into consideration as they perform their daily tasks.
• Faster new-worker integration: Less experienced team members receive invaluable guidance from signalmen, who help them understand proper positioning and awareness around lift zones. This mentoring speeds up the learning curve and prevents them from making dangerous newbie mistakes.
• More efficient emergency responses: Experienced signalmen provide clear direction for everyone during emergency situations. Their training in emergency procedures helps them organize quick, orderly responses that prevent panic and minimize harm.

Assigning Clear Responsibility in Post-Job Reviews

A comprehensive job safety analysis (JSA) for mobile crane lifting should clearly document who served as qualified riggers and signalmen. This document establishes accountability and helps you track performance over time. With designated roles established in your JSA, post-job reviews become more productive. You can address specific areas for improvement with the responsible personnel rather than making general safety statements to the entire crew. This targeted feedback helps develop skills and prevent recurring issues. 

This documentation also helps facilitate more accurate incident investigations if problems do arise. You can quickly identify who made specific decisions during the operation and understand the reasoning behind their choices. This clarity helps you implement precise corrective actions rather than overly broad policy changes.

Improved Jobsite Efficiency

Beyond the safety benefits, qualified riggers and signalmen can give you a tremendous boost in operational efficiency. Their expertise reduces wasted time and resources while keeping projects moving forward on schedule. 

Preventing Delays Due to Improper Rigging

Experienced riggers choose the right equipment for each lift the first time. They understand which shillings and shackles work best for specific load types and configurations and anticipate potential problems before they happen. They’ll identify off-center loads, consider how materials might shift during lifting, and make appropriate adjustments. This foresight prevents mid-lift stoppages that waste time and put unnecessary stress on your equipment and personnel.

They also establish efficient rigging processes that minimize time spent preparing loads. Through proper planning and sequencing, they can even prepare the next lift while the current one is underway. This overlap keeps your crane working continuously rather than having to wait between operations. For tips on building and keeping your all-star crane team, including qualified riggers and signalmen, check out our guide on recruiting and retaining top crane talent.

Minimizing Miscommunication and Rework

Clear signals from trained personnel eliminate the starts and stops that tend to plague crane operations with inadequate communication. They establish unmistakable signals for directional commands and emergency stops that can't be confused with each other. This precision prevents the hesitation that delays lifts when operators receive ambiguous signals.

Bringing Safety and Efficiency Together

The value that qualified riggers and signalmen bring to your crane operations affects your entire business. From preventing costly accidents to streamlining communication, these team members are an important investment in both safety and productivity. By making these roles a standard part of your job planning process, you’ll establish a workplace culture in which safety and efficiency work together rather than competing with each other.

If you’re looking to improve the way you manage your heavy equipment operations, consider using job management software that includes features for tracking your personnel assignments. 

Schedule a free demo today to see how RapidWorks can help create a safer and more efficient workplace.