A hand signal confusion that added a bathroom trench to our project
Last Monday, I was on a backhoe digging bases for a garage. My partner stood far off, using hand signs to direct my moves. He clearly signaled for a left turn, but I saw it as a right turn. I pivoted the machine and started scooping. Before I knew it, I had opened a long cut right where the temporary toilet was set to go. My partner ran toward me waving his arms, but I figured he was just excited. The boss drove over in his truck, chuckled, and mentioned we now had a custom ditch for the loo. The team and I used a loader to fill the gap, and I still hear about it during breaks.