2Dig Plain comparisons of crane signalling and jobsite communication tools

How to coordinate lifting crews for construction foremen in 2026

A guide for construction foremen on coordinating lifting crews: what to have ready, the steps, tool choices and mistakes to avoid on site.

By 2Dig ยท

2Dig is published by the makers of OperatorLink, which is compared here alongside other tools.

Coordinating a lifting crew means every person on site sees the same signal at the same time. One way to do that is a jobsite session the crew joins in a phone browser, with someone sharing a link or QR code. [1] [1] STOP shows a full-screen alert to everyone else, while HOLD and SLOW stay on until the last person leaves. [1] [1] The phone needs a working data signal, iPhone Safari does not buzz on alert, and an idle session is wiped after 3 hours. [1] [1]

OptionWhat it doesFeeCard fee
OperatorLinkShows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a browser [1]Currently free to use, no paid plan built yet [1]not published
Phone video call appnot publishednot publishednot published
Two-way radionot publishednot publishednot published

What you need before you start

To coordinate a lifting crew, the foreman needs a phone with a working browser and a data signal, because signals sent in a browser travel over the phone network. [1] Each phone that joins needs its own working data signal, so check the crew's phones before the shift starts rather than during the first lift. Have the lift plan and the agreed signals to hand, and know which crew member gives the signals and which one takes them. The person who starts the jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the rest of the crew joins from it. [1] If everyone leaves the session and it sits empty, it is wiped after 3 idle hours, so a session left from a stopped shift may need to be started fresh. [1] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves. [1] Before the lift, add the page to the phone's home screen so it opens as a standalone app. [1]

Step by step

  1. Walk the lift path with the crew and agree the signals and the set words to be used before anything moves.
  2. Check each phone has a working browser and a data signal for the whole shift, because the signals pass between phones in a browser. [1]
  3. Have the person who starts the jobsite open the session from a phone browser, with no app install needed. [1]
  4. That person shares the link or QR code with the lifting crew, and each member joins from it. [1]
  5. Confirm the crew has joined the session before the lift begins. [1]
  6. Agree on which signals stay on: HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared only when the last person leaves. [1]
  7. Pressing a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones, and if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, the other phones drop it, so keep the button held while watching the load. [1]
  8. One-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat messages, so the crew has set words in the session. [1]
  9. When STOP is pressed, it releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. [1]
  10. Anyone who joins the jobsite can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser, which helps when someone's hands are on the load. [1]
  11. A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it, so at the start of a new shift start a fresh session and share the new link. [1]
  12. At the end of the shift, everyone leaves the session, and remember that a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [1]

Tools that can do it

OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. It shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. [1] [1] Nobody needs to install an app; the page runs in a browser. [1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. [1] The jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it, and a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours, so each shift starts fresh. [1] [1] It is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1]

A phone video call app is a second option. No facts here describe one, so check whether the crew can keep the call open for the whole shift, whether the signal person's hands stay in view, and whether the phone locks its screen mid-lift.

A two-way radio is a third option. No facts here describe one, so check that the crew agrees on plain voice, that every member can be heard over machine noise, and that the channel stays clear through the lift.

Where a fee is not published for an option, ask the supplier what it charges before the shift. Whichever option is used, the crew still needs one agreed signal for stop, one for hold and one for a slow move, and each member needs to know who gives them. Check that every phone in the crew has enough charge for the shift, since a phone that dies takes its signal out of the session.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming every phone alerts the same way: on Android browsers, signals such as STOP make the phone buzz, while iPhone Safari ignores the buzz, so check the sound and screen on every device. [1] Leaving an empty session and expecting it to hold signals the next day: a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [1] Forgetting that HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone until the last person leaves, so the crew has to clear them on purpose. [1] Treating a link from an earlier shift as still good: a jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it. [1] Not confirming that a move still arrives: if a move stops arriving for 2 seconds, the other phones drop it. [1] Adding the page to the phone's home screen as a standalone app is available. [1]

Frequently asked questions

Is OperatorLink free to use?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1] The signal is shown through a phone browser, so the phone still needs a working data signal for the shift. Check the phone's data plan before relying on it.

What happens when the STOP button is pressed in OperatorLink?

STOP releases every held direction on every phone in the session and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. [1] HOLD and SLOW behave differently: they stay on for everyone until the last person leaves the jobsite. [1]

How long does an OperatorLink jobsite link stay active?

A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it, so a link from an earlier shift may no longer open the session. [1] A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [1] For a fresh shift, start a new session and share the new link or QR code with the crew.

Do OperatorLink STOP signals buzz on every phone?

On Android browsers, signals such as STOP make the phone buzz; iPhone Safari ignores the buzz. [1] iPhone Safari ignores the buzz, so on an iPhone the alert may only be seen on screen.

Does OperatorLink let a lifting crew talk by voice during a lift?

Anyone who joins the jobsite can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser. [1] One-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat messages. [1]

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [1]

Try OperatorLink

Sources

  1. OperatorLink's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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