How to talk to the signal person during a lift for crane operators

Steps for crane operators to talk with the signal person during a lift, what to agree first, and what to check in each tool.

By 2Dig · 2026-10-09

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

Agree the signal words, what hold and slow mean, and who may call stop before the first pick. Test the way you will talk once on the ground, then choose a tool only after checking it against your site and the phones your crew carries.

Option	What it does	Its own fee	Other fees to check
OperatorLink	Shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew, and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser ^[1]	Currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet ^[1]	Not published
Radio on the crane	Two-way voice between the signal person and the operator, where the site allows it	Not published	Not published

What you need before you start

Before the first pick, work out who talks, in what words, and over what. The signal person is the only one on the ground giving the move, and the operator takes direction from that person alone. Agree a plain word for start and one for stop so there is no gap between a hand signal and a spoken one.

Set what hold means: the load stops where it is and stays there until the signal person clears it. Set what slow means: the move keeps going but at reduced speed and in smaller steps. Agree that only the signal person may call stop, and that anyone on the crew can say stop if the crew agrees that person may. Decide the order of words if the signal person and someone else speak at the same time, and whose word wins.

Choose the way you will talk before the lift, not during it: a voice channel, a chat, or a set of button presses. Confirm the phones on the site can reach each other where the crane works. Test one signal on the ground so both sides hear or see the same answer. Write the agreed words somewhere the crew can see, so the next shift does not start cold.

Step by step

Start by agreeing who gives the signal. One person on the ground directs the lift, the operator answers to that person, and no one else changes the move.

Agree the words in order. Use one word for start, one for stop, one for hold, and one for slow. Say each word out loud and watch that both sides react the same way.

Decide how you will talk. Pick voice, chat, or button presses and confirm every phone on the site can join the same call or room.

Run one test signal before the lift. The signal person sends start and the operator answers, then the signal person sends stop and the operator stops. Do this while the load is still on the ground.

Agree what to do if the signal is lost. If the signal has not arrived for two seconds, the move stops and the signal person is asked to resend it.

Make the first small move. The operator moves the load a short distance, the signal person watches, and both sides confirm the words still match what is happening.

Keep talking during the whole lift. The signal person gives the move, and the operator confirms each step before the next one begins.

End with a clear all clear. The load is down, the signal person says the move is done, and the operator confirms the words before releasing the position.

Tools that can do it

The tool used to talk has to let one signal person reach the operator and the crew on the jobsite, with a clear way to send stop. 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] STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. ^[1] HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared when the last person leaves. ^[1] Holding a move button keeps sending that move to the other phones; if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, they drop it. ^[1]

OperatorLink runs in a phone browser with no app install. ^[1] Button presses, chat and voice pass between phones in a browser. ^[1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. ^[1]

When a crew member on the ground talks to the operator by voice, the same tools used for crane work may also be used for hand signals. Check each choice the same way.

One-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear are sent as chat messages with OperatorLink. ^[1] Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser. ^[1] The app can be added to a phone's home screen as a standalone app. ^[1]

The signal person may also use a radio or two-way voice device on the crane, when the site allows it. Compare that with the phone-based way and check which one the crew already has.

Each tool has limits. A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it. ^[1] A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. ^[1] On Android browsers signals such as STOP make the phone buzz; iPhone Safari ignores the buzz. ^[1] OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

The biggest mistake is starting the lift before the words are agreed. Set start, stop, hold and slow out loud before the load leaves the ground.

Do not let more than one person give the signal. Two voices mean the operator cannot tell whose word wins.

Do not skip the test signal. A call that works in the shed may not reach the far side of the site where the crane works.

Do not treat hold and stop as the same. Holding keeps the load in place for a moment; stopping ends the move and waits for a fresh start.

Do not assume every phone in the crew gives the same alert. A buzz on one phone may not happen on another, so check what each phone actually does.

Do not keep moving when the signal stops arriving. If the move has not come through for two seconds, drop it and ask the signal person to resend.

Do not leave the agreed words only in one head. Put them somewhere the next shift can read at the start of the day.

Frequently asked questions

Who is allowed to give the signal during a lift?

One person on the ground directs the lift and the operator takes direction from that person alone. Agree before the pick who that person is and that no one else changes the move. The operator answers only to that signal person, and a fresh word is needed from that person before each new move begins.

What is the difference between hold and slow on a lift?

Hold means the load stops where it is and stays there until the signal person clears it. Slow means the move keeps going but at reduced speed and in smaller steps. Agree both meanings before the first pick so the operator and the signal person react the same way to every word.

How does a stop signal reach the operator during a lift?

The way depends on the tool. In a phone-browser service such as OperatorLink, STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. ^[1] Whatever the tool, the operator must be able to see or hear the stop clearly, so test one stop signal before the load leaves the ground.

What should the crew do when a signal stops arriving?

The move should stop as soon as the signal has not come through for about two seconds. The operator drops the held direction and asks the signal person to resend it. Agree this rule before the first pick so a lost signal never turns into a move that keeps going without direction.

Why check the phones on site before using a phone signal tool?

A phone-browser tool only works when the crew's phones can reach each other where the crane works. On Android browsers signals such as STOP make the phone buzz, while iPhone Safari ignores the buzz. ^[1] So a crew should test one signal on the ground and confirm each phone reacts the same way before relying on it for a lift.

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

Try OperatorLink

Sources

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