Just realized my old way of handling lift bags was a safety risk

On a job in the Gulf last month, the dive supervisor pulled me aside after a deck lift. He said, 'You're not checking the bag's dump valve before you send it up, and that's how you get a runaway.' I had been skipping that step for years, thinking the main valve was enough. Now I always do a full check of both valves, every single time, before the bag leaves my hands. Has anyone else had a close call with a lift bag that taught them a new rule?

2 comments

2 Comments

logansullivan1d ago

Funny how that works, right? It's like skipping the seatbelt because you're 'just going down the street.' You do the shortcut a thousand times with no issue, so your brain decides it's the real rule. Then one little thing goes wrong, the dump valve is clogged or the buckle is jammed, and the whole system fails. You see it everywhere, from not checking your ladder's lock before climbing to just assuming the power is off before touching a wire. That moment of 'oh, this actually matters' usually comes right after something almost goes really bad.

evana712d ago

We had a runaway bag on a salvage job off Pensacola because the dump valve was clogged with sand. That thing shot to the surface like a rocket and almost hit the workboat's prop. The supervisor made us do valve checks on dry land for a full week after that. I don't even attach a bag now without working both valves by hand first.