Same ol' story
Dipstick 11-08-2014
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Thats easy my friend. As long as your ACPA meetings take place on a luxurious cruise ship after 2 bottles of whine things will never get better. Most of the safety changes from the last years are rediculous and easy to see they have been designed by a guy sitting behind a desk not knowing what goes on in the real world. 

It would be so easy to for example say: 52m and up, outriggers on sand, mud etc = Dragline pads mandetory.

So many times I've been standing on sand with a 52m and build a whole structure of leftovers under my outriggers and just standing with fingers crossed all day praying it will hold its crazy..

And indeed than they come and wind about helmet and glasses. F*ck that!! 


putzman1975 11-08-2014
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well said pumpnfinish  when will they learn


Joe 11-08-2014
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There is only 2 people in this industry that have any balls. Richard O'Brien and Pete Horner....they don't work cheap nor do they compromise on safety. Until the rest of the industry grows a pair and everyone quits trying to get all the work at whatever price we will suffer as a whole. Time for the owners to band together and demand safety and money like the crane industry we will always be the red headed stepchild


Dipstick 11-08-2014
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Agree. You can not expect to let the companies sort it out themselves. The customer will just walk to a competetor if you refuse or have to high demands. And we can't even blame them. Only solution is strick rules for setups and much better training and certification of pumpdrivers. They should be on the same level as cranedrivers.

Now any dumbass with a trucklicense can drive a pump here. And manufacturers live with the ilusion that they can make their pumps idiot proof Yell


Dipstick 11-09-2014
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Here you go my friend. This is how you do it. Cool Hope you can understand a bit german but otherwize you might imagine what he says..

 

http://youtu.be/e9cm9m6WIro

 


rusty22 11-09-2014
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Well it's like that for the crane because he has over 360 pages of OSHA regulations. Concrete pumps 0.You will find some reg's like for the laborers on hoses and clamps. I went to DC .You start by going to a ACCH meeting. They listen to  your safety concerns,and will advise OSHA if a rule needs to be made. 


TeamStreamline 11-09-2014
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Perhaps you need to band together with your competition and iron this stuff out. If you can all agree on what the rules should be, the customer has no choice but to maintain a safe place for setup. They can't pull the "if you won't do it, I'll call someone that will."  I know for a fact, that where I operate, every company is on the same page on safety issues. And operators have been canned for unsafe setup, even though the job was completed without incident. 


Dipstick 11-09-2014
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I just love to watch this guy over and over. He made the right call. If he would have setup there this would ave happened:

http://youtu.be/xz71eVreMDc


gboom 11-09-2014
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not sure if this works or helps any, but if it comes to an argument with the super, have a waiver ready, that the super signs, that says something in the line of : site conditions are not acceptable, and basically that he accepts responibility If something happens. If they want you to set up in a spot, that is not suited, he shouldnt have a problem signing the waiver?


Dipstick 11-10-2014
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Indeed. And it also should matter if anyone signs any paper. An operator should never put his boom in the air if he thinks its not safe no matter who signs any paper.. Its not the super's fckn machine Wink


Michael C 11-10-2014
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I have refused to set up in unsafe conditions. I say, "See the phone number on the boom? You can call my boss as I won't do it." I do not compromise on setup. Your right crane guys get everything they want. They do not get asked if they can suck in an outrigger so someone can get by with a forklift. We have literally not killed enough people in our industry for people not to walk on us. OSHA Inspectors do not even know what a concrete pump is most of the time. They are more concerned that the clamps have safety pins in them than if the operator is propery trained and the machine setup properly. Hell, I got an OSHA violation becauce I have oil in my pressure gauges from an OSHA Inspector. He said the gauge was defective and it took a while to clear that up.


dlee7729 11-13-2014
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JOE You nailed it dead on my freind. Pump companies who have the Balls to back up a opertor on unsafe conditions .


ShortStik 11-16-2014
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its impossible for me to keep my cool when surrounded by dumb people TELLING me to do dumb things.

Ive been TOLD to do things that I know is wrong and unsafe by the boss onsite.  It is not just pump companies who are spiteful to each other.  there are contractors or just the super who are spiteful to pump companies.  to a young and inexperienced operator, contractor supers can be scary people.  Threating a young op that his employer is going to have to buy mud seems real to the op.  Ive been lied too, threated, had heavy objects thrown at me, almost lost my face to a shovel wielding quebecer and quit my job twice for not being back by my dispatch all regarding unsafe act.  My resume and referrences is all i have to keep my livelyhood.  Bad news in concrete gets around fast and gets blown out of preportion faster  I know this bull shit will never end and yet still love pumping.  Been wondering who the dumb one truely is?

signing the bill before hand will not bring the dead back or heal broken bones!!!  id rather starve and be able to sleep at night.  Families dont have that luxury and there seem to be a few soulless people out there so the same ol' story will continueFrown

 


Mudslinger 11-30-2014
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I have found that if you go to the Project Manager, rather than the super, EVERYBODYS attitude changes! Say when he signs, as well as the super, you'll do your best! But no promises! It's worked for me!


LILSTICKLOTTAHOSE 12-25-2014
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I know exactly where you're coming from PnF . JUst had a situation 2 months where a customer called and complained on me for taking 15 minutes longer than usual on crap ground because I had to scurry all over the site looking for whatever scraps of wood I could find to keep my outrigger pads from sinking out of site . What really ticked me off was when I was told by my boss, it's a 39 meter not a 52 . Maybe I'm wrong, but don't lil booms fall over just as ugly as big ones do? 

 


Dipstick 12-26-2014
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At least a 39m does. This is exacly the reason why pumps still fall over. Because people underestimate the pressure on the outriggers. You can tell all these guys I think they are amatures and you are pro Wink


biged 12-26-2014
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Dipstick I don't know what he said but they got and ear full, one guy on the phone, noticed no one gave him any lip.


LILSTICKLOTTAHOSE 12-28-2014
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Seems like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't in this business a lot. Companies preach at you about setting up safely then fuss at you if you refuse to set up until you can do it safely . I feel like all companies need to start having a backbone and backing their operators instead of chewing them out for trying to do the job safely. If all companies grow a spine then contractors will quit trying to force their operators to do things they know they shouldn't be doing.


Beast 12-29-2014
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guys all bosses aren't how they've been portrayed , we will not setup if it's not safe , all of our pumps are offered dunnage and 45 meter and over are required to deploy dunnage , the problem I am having is actually getting operators that do it , we can provide all the tools necessary but if they are not used it is a waste .

Now until OSHA starts handing out hefty fines for infractions , this is never going to change , it's not the ACPA's job to enforce these rules , it's managements