If you have been living on planet earth for the last several years you have probably noticed that cell phone usage is WAY UP!!! I see people get in their vehicle, start it up and then suddenly become aware that they HAVE to use the phone. I DON'T GET IT?  It is a drain on the attention that people should be paying to their driving, and a hazard to others.

But that wasn't what I wanted to write about, here is the real 411.

Concrete pump operators should not, but do anyway, talk on the phone all the damn time!!! What is up with that? Is the conversation you are having anything other than a gab-fest? Is there really any time sensitive information being discussed? You know, something that won't wait until you are washed out, or at least between trucks? I don't believe it! When I drive by a pump job and look for the operator, he is always easy to find. He is the guy with his head at a 45 deg' angle trying to cradle the phone on his shoulder.

THIS PISSES OFF THE PEOPLE ON THE JOB.

Work is slowing down, the jobs are fewer and the number of pumps hasn't decreased. Do the math. You, as professionals, need to be doing all that you can to help your company retain the work they have.

1. voice mail

2. turn the phone off

3. leave it in the cab

Take two of those and call her in the morning  ;~)       pour it out.

Redelmeier and Tibshirani [1] reported that cellular telephone conversations were associated with a four-fold increase in the likelihood of an accident, and that the increased risk was comparable to the risk of driving a vehicle while legally intoxicated.

If you are involved in an accident, on the road or on the job, your phone records will be subpoenaed. Personal responsibility is always the best defense.

a study conducted by the University of Utah and published in the Summer 2006 issue of the journal Human Factors reported that drivers on cell phones were five times more likely to get into an accident, regardless of whether they were holding a cell phone or using a hands-free device. Researchers also compared drivers on a cell phone to drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent, the legal limit in most states. The cell phone users fared worse than the inebriated.

You can read this artical by clicking on this link.

http://www.thepeijournal.org/content/1q07/ss-keepsafe.php

so i jump out of the truck for ten minutes at the wash rack, get back in and check the phone and return the call and iam told that he had to call someone else and i should have the phone on me and when i do its around my neck and ill be damed if at times when iam pumping i still do not hear it ring.

Eugene,

An owner-operator is just about the only type of operator that does have a reasonable explination for being on a phone while he is operating. I would bet that you don't spend hours yacking on it.

i own my own pump and operate it, i want to give the best i canto whoever hires me, so i bought a bluetooth ear peice and leave the phone in my cab, when my phone rings i hear a little bell ring in my ear, it means that i can tell the next job that im avalible and not miss out on it, surley you lot have these little gadgets in the U.S.A?

Bob,

You are so right. The times I have shut the pump down to talk on the phone can get tense. Sometimes my radio does not work and the office calls me on my cell. The contractors don't appreciate it. I have told my wife that if I don't answer I am busy. This business is dangerous enough. All it takes is a split second of not paying attention and you can kill or damage someone severely. I am guilty of talking on the phone going down the road from job to job. I have found the best thing to do is to pull over get your directions straight and then resume the travel. No amount of arriving on time is worth your life. And don't speed!!, These pumps are top heavy. I saw a mixer truck turn over empty the other day because he was speeding around a corner. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to explain to a family why you killed their love one because you were in a hurry or talking on the phone.

Russ

Gotta love the Z

Bob,I cant agree more......oh,excuse me,Hello,yeah,yeah,make sure I put my shoes on tomorrow OK.Man,I dont know what I would without my cell.........Like I said,I cant agree with you more

just try to explain to the office that you left your nextel in the cab while they are trying to get ahold of you to do a second round pour ha ha yeah right...... seems like most safety goes out of the window when the hard dollar is on the line.

There is an operator in jail because he was found negligent in an accident while on the phone originally charged with involuntary man slaughter.