Everyone here should be aware that some of the most dangerous moments in your day happen between the time that you turn on your pump to prime and the time that a steady flow of concrete is coming out of the end of the discharge hose. This is true for line pumpers, boom pumpers and placing boom/high-rise pumpers. We all share this time of danger.

What is sometimes forgotten is that all of our co-workers share this time with us. As far as I am concerned this is the most critical point of the pour; it must be done correctly. We cannot afford to assume that our co-workers appreciate the level of danger that exists in this time. WE HAVE THE DUTY TO WARN!

This duty is not optional; it is a moral as well as a legal duty. Consider the potential for disaster at this point.

1.       Line pumpers will, during this time, likely find any weakness in their set-up; loose clamps, worn hoses or holes in placement pipes are some of the more common problems. All of these pose a danger to people working in close proximity of our placing line.

2.      Boom pumpers and placing boom pumpers can add to that list, improperly set-up equipment which could well fail upon first loading and use.

The biggestl threat that we all face is hose whipping. The simple fact of the matter is that we concrete pumpers injure more people every year by hose whipping than by any other job-site misstep. This is a good enough reason on its own to always do our duty to warn.

Our warning is the same in all cases. It matters not if you operate a 30 yard per hour ball valve machine or one of the new super booms. This duty to warn is in effect every time that any pumper is getting ready to prime his lines. It should go something like this:

“Guys, I am about ready to start pumping. It is imperative that everyone stay away from the discharge end of this system. It is better that none of you are anywhere close to any part of the system but the most important thing is that you stay away from the discharge hose until concrete, not slurry is coming at a steady rate out of the end of the discharge hose. I insist that you all stay back at least [insert the length of discharge hose here]. It is better for you if you are further back than that but that is the minimum distance. If you do not do this I cannot start the machine.”

This warning must be given EVERY TIME on EVERY POUR! This is a must when you are ready to grout the line, after you move the pump, after a prolonged wait for re-starting a pour and even after you have discharged the grout off to the side and have then swung your boom into position to begin the actual concreting. Stand away until concrete is flowing freely out of the discharge hose. You boom operators will also warn everyone to not stand under the boom of course.

It is so very important that you all do this simple act. You have that duty to yourself, your company and your co-workers. If everyone did this every day, every pour every time, our insurance rates as an industry would go down. If we as an industry took this duty to warn as seriously as a plaintiff’s attorney does, we would become a safer as well as a more profitable industry.

If everyone gave that warning, and

Refrained from turning on the pump

 until such time as it was safe to do so, we would all be just that much closer to an accident free career.

We may not be able to completely stop the hose from whipping but we can prevent people from being in the danger area.

Spot-on Bob....

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