November 10, 2007 - 8:29PM

A construction worker is recovering in hospital after he fell and jammed his legs inside an industrial concrete pump at a worksite in Brisbane's northside.

The 20-year-old man suffered severe injuries at a Scarborough worksite just before 2pm (AEST) on Saturday.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said the man had severe injuries, including a fractured leg and pelvis.

He was given a blood transfusion at the site before being airlifted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service officer Lance Duncan said it was difficult to extricate the man from the machine.

"Apparently he was cleaning the machine after utilisation and he slipped and fell in there and got his legs jammed in the rotating devise," Mr Duncan told the Nine Network.

"The man's position is he is stable, with multiple fractures to the leg."

This story just makes me sick. How can something like this still happen?

Todd, back in the mid seventies a well known pumper from Seattle who now is in Birmingham, was clean the back of his  Thomsen pump out standing on the grate. The grate fell in trapping his legs in the auger. He held the auger with his hands while yelling for help. Lucky for him the crew was still there and they shut off the pump and got him out. He only suffered brused legs.

That is why ACPA says "only fools stand where angels fear to tread". On the grate of a concrete pump.

REALLY!

That lesson should have sunk in 25 years ago.

some people just dont learn! i dont think his going to do that again

 I hope he has a full recovery , but this only goes to show the lack of training in our pumping industry down here , untill a lot of owners lose the attitude hey you have a truck license we will get you a boom ticket & in 60 hours  presto we have another  operater . Work place health & safty ( joke) claim all you need to  show is 60 hours training answer multiple choice questions  , it has been reported & i know for sure whos inspecter going to a yard testing up to 10 people in a hour with no fail , why are we seeing so many pump related accidents down here ,you do not need to be a brain surgeon to figure it . Unfortunatly untill we can get the  proper training in place & somebody to inforce it we will see a lot more of these incidents

CHEERS   FROM AUSSIE  everybody keep safe

oh by the way it only happened once..and it was back in the mid seventies

Hey Guys: Let me tell you the story of how I got a second chance! It was in 2003,on a Friday.I was running our newest 52 on a SIMPLE 250 yard PT slab. A few weeks prior a mixer ran into the hopper ,destroying the hopper grate safety switch. As usual we couldn't get the RIGHT switch,so we wired around it! Well I was cleaning up with the grate open...Even though I wasn't in the hopper or on the swing 90 ... I saw a spot of concrete on the back of the hopper,and flipped the hose nozzle to wash it off,when the paddle hooked the cuff of my coverall and started to pull me into the hopper.Now my paddles looked like Vasa's, hardly there ,(whenever I see Vasa's paddles I shiver) and it was coming around again! The agitator had me, when suddenly my coveralls sleeve ripped loose,freeing me! Had that paddle caught my skin,I'd have gone wherever it took me!!!! I wouldn't have had a choice!! Guys ,I'd gotten complacent! I'm a 30+ year operator,and I simply wasn't paying my machine the PROPER amount of attention! See I knew the switch was rewired,and that the agitator was going,(there's 2 broken rules)but I GOT complacent(the third broken rule) and almost lost my life!! I was pretty shook up,but I awoke that night at 2am in a sweat,and cold reality sunk in! I had just escaped with my life,through my own inaction! It would have been SIMPLE to turn off the agitator,to close the grate,or not put my hand in an area of danger...I was given another birthday as someone here once said ,and I intend to make the best of it

thats why i have a long piece off rebar theres no way my arm or leg is going in there but i still see some guys that still do it no thanks i dont gamble.hey mudslinger i bet you won't do that again? thats good that your alright

hey aussie, your spot on with the shit that goes on down here. my bet is that the young bloke who was hurt had had only a few months (if not less)  experience with pumps and the fat arse "I'm an operator, i dont cleanout hoppers" sat in the truck writing out a docket for the job HE "so perfectly" performed.

 this industry has blown out of control, too many get rich quick bosses, too many pumps for some jobs, too many jobs for some pumps.

 i have made STATEMENTS about the "quality of work" personal in my environment only to be told "he's here and he's breathing". i have witnessed the damage done to pumps for one reason or another, i have witnessed the injuries to employees for one reason or another and i have witnessed the booms not staying upright for one reason or another, it must stop.

that kid is not to blame, for the injuries that he sustained whilst cleaning out someone's 3/4 million dollar investment. the blame lies with the people that he works with or for, who have more experience for NOT showing him the RIGHT WAY.

maybe a change of government is needed, that'll slow em up.

Some years ago I owned a 875 thomason, A finish wanted my water hose, I was cleaning it out. He put his foot in the flapper housing as a step to reach the hose. I hear him screen. There was a sign that said don't put your hands in flapper box, But no foot :)