The Hertfordshire company suffered a ruptured delivery pipe on a pumping truck on 24 May 2011, with potentially lethal consequences, prompting the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to bring a prosecution for poorly maintained equipment.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard yesterday (10 Sept) that the equipment was being used to pump concrete to the top of a construction site opposite Wellington Barracks, near Buckingham Palace, when the pipe, part of the concrete pump's delivery line, ruptured, spraying the liquid concrete at high velocity over the vehicle and injured a passer-by.

The court was told that on the day of the incident, the pump operator, believing there was a blockage in the pipe released the pressure and started reverse pumping. He could not see the entire length of the equipment and was told by the foreman that a pipe had burst, hitting people with concrete. The debris caused a head injury to a woman and shattered the window of a police car 25 metres away.

The subsequent HSE investigation found that the pipe had been weakened in a separate incident but had not been replaced or repaired. Magistrates were told that the reason for the rupture was due to the company's inadequate maintenance regime which had allowed the pipe to be used. HSE said that this increased the possibility of other machines being operated while in a poor condition.

The make and model of the pump was not specified in the HSE's report of the hearing.

After the hearing HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said: "It's simply not acceptable for firms to show the level of disregard to people's safety that London Concrete Pumping demonstrated here.

"Its failure to carry out effective maintenance on its plant and equipment meant the company put others at risk and ultimately led to a person being injured.

"Companies have a duty to ensure work activity is not only safe for workers, but also for people in the immediate vicinity. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute companies that fail to ensure both equipment and repair regimes are not up to scratch."

London Concrete Pumping Ltd of Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £31,000 in costs.

http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/ruptured-pipe-sprays-concrete-over-police-car

Back in the day when I did not know better, I was pumping a job in Gulfport MS.  We had a trailer pump pumping up 9 stories.  At the end of each pour they would be in a big square sponge and we would blow it back real easy and catch a spong in a big wooden box.

One day the guys up top turned on full air pressure and left it on.   When I could not get them on the radio to turn off the air and I could see the concrete coming out quick I ran and took cover around the corner.  Boom the sponge came out, blew the box apart, went 50 feet in the air and came down and laned in the street on the hood of a cop car!   He stopped got out looked at the sponge and looked all around and did not see anything, threw it on the side of the road and drove off.  Whew...........

Anyone that’s been in this industry for any amount of time has experienced the ‘unexpected’ blow-out of a pipeline component.  The first time it happens to you, hopefully you dodge a bullet & no property damage (including but not limited to cop cars), injuries (including but not limited to the cops in the cop cars) or alike, you should quickly realize that replacement of the pipeline system is relatively inexpensive compared to the consequences of running it too thin.   Especially with the pressures that pumps are capable of operating at & more-so the speed at which they can hit that max pressure when something goes awry.  Sounds like something that would come from a guy that sells pipe I know…..but you do the math on it.  Whether it’s your money or your boss’ money, it affects each of your livelihoods.

Here’s where one guy operating a particular unit is beneficial, they should have a good idea of how ‘long in the tooth’ the pipeline on ‘their’ unit is & as it gets in its ‘last days’ be extremely careful of its’ limits & more importantly, get another pipeline system on the way for it before something BAD happens.  The temptation to get ‘just a few more yards’ in these tough economic times can leave you vulnerable to one of these episodes.

None of this is good for our idustry (or your insurance premiums for that matter).

I cant believe someone would run pipe like that. That pipe seems only paper thin. Jeez

Another thing in the picture that tells the story is the rust location where the pipe burst.  Looks like a dent & scrape from a previous encounter (with something or another).  The distortion of the material (likely) cause the area to thin & weaken to the point that it (likely) didn't need much pressure to blow a hole here.

People need to realize that a ding or dent in a pipe can lead to this exact type of failure.  In the day of 'tapping' pipe for a wall thickness reading (& I know some still do with single wall systems anyway), the key word is TAP & use the wooden handle not the 10 lb business end of the hammer especially if you have control issues using this particular tool.

Try this with a double wall & the 'ring' isn't right anyway (it's more of a 'thud') & you can't tell a thing about wall thickness anyway.  You stand an excellent chance of at least cracking (if not out-right breaking) a liner too.  Then, this expensive pipe is junk because the shell is the absolute minimum wall thickness you must have to withstand the 85 bar (1233PSI) working pressure rating.

Also, you guys with killer pressure washing machines should know that you shouldn't push the water pressure on any double wall boom tubes above that 1233 PSI/ 85 bar rating as damage can occur to the pipe (such as pushing liners out or breaking them),  Single wall is a little more forgiving here but those 148mm ends are only rated for 1233PSI or 85 bar working pressure (concrete, water, poo or whatever material you're into).

Thomas you are a fountain of great information that everyone should pay attention to.  However that requires managers and owners to actually get out there and manage instead of sipping cocktails telling each other how important they are.  LOL

I got what you mean here Brother!  Cops have their donuts & others have the 5-Martini lunch I guess.  You don't want to blow a pipe on either of 'em...I think. (lol).