DO NOT BE A FLASH IN THE PAN

It is suppose to rain today. Typical spring day in the south. The earth needs the moisture and the pumpers need the job sites to be just wet enough so that the ready mix trucks can not get to the slabs. Life is good; then why am I worried? Every year people are killed by lightning strikes. It sometimes, though not often, comes with out warning. These “strikes out of the blue” as they are called happen. Some electrical activity is created well in advance of a storm. Most people however are given fair warning. Heed that warning. When your boom is in the air and you see an approaching storm; pay attention. The difference between the speed of sound and the speed of light is a good tool for survival. Sound travels (about) 1150 feet per second (that is about 4 ½ seconds to travel 1 mile) light travels …………. Well let us just say that it takes a beam of light just over one second to travel from the earth to the moon. So for this particular discussion, when you SEE the lightning it just happened. How willing are you, as the responsible party, to risk not only your life but the lives of the pouring crew and the mixer driver? Even if you are feeling particularly lucky can you take that chance with the life of others? How safe is safe? Do you want the headline that makes you famous to be “Concrete Pump Boom Struck by Lightning Killing Four and Badly Injuring Six Others”? The ‘when’ of when do you lay your boom down is up to you. It is nice to have a rule, or ordnance to guide you. [Don’t allow your boom to be closer than 17 feet to any energized power line] is a good example. I know of no such “absolute” rule as pertains to lightning. Knowledge, common sense, survival instinct and your care of your fellow man are about your only tools you have to make this decision. How safe is safe? Using the old – one thousand one – one thousand two – one thousand three rule between seeing a strike and hearing the thunder; my personal comfort level is FIVE. When I see the strike and hear the thunder before I can get to the count of five it is time to tell everyone to get away from the boom and to begin to lay it down. I do not fold it up I do not suck a sponge, I just, as quickly as possible, get the boom out of the air and rest it on the ground making as low a profile as possible under the circumstances. It is then time to grab the (wireless – not cable) remote and get in the cab of the truck. Don’t forget to tell the mixer driver what you are doing as he is at risk as well. Perhaps I am lucky. Perhaps I am overly cautious. I have no way of knowing. The only thing I know for sure is I am still alive. Every one I have ever poured for survived the experience. No one that worked for me, or took my advice about this issue ever died as a result. And that was just exactly the result I was hoping for.

 Written By Bob Sanderson Published by ConcretePumping.com

http://www.concretepumping.com/dictionary/index.php/Lightning_Safety

Men make up a whopping 82 percent of the 648 people that were killed by lightning in the U.S. from 1995 to 2008. Dudes, what gives? Apparently, standing outside during a lightning storm with a metal pole in your hand seems like a good idea to a lot of men. Via Popular Science, John Jensenius, a lightning safety expert with the National Weather Service, had this to say: Men are less willing to give up what they’re doing just because of a little inclement weather… and will continue to engage in pastimes that make them vulnerable, such as fishing, camping and golfing. Recreational or sports-related activities are involved in almost half of all lightning-related deaths. To put an evolutionary spin on the data, Peter Todd, a behavioral psychologist at Indiana University, said he thinks men are hard-wired to exhibit bold (stupid?) behavior to attract a mate—though unless their ideal mate is their golfing or fishing buddy, it’s not so clear how this strategy works. Are women really impressed by tales of some dope slicing into the woods during a lightning storm? Evolutionarily speaking, you’d think men with a tendency to hang around outside during storms would have been killed off by now—and maybe that helps explain why only 648 people were killed by lightning over the past 13 years.

One of the operators working in Tulsa did the right things - laid the boom down until the storm passed, then finished the pour and while washing out  bam out of the blue from a storm that had already passed a lightning strike - he had one foot on the step and one on the ground.  He survivied but will never be the same - Point being is even if the storm is far away or passed you must make sure you are either on your pump or off - never stand with one foot on the ground when washing out.

I had a freak storm show up last week, 60 and sunny, than 40 and sideways wind,rain and then some lighting, storm passed in 20 minutes. Cutomers want u 2 keep pumping, no way. What r they thinking????

Had a storm roll in last year doing a residential job.  Lots of lightning, once i seen the first flash stopped and boomed away from the job and as low as posible. Good thing, there was so much lightning and wind picked up way over what i would be comfortable with.  Site foreman was only upset that we would have to wait too long and i wouldn't be able to keep pumping.  I told him it doesn't matter, if we loose the pump we can get another one and he was shocked, not worth someones life to save only money.  It must have been my lucky day because an hour of hiding and storm passed, put the pump in reverse and the mud moved as thou it were fresh, finished the job and everyone made it home.  After that day i always check all the different weather stations so i know what i might expect for the day.

A few years ago we were starting a mat foundation early on a Saturday morning. Five pumps plus a couple back ups, 300 yards or so and lots of people all ready to go. There was bad weather in the area and we had tried all week to get the general to push the pour a week. We gave the general one last chance to cancel before we started the pour but they wanted to start at all costs. So right when I told all the operators to prime out we had a huge lightning flash. I never said a word as all our operators laid their booms down. We sat there for about an hour or so. Then we sent back 38 loads of 6,000 and sent everybody home. We all went home safe. What would you have done?

Doug, you are one a concrete pumping hero. I am proud to know you.

 You can't judge lighting so be careful. It can be all over the place go away, and then come back. Colorado has some really crazy wheather. I've seen 2 tornado's since 1994, at work about 2-4 miles away.

?  I posted that reply over three years ago..  I can still smell it and feel it in the air when it's around. Stretch it out and lay her down before ya get a big white Flash>BOOM at the same time & have to realize "Wholly Shite, I just got hit by Lighting!"