Concrete pumping is essential work that helps keep the country’s infrastructure strong, and other industries up and running. However, without the right education about the nature of concrete pumping work, the job can quickly become dangerous.
To help keep workers and the general public safe, here is a guide to the four essential dos and don’ts of concrete pumping:
The Dos:
1. Training and Certifications are Key
When doing concrete pumping work, everyone on the job site must have the proper certifications and training experience. Not making this happen can not only lead to massive legal troubles but serious (and even deadly) injuries among crewmembers. Being as safe as humanly possible is every concrete worker’s top responsibility, after all. For this reason, managers at job sites need to carefully verify the training and certifications of every worker that they hire (no matter how much they might trust them). Professional concrete pumping services understand the importance of this crucial concrete pumping work do.
2. Use Proper Boom Equipment
Boom equipment is one of the most crucial tools concrete pumping workers use to get their jobs done. Without functional, well-maintained booming equipment, a job will be ineffective, and the worksite will become hazardous. Before every shift, boom equipment should be assessed to ensure that it’s working correctly and that updated inspections required by the industry have been completed. Having boom equipment that you can trust will ensure that all jobs go fast and that they remain safe for every worker on the job site as well.
Also Read: How to Use and Maintain an Excavator Safely?
3. Practice Proper Personnel Safety
Beyond the two dos that we’ve already discussed, having a top-notch safety protocol structure setup for concrete-centric job sites is of utmost importance. To achieve this goal, every manager and team leader needs to ensure workers are practicing proper personnel safety at all times. Even small, brief slip-ups can lead to disastrous mistakes and injuries. The training and certifications that workers have undergone will help them make decisions that will ensure proper personnel safety precautions and practices are being performed (and taken seriously).
Also Read: Lean Concrete – Base – Mix Design – Strength – Purpose
4. Preparation is Everything
Before you begin work on a concrete-centric job site, you need to do lengthy inspections, prep work, and communication to ensure the day goes both safely and smoothly. Failing to prepare properly will lead to injuries, lost profit, damaged reputations, revoked certifications, and even death in some cases. To keep yourself, and every co-worker on the job site with you safe, you need to remember that being properly and professionally prepared is your top responsibility. Using green concrete is another great way to ensure a job is done as safely as humanly possible.
The Don’ts:
1. Never Use Booms Instead of Cranes
Unfortunately, even long-time concrete professionals will sometimes cut corners to lower costs or meet tight deadlines. One of the most dangerous ways this can occur is when workers use booms for jobs that require cranes. There are many extreme dangers that this irresponsible improvisational use of heavy machinery can create. To be safe, and to keep damage costs down, you should never, ever use booms for jobs that require cranes to complete both safely and effectively.
Also Read: Types of Concrete you should know about
2. Never Bypass Proper Handling Safety
Handling clogged hoses, concrete pumps, and other potentially-dangerous equipment require a clear mind and a dedicated heart. If you’re slacking off when handling this equipment, or if you come to work intoxicated, you put everyone around you (including yourself) into harm’s way. By practicing proper handling safety, you will make the job go smoothly, safely, and efficiently every single time.
3. Never Stand in the Path of Discharge
If you put yourself in front of the path of discharge, you put yourself at risk of being seriously injured (or killed). Discharge hoses can malfunction at any time, so avoiding its path when discharge is actively coming out, or when it’s being primed, is of utmost importance. This is one of the key aspects of equipment training that every single concrete worker has to complete before taking on a professional job.
Also Read: 5 Reasons Equipment Inspection Is Critical To Safe Operations
4. Never Climb on Hydraulic Equipment
As with other heavy machinery involved in concrete work, you must never climb on any hydraulic equipment while on the job. Even if you think you can climb up it to make a quick repair or correct its operations, the risks associated with this action are simply not worth it. It’s better to delay a work task or suffer some profit loss than it is to seriously injure, maim, or kill yourself (or one of your co-workers), after all.
Also read: Ready Mix Concrete Definition Types Advantages
Keep Concrete Work Safe in 2022 (and Beyond)
By following these concrete pumping work dos and don’ts, you can keep the concrete work industry safer in 2022 (and beyond). Listen to your work site managers, and ensure that you follow your safety guidelines, and you’ll keep yourself and your co-workers in a happy, healthy, and successful state.
Further Read: 5 Ways to Get Workers to Right Use Personal Protective Equipment
