The American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), St. Louis, Missouri, in partnership with the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA), Mount Vernon, Iowa, held its second annual Safety Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 10–11.
Safety professionals from the concrete construction industry gathered for a safety program focused on safety and health issues impacting the industry. The program featured keynote speaker Mike Schneider, vice president, chief people person of Baker Concrete Construction, Monroe, Ohio.
The American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Gordon Raymond Hefner as executive director. Hefner replaces Bev Garnant who led the association for over 20 years. Hefner possesses over 27 years of association management experience in the construction trades. He will be responsible for the administration of all ASCC programs and will oversee its office staff of eight.
Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. (“CPH”), a leading provider of concrete pumping services and concrete waste management services in the U.S. and U.K., announced the acquisition of Coastal Carolina Pumping, Inc. (“Coastal”) on August 23, 2022.
Putzmeister America, Inc. is pleased to announce Jason Talbot as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In this role, he will work collaboratively with all departments throughout Canada, the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. Jason comes to Putzmeister with a wealth of product management and engineering experience. He was most recently with a heavy equipment OEM, where he was vice president and general manager in the concrete processing division.
SCHWING America introduces a newly revised boom inspection program in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Safety Standards for Material Placement Systems B30.27 requirements.
ASME B30.27 requires frequent and periodic inspections. To accommodate this requirement, SCHWING America is splitting their inspections into two categories, structural and operational.
Cemstone, ACPA member and the upper Midwest’s leader in high performance concrete, has been chosen as a recipient of the 2022 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s (NRMCA) “Producer Excellence in Quality Award.” This is the twelfth year in a row that Cemstone has received this award. This award recognizes the commitment to quality initiatives of ready mixed concrete producer members. This award is intended to recognize those that strive for continuous improvement through their quality initiatives.
DY Concrete Pumps is excited to announce that Wayne Allen has joined the team as vice president of sales. Wayne brings almost 40 years of experience in concrete pump sales and management. Working alongside DY’s sales, parts and service teams, Wayne will assist in continuing DY’s outstanding service to all customers.
“Wayne’s reputation and experience within the industry is a great asset as our company continues its growth as a major supplier of concrete pumps in North America,” said Jason Delehay, general manager of DY’s Texas-based headquarters.
SCHWING America is proud to announce its newly revised online part store, SCHWINGparts.com. The new store has over 7,500 parts, with more being added daily. The site also features new product photos, live order status, inventory checks and a quick reorder form. When entering the site, customers are given the opportunity to sign up for a new online parts account if they don’t yet have one. Once signed up, customers can shop for genuine SCHWING parts with new competitive pricing.
Mark Young has been promoted to president of Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping. He previously held the title of general manager of Brundage-Bone, a position he held since 2018. Young brings over 15 years of construction industry experience to this role.
Contact with high-voltage power lines is the most common cause of fatal and serious accidents related to the operation of concrete pump placing booms. It is the position of the American Concrete Pumping Association that placing booms shall never be operated within 20 feet (50 feet when the voltage exceeds 350kv) of energized overhead power lines (the danger zone). Power line injuries can only be eliminated with the cooperation of everyone on the job site. Each party has responsibilities, as follows.
Operating a concrete pump boom requires focus and staying alert at all times — especially when working in and around high-voltage areas. Electrocution is one of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” leading causes of workplace deaths in the construction industry.
As we approach winter, you will need to prepare your employees physically and mentally for inclement weather. They may face a variety of cold-weather hazards, including frostbite, hypothermia, trench foot and hazardous road conditions. All of these conditions are extremely serious, and employers must take measures to prevent them from occurring.
Pumpers ruled the Rockies September 17-18 when more than 150 individuals from 75 companies gathered in Colorado for the ACPA’s second-annual Operations, Safety & Maintenance (OSM) Conference. The event took place at the Westin Westminster hotel, nestled conveniently between the cities of Denver and Boulder. With the Rocky Mountains serving as a backdrop, attendees spent the weekend learning, networking and having some fun to boot.
The American Concrete Pumping Association is proud to present the 2022 recipients of the Bob Weatherton Scholarship: Margaret Schmidt, Leighton Landreth and Lauren Bone. These students embody the leadership and spirit that is integral to the legacy of the late “Big Bob” Weatherton of The Concrete Pump Store in California. Bob served on the ACPA board of directors for more than 40 years and was one of the industry’s most avid champions.
ACPA, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s (NRMCA) Build with Strength Coalition and Habitat for Humanity International partnered in 2021 to fortify affordable and sustainable housing across the U.S. using concrete and insulated concrete forms (ICFs). We set a goal to construct 50 concrete homes in 50 states in five years and are on target to exceed that goal. ACPA is proud to be part of this project and our members have played a key role in bringing it to fruition. We estimate the total value of contributions of ACPA members is close to $250,000 in donated materials and services.
The concrete pumping industry is ripe with jobs and opportunities for growth. Many of today’s industry leaders started out as concrete pumpers and worked their way up to the positions they currently hold. What they had in common was a desire to learn and expand into new roles.
You think it can’t happen to your company. You’ve read about the catastrophic accident that happened to some other company. Then one day on the job, unstable ground conditions cause a pump truck to tip over, the boom falling and pinning workers below. Or your concrete pump operator hits the left rear wheel well of a vehicle that suddenly cut in front of him from the right lane. Severe injuries and deaths result. Are you ready — really ready — for the “war” that will ensue?
Concrete delivery systems are used every day in the concrete pumping industry. The big questions are, “Am I using the right products? If I have an accident or issue, to what standard or regulation am I going to be held accountable?”
In the concrete pumping and shotcrete industry, there are not many regulations that apply (except in British Columbia, Canada, due to recently enacted legislation). There is almost no delineation in professional publications ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) B30.27, CSA (Canadian Standards Association) Z151, ACI (American Concrete Institute) 304.2R, ACPA (American Concrete Pumping Association) Safety Manual, or pump manufacturer owner’s manuals that differentiate shotcrete pumping from concrete pumping. In the context of this article, we will treat them the same. One exception is dry shotcreting (often referred to as gunite). This is due to air being the main means of conveyance of the material through the placement line instead of using a hydraulic pump to push it.
