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Safety Measures for Concrete Construction
Concrete Technology
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Understanding Safety
 The
current trend in construction-related injuries is decreasing. This
trend is most likely due to increased awareness of the potential
risks surrounding construction jobsites. The concrete industry boasts
one of the lower jobsite-injury rates, but it is not necessarily
the concrete that presents the greatest risk. An understanding of
the potential risks of concrete construction and proper training
is necessary for limiting the number of concrete construction-related
injuries.
It is often said that everyone is a safety official—any person
can call a halt to operations if conditions look unsafe. In fact,
the ultimate safety of a construction project is the responsibility
of everyone associated with the project. Owners are tasked with
implementing a safety program and providing safety equipment; managers
are responsible for conducting safety training, planning jobs according
to the safety program, and ensuring employees are adhering to safety
standards; superintendents and foremen must enforce the safety regulations
and be prepared to halt unsafe actions; and the workers themselves
utilize safety training by recognizing hazards, wearing and using
safety equipment, policing fellow workers, and reporting unsafe
conditions.
Recognizing health and safety hazards is the most important element
in preventing injury and death. The second element is the precaution
implemented to prevent or reduce the hazard.
Health and Safety Hazards
Construction jobsites are full of hazards, and concrete construction
jobsites are no exception. These hazards can be dissected into categories
for better reference as they pertain to various projects.
Material Hazards
 Cement
comprises 7-15% of total concrete volume. As an alkaline material,
wet cement is caustic, and can cause severe chemical burns to exposed
skin and eyes. Thus, working with fresh concrete presents an obvious
risk. That’s why it’s so important to always wear water-proof
gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, full-length trousers, and proper eye
protection. If you have to stand in wet concrete, use water-proof
boots that are high enough to keep concrete from flowing into them.
Wash wet concrete, mortar, cement, or cement mixtures from your
skin immediately. Flush eyes with clean water immediately after
contact. Indirect contact through clothing can be as serious as
direct contact, so promptly rinse out wet concrete, mortar, cement
or cement mixtures from clothing. And always seek immediate medical
attention if you have persistent or severe discomfort.
In addition to the caustic nature of cement, 95% of cement particles
are smaller than 45 µm.—compared to tobacco smoke of
approximately 3 µm—suggesting that the danger of inhalation
is possible. Workers opening bags or sacks of cement and cement
products should always wear a dust mask in addition to their regular
safety attire.
Machinery
Rotating machinery is always a source of potential injury on a
jobsite. Early-entry saws, concrete/masonry saws, cut-off saws,
and power trowels pose a threat to appendages when used improperly.
In addition, any sustained or sudden noise above 85 decibels emanating
from machinery can be damaging to the ear.
Hydraulic jacks used in shoring, compressed air and hydraulic concrete
pumps, belt conveyors, welding equipment, post-tensioning jacks,
demolition devices, and other equipment also create potential hazards
on a concrete construction site.
 Tools
Besides the mechanized saws and power trowels listed above, sharp-edged
trowels, hammers, chisels, utility knives, etc. can be dangerous
if used carelessly or incorrectly. Long-handled bullfloats, when
used near utility wires, can even be dangerous.
Height
The number-one leading cause of construction-related injuries and
fatalities is attributed to falls from height. Sources of height
associated with concrete construction include but are not limited
to scaffolding, ladders, bucket-trucks, catwalks, elevated or wall
forms, and elevated floors. Owners, managers, contractors, and laborers
should be aware of specific height sources on a project as they
are virtually unavoidable in construction.
Construction Practices
 As
a practice, concrete placement and finishing is one of the most
benign forms of construction. However, certain practices associated
with concrete construction contribute to risks. The use of cranes
for lifting and placing concrete buckets, for tilt-up concrete panels,
and for lifting precast members present hazards to the finishers
and erectors. Concrete pumping, hydro-demolition, or shotcreteing
operations where high pressures are generated in hoses prompt safety
concerns for the nozzlemen. Reinforcement construction can demand
heavy materials, protruding steel, oxyacetylene torches or welding
equipment, and height sources, each of which introduces a safety
hazard either singularly or in any combination. Post-tensioning
operations impart stresses nearly equal to the yield strength of
prestressing tendons – which can be 250,000 psi. Such forces
are dangerous to jack-operators or on-looking personnel. Precast
plants with heavy table forms, consolidation equipment, and curing
rooms must follow safety procedures.
 Jobsite
Conditions
The general condition of the jobsite can also be hazardous. Cramped,
confined projects or sections of a project affect operations and
safety. Locations exposed to traffic, utility wires, excavations,
or hazardous materials can produce unsafe conditions. Even weather
(ie: snow, ice, rain, standing water, heat) can result directly
in injury or combine with another risk to inflict injury to workers.
Prevention
When potential hazards are considered and combined with preventive
measures, the occurrence of work-related injuries and death can
be significantly reduced.
Personal Protection
In general, hardhats and hearing protection are always necessary
on a construction site when overhead hazards and loud or sustained
noise is present. When working with cement, sand, or any other fine
material, the use of a respirator is necessary.
For more information on personal protection when working with concrete,
see PCA’s publication Working
Safely with Concrete (MS271) or video Skin
Safety with Cement and Concrete (VC123).
Equipment Protection
All equipment should be properly maintained and equipped with manufacturer-recommended
safety devices. Disabling or removing safety devices is dangerous
and should be avoided. All unsafe or inoperable equipment should
be marked as such to prevent further use of the equipment.
All workers should be trained and tested by the manager or superintendent
before operating any equipment (from drills to backhoes). Knowledge
of the hazards associated with specific equipment is the first line
of defense against injury.
Jobsite Protection
Although anyone may recognize a safety hazard, it is the responsibility
of the manager to provide a safe jobsite for workers. As such, the
manager or superintendent should ensure that potential hazards at
the project site are identified and corrected or, at minimum, made
known to employees. This preparation should be directed to the categories
of safety hazards listed above.
For more information regarding construction safety, visit the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration website at www.osha.gov
or check out the ASCC Safety Manual available from the
American Society for Concrete Contractors at www.ascc.org.
For more information on working safely with concrete, click
here.
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