Concrete Work Stats & Facts

1. Concrete burns– Fresh concrete is abrasive and caustic in nature. It can easily irritate and burn your skin if you do not protect yourself. Covering the skin and washing off any concrete that comes into contact with the skin is the best way to protect yourself from concrete burns. Concrete work safety
2. Slips, trips, and falls– Rebar, form work, uneven ground, and tools present many trip hazards in a concrete work area.
3. Struck by incidents–It is important to use tools correctly with the proper grip and motion. Swinging a hammer too hard or losing control of it can result in injury to yourself or another worker in the area. Workers should be wearing hardhats when these overhead hazards are present. Utilizing a spotter to communicate with the operator of the equipment and to the workers on the ground is an efficient way to control and communicate the movements of a chute or boom.
4. Manual Handling Injuries– There is a lot of physical labor involved in concrete work. Workers need to practice safe lifting techniques or use a buddy system when lifting heavy or awkward objects.

STATS

• More than 250,000 people work in concrete manufacturing.
• Over 10 percent of those workers – 28,000 – experienced a job-related injury or illness and 42 died in just one year.
• Potential hazards for workers in concrete manufacturing:
• Eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation from exposure to cement dust;
• Inadequate safety guards on equipment;
• Inadequate lockout/tagout systems on machinery;
• Overexertion and awkward postures;
• Slips, trips and falls; and
• Chemical burns from wet concrete.