Drum Cleaning, Lock/Tag, And Backing Accident-Prevention Training Programs

Among three new safety-training programs the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has released, the Backing Accident Prevention Kit comprises a Powerpoint presentation on CD, training-documentation and accident-reporting forms, standard truck-mixer backing hand and arm signals (English and Spanish), and reference cards for contractors assisting in backing truck mixers on site

Among three new safety-training programs the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has released, the Backing Accident Prevention Kit comprises a Powerpoint presentation on CD, training-documentation and accident-reporting forms, standard truck-mixer backing hand and arm signals (English and Spanish), and reference cards for contractors assisting in backing truck mixers on site.

An NRMCA study has shown that 11 percent of a company’s truck mixer fleet will have a backing accident annually. Many of the accidents happen even with a spotter at the job site, notes NRMCA Managing Director of Compliance David Ayers, because not all spotters use appropriate hand and arm signals to back up a mixer. Consequently, a hand and arm signal reference card (in English and Spanish) is included in the program, as are hands-on exercises to help truck mixer drivers and spotters communicate. The kit is available to NRMCA members for $75 ($350 nonmembers), and can be ordered through the NRMCA E-store, www.nrmca.org/store/E-Store_Homepage.asp, or by contacting the association, 888/846-7622.

Additionally, a Lockout/Tagout/Tryout safety training program was designed to assist ready-mixed production facilities in recognizing their sources of hazardous energy and helping them create equipment-specific procedures that address those sources. A related program, Mixer Drum Cleaning, covers responsibilities of the entrant, attendant and entry supervisor in accessing and removing hardened concrete from inside the mixer drum. Atmospheric monitoring and confined-space permitting systems are discussed. Both programs include a quiz at the conclusion of the training, along with training documentation forms to help measure participants’ retention and note their completion of the program.

These programs were designed with input from the NRMCA Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee to ensure that they are industry-specific, providing practical applications while addressing our safety training needs, says NRMCA Safety Task Group Chairman Steve Jones, director of safety and human resources at North Carolina’s Chandler Concrete.

Adds NRMCA Senior Vice President of Operations and Compliance Gary Mullings, We continue to address these very serious safety issues, since accidents cause pain and suffering to the injured employee as well as a significant financial strain on a company’s bottom line Û a distraction from the company’s main mission, which is to manufacture and deliver quality concrete safely every time.